Residential bed and border review
For a single-family yard with garden beds, a retaining edge and a fence. The review is a single walk, and the report is short, with the actions listed in order of importance.
Serving DeSoto County
Wood, Moisture and Landscape Timber Review in Southaven, MS
A survey of the wood and water around a building that gives termites a route in, written for Southaven properties with beds, borders and stored timber.
- Calls answered 24/7
- Formosan termite swarm season, April to June
- Child and pet safety explained
Get a fast quote
Fastest: call (855) 974-4733. Or send this and we call you back.
Wood and Timber
Moist Wood and Landscape Timber Review: what it covers
Quick answer
A moist wood and timber review looks at the wood that touches soil, the timber in landscape beds, firewood piles and any wet framing around a building. MSU Extension's older 2006 newsletter says long-distance spread of termites is mainly through infested wood products, and that many northern detections came from railroad crossties used as landscape timbers. The review finds those routes and recommends how to remove or separate them.
Termites rarely reach a house by accident. They reach it through wood that is already in contact with the ground, through water that keeps a colony comfortable, or through wood that has been moved from one place to another. MSU Extension's older 2006 newsletter on Formosan termites is blunt about the last of these. It says long-distance spread is mainly through infested wood products, and it reports that many detections in the northern part of the state came from railroad crossties used as landscape timbers. Those are historical county counts, and they are not a statement about any one street, but the route they describe is real and easy to check.
A review starts outside. The technician walks the beds, the borders, the raised planters and the fence lines, and notes each piece of timber, sleeper, stake and log that is in contact with soil and is close enough to the building to matter. Firewood piles are recorded, and so are the stacks of lumber left under a carport. Each one is a possible route for a colony to travel from a yard to a foundation, and each one can be moved, raised or replaced.
Call (855) 974-4733 to book a review. Describe the beds and the wood you can see, and say whether any timber was delivered or reused in the last few years. The technician can usually tell from that description whether the review will be a quick walk or a longer job, and will arrange the time.
- Service area
- Southaven & DeSoto County
- Availability
- Calls answered 24/7
- Phone
- (855) 974-4733
Warning signs
Signs you need moist wood and landscape timber review
Do not burn treated timber or railway ties, and do not move a stack of wood into a garage or a shed without checking it first. Wear gloves when handling old timber, and keep children and pets away from wood that is being lifted or removed.
- Railway ties, sleepers or thick timbers laid on the ground to hold a bed or a retaining edge
- A firewood stack against the house, a shed or the wall of a garage
- Wood steps, deck posts or a fence rail resting directly on soil next to the foundation
- Mulch piled higher than the siding or the first course of brick
- A raised bed built against the wall that keeps a wet, shaded strip of soil next to the framing
- Timber that was delivered from a salvage yard or a demolition job, with no record of where it came from
Our process
How our moist wood and landscape timber review visit works
Map the wood at ground level
Every piece of timber in contact with soil is recorded with its position, its length, what it is holding back and how far it is from the building. A rough sketch with measurements is often the most useful part of the review.
Find the wood that touches the building
The priority is wood that connects the yard to the house: a deck post set on soil and then into a sill, a retaining wall that abuts a brick course, or a bed frame that sits against the siding. Those are the links a colony uses to move from one to the other.
Check the water the wood is sitting in
Wood in a wet bed stays wet. Downspouts that discharge at the timber, irrigation that runs against the wall and a low corner where water pools are noted and measured. The moisture readings tell the technician whether the wood is a route, a home or both.
Recommend the separation
The options are removal, raising the timber on a non-wood support so it does not touch soil, a gap of clear space between wood and the building, or replacement with material the technician and the household agree is appropriate. The option is chosen to fit the layout, not the other way round.
Keep a record and check again
The review is written up with a sketch, the list of timber and the actions. A date is set for a follow-up walk, because timber is often moved back into a bed after the first visit.
What MSU Extension's 2006 finding does and does not show
MSU Extension's 2006 newsletter reports that many northern detections of Formosan termites came from railroad crossties used as landscape timbers. It is a historical county count, and it shows a route, not a rate.
The newsletter is old and was written about the species' spread across the state. It does not say that every crosstie in a yard is infested, and it does not say that a particular street in Southaven or Horn Lake has a problem. What it shows is that wood moved from one place to another carried termites with it, and that a timber in a bed is a physical link between the ground and the building.
A review applies that finding in the way a household can act on. It asks what timber is in the yard, where it came from and whether it is in contact with soil and the building. The answer does not prove an infestation, but it tells the household where to look and what to change.
Wood-to-soil contact, explained
Wood that touches soil is more likely to be attacked, and wood that touches the building through the soil is the link that matters most. A gap, a raised support or a non-wood barrier breaks the connection.
A gap does not have to be large to matter. A few inches of clear space, a concrete step under a post or a metal shoe beneath a stair stringer can change a route into a dead end. The review measures the gap so the household knows whether the change has been made.
- Keep wood steps, deck posts and fence rails off the soil on a concrete or metal base
- Leave a clear gap of soil or gravel between the wood and the foundation, and keep mulch below the siding
- Stack firewood away from the house, off the ground, and not against a wall or a shed that touches the foundation
- Do not reuse railway ties or thick timber as bed edges next to a building without checking their origin
- Repair any wood that is soft or has been eaten, and replace it with material that is not in contact with the soil
How moisture turns a timber into a home
A wet timber is attractive to termites in a way a dry one is not. Water from a downspout, irrigation or a low corner keeps the wood damp for weeks, and a moist timber near the house can support a colony.
The moisture reading is one of the most useful numbers in the review. Wood that reads wet at the base of a retaining edge or under a bed of mulch will keep a colony in the area, even if the wood itself is not yet damaged. The fix is usually to change the water, not just the timber.
Drainage changes are often simple: a downspout extended away from the bed, a grade lowered at the corner, or an irrigation line moved to a different zone. A technician can recommend them, and a landscaper or a plumber can make them. The review records the readings before and after so the change can be checked.
A yard review step by step
The yard review is a walk, a sketch, a set of readings and a list of actions. It takes less time than most people expect and produces a record the household can keep.
The walk starts at the street side and works around the building. Each bed, edge, step and stack is recorded, and the distance from the building is measured. The sketch is drawn while the technician is still on site, which avoids the mistakes that come from a memory of the yard.
The list of actions is ranked. Timber touching the building is first, wet wood second and stored wood third. A household that does the first two changes has dealt with most of the risk, and the follow-up walk checks whether the changes were made and whether any timber has been moved back.
Options
Types and options for moist wood and landscape timber review
Stored timber and firewood review
For a property that keeps a firewood pile, lumber or pallets near the building. The review covers how the wood is stacked, its distance from the foundation and whether it is kept off the ground.
Commercial yard or lot review
For a business with a fenced yard, a loading area with landscape timbers or a store of pallets and crates. The review runs as a longer walk with a written plan, and is often repeated after a change in the yard.
DeSoto County
Why moist wood and landscape timber review is different in North Mississippi and the Memphis metro
Many yards in DeSoto County have raised beds, retaining edges and fence lines built with landscape timber, and the review is written for those. A bed that runs along the back of a Southaven lot is often the single most useful thing to change.
Across the state line in Shelby County, Tennessee, the same wood and water checks apply, but the licence on any follow-up treatment is a Tennessee licence. A review in Germantown, Bartlett or Collierville records the wood the same way and hands the treatment decision to a technician who holds the licence for that side.
Need moist wood and landscape timber review today?
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Where we work
Moist Wood and Landscape Timber Review across DeSoto County
- Wood and Timber in Southaven
- Wood and Timber in Horn Lake
- Wood and Timber in Whitehaven
- Wood and Timber in Memphis North
- Wood and Timber in Nesbit
- Wood and Timber in Walls
- Wood and Timber in Memphis South
- Wood and Timber in Olive Branch
- Wood and Timber in Memphis Central
- Wood and Timber in Lake Cormorant
- Wood and Timber in Memphis East
- Wood and Timber in Hernando
- Wood and Timber in Germantown
- Wood and Timber in Memphis Southeast
- Wood and Timber in Cordova
- Wood and Timber in Bartlett
- Wood and Timber in Collierville
- Wood and Timber in Byhalia
- Wood and Timber in Coldwater
- Wood and Timber in Millington
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Related
Related services
Formosan Termite Inspection
A written inspection for Formosan subterranean termites, the species MSU Extension reports in parts of Mississippi and in isolated collections in DeSoto County.
Subterranean Termite Treatment
Treatment for subterranean termites that is chosen after the inspection, with the limits of soil-based work stated plainly for the Formosan case.
Exclusion and Sealing
Sealing entry points at the foundation, the utility penetrations, the doors and the roofline, so that treatments last and swarmers and pests stay outside.
Termite Swarm Identification
A swarm check for the wings and insects found in and around Southaven homes, timed to the late April to June window that MSU Extension gives for Formosan swarms.
Guides
Read before you book
Moisture Control: Why Wet Wood Decides Termite Risk
Moisture is the condition that makes wood attractive to termites and keeps a colony alive once it starts.
FAQ
Moist Wood and Landscape Timber Review FAQs
Is pressure-treated lumber safe from termites?
Pressure treatment changes how wood holds up to rot and insects, but it does not make a timber termite-proof, and it does not stop water from keeping a bed wet. A review checks the wood and the water together rather than treating either one as a guarantee.
Should I remove every landscape timber?
Not necessarily. Timber that does not touch the building and is kept dry is a lower risk than timber that does. The review says which pieces to move first and which can stay with a gap or a raised base.
Does this review replace a termite inspection?
No. The review finds routes and water; the inspection looks for activity. A household with swarmers, tubes or soft wood should book the inspection and can have the review done at the same visit.