I am not sure that even many of the home inspectors know it yet, but in the past couple of months the Washington State Department of Agriculture has added another ant to the list of wood destroying organismsbusking their wares in this state. The state has also changed the WDO test to make it, they estimate, about 30% harder to get licensed. I took a "pilot" version of the updated test with some other selected WDO inspectors, a few months back, and it was certainly harder than the original. Since I teach this course for Bellingham Technical College, I have to stay on top of these critters.

That list of ants on the state WDO list includes carpenter ants, moisture ants and the new one -- the velvety tree ant. This one is more difficult to identify. For one, we are not used to seeing it yet, it but it also looks and is sized a bit like the thatching ant and even some carpenter ant species, such as C vicinus. Initial indications are that velvety tree ant may be more into chewing up foam insulation than your wood, but it will chew wood. The frass is like carpenter ant, but finer. Get this, it gives off a stink like the odorous house ant. Some people have reported smelling them prior to seeing them. The smell is described as being like rotting coconut. So, if you are a Washington realtor and you see an inspector state that he saw Velvety Tree Ants, you heard it first here at Active Rain. By the way, the name comes from a glistening pubescence on their cute but stinky little tummies.

Velvety tree ant

Thanks for checking out my bugs.

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA property inspector

www.kingofthehouse.com