"fnord" wrote in message
...
We're trying to come up with ideas for possibly determining existing
termite damage to a home. The Terminix people have told me that when
termites find something good, they drop a pheromone that attracts other
termites into the infested area -- it seems odd that they can't detect
these pheromones, but there's probably some complexity involved that I
don't understand. It seems feasible to me, but what do I know?

What we're thinking at the moment is finding a good stud finder, one
that has a "meter" on it (a series of lights) that displays the density
of the board that it is finding behind the plaster. If we go through the
rooms on the first floor that we believe might have damage (based on the
proximity of to existing, visible damage in the basement), we might find
some damaged/destroyed studs. Can anyone recommend good quality stud
finders?

I've read several stories about devices that law enforcement has
available now that are basically infrared devices that detect heat in a
house, basically allowing them to "view" through the walls into houses
from the street. Is there nothing like this in the world of
extermination? Do insects just not put off enough heat?

It seems that, technology-wise, there should be some kind of device that
can show us the density of boards beneath the plaster, which could give
us an idea of whether or not termites have eaten away at the structure
of a house.

Anybody else have any ideas/experience along these lines that they'd
like to share?


Thanks,
fnord


You might try a CAT scan or MRI.