Good to know.

Plain-English reading from extension services, government agencies and local news on termites, moisture and what's under your house. These links go to other websites; we don't run them.

Article list

• MSU Extension Service

  Protect Your House from Termites (opens in a new tab)

  Mississippi's own guide to the termites found here, the warning signs (mud tubes on piers, swarmers, sagging floors) and what under a house invites them.

  April 2024
• MSU Extension Service

  Protect property from heavy termite swarms (opens in a new tab)

  This spring's heavy Formosan swarms in south Mississippi, what swarmers inside mean, and why keeping wood dry and off the soil helps.

  May 19, 2026
• Alabama Cooperative Extension System

  Schedule Your Termite Annual Inspection To Avoid Costly Home Damage (opens in a new tab)

  The easiest termite signs to spot, sagging floors included, and the leaks, clogged gutters, stumps and wood piles that draw termites in.

  June 10, 2024
• WLOX (Biloxi)

  Termite season: experts share ways to prevent termites from severely damaging homes (opens in a new tab)

  Local news on Gulf Coast swarm season around Mother's Day, with prevention tips from an MSU horticulturist and a local pest company.

  May 1, 2024
• LSU AgCenter

  Insulating Raised Floors in Hot, Humid Climates (opens in a new tab)

  Research on raised homes in humid south Louisiana: how summer moisture under the house can get into the subfloor, and which insulation protects the floor better.

  2011 study; page posted 2019
• U.S. Department of Energy

  Install or Repair a Crawl Space Vapor Retarder (PDF) (opens in a new tab)

  A two-page picture guide to a proper crawl space ground cover: at least 6-mil plastic, run up the walls and piers, with overlapped seams.

  June 2024
• USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory

  Guidelines for Selection and Use of Pressure-Treated Wood (opens in a new tab)

  How treated lumber is rated for different jobs (the use category on the end tag) and building habits that help wood last.

  December 2019
• InterNACHI (home inspectors)

  Foundation Inspection (opens in a new tab)

  A short reminder to check your foundation once a year, and what to look for around and under a pier-and-beam home.

  Undated
• NC State Extension

  Inspecting a House (opens in a new tab)

  A homebuyer's checklist of floor and foundation warning signs: cracks, sticking doors, sagging joists, floors that give, and damp crawl spaces.

  Revised Aug. 31, 2022
• LSU AgCenter

  AgCenter offers advice to restore flooded home into better home (opens in a new tab)

  How to rebuild smarter after a flood or hurricane, from flood vents and raised-floor insulation to having a qualified pro check new cracks.

  May 25, 2021