By Karin Reistad
Modern’s Portland, ME service center was the site for recent training on wood destroying insects (WDI) reports. Ron Keeler, General Manager of the Portland Service Center conducted the training for his service professionals.
Training includes the importance of WDI reports to homeowners
WDI reports can be required by a lending institution before a home is sold or refinanced and can only be prepared by a licensed pest management professional (PMP). The purpose of preparing a WDI is to look for visible evidence of termites, old house borers, powderpost beetles, death watch beetles, carpenter ants, or carpenter bees that may be present in the structure. The key word is visible. The report covers only what is visible on the date of the inspection and from areas that are accessible to the inspector. If an area is not accessible and it has been notated on the report, there is no liability for any damage found after the report is made.
Some of the topics covered in the training include:
- Recognizing wood decay
- Moisture and fungi
- A review of termites, ants, and wood boring beetles of New England
Samples provide invaluable training tools
Ron provided multiple samples of damage caused by wood destroying insects which had been collected over the years and the group had an opportunity to identify and recognize which WDI was responsible and why. One of the most surprising samples was a paperback book that was completely destroyed by termites.
Sample reports reviewed at training
The service professionals also had the opportunity to complete a WDI report and review samples of WDI reports, some filled out correctly and incorrectly. An improper inspection by an untrained service professional and a faulty WDI report could result in a lawsuit. For buyers and sellers of homes, the WDI report is a valuable document when completed by a trained, licensed PMP.
At Modern, we value our team members and we’re committed to providing ongoing training to all our service professionals in an effort to provide our customers with the best service possible.