The Bug Whisperers: HomeSafe Inspectors Talk to Termites

By Rick Hynum

 

If termites could talk, the first human in the world they’d likely speak to is Peng Lee. Certainly, Lee, an inventor and former scientist at the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA), is one of the few people in the world who could actually hear the little critters. He can even decipher, to an extent, their odd, rhythmic snap-crackle-pop language; he knows when they’re angry, when they’re frightened, even when they’re in the mood for love.

 

The fact is, termites have been good to Lee over the past fifteen years. They’ve allowed him a much-lauded career in both academics and business, but Lee isn’t returning the favor. As co-owner and vice-president of technology for HomeSafe Inspection, Inc., he has developed a powerful system for hearing and seeing termites inside a house’s walls for the purpose, of course, of getting rid of them.

 

The technology, including customized infrared cameras and listening sensors, can uncover other problems in a house, too, like hidden leaks, water damage, flawed wiring, structural concerns and missing insulation. “This technology allows home inspectors and pest control operators to see what the human eye cannot see and to hear what the ear cannot hear,” said Kevin Seddon, Lee’s partner and president of HomeSafe Inspection. “It provides the customer with knowledge about the house that’s never been available before. We can solve mysteries that were once unsolvable.”

 

As a result of the powerful technology, HomeSafe has awarded home inspection and termite inspection franchises and licensed units in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Utah, California and Oregon since its incorporation in March, 2003.

           

Born in the USDA

The technology arose from two very different sciences: infrared imaging, which is essentially the science of photographing of heat, and acoustics, or the science of sound. Lee got the idea of merging them while working on a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded project at NCPA in the 1990s. Lee developed a listening device that could pick up sounds made by the Caribbean fruit fly, a ruinous pest that threatens fruit crops in the tropics. He later applied his invention (patent pending) to the pink bollworm, which preys on cotton.

 

Lee quickly realized that his listening sensor—a tiny, needle-like probe with a miniaturized microphone and amplifier—could also hear termites. The sounds they make are only audible in a specific frequency range—imagine a thimble-sized bowl of Rice Krispies crackling in a few droplets of milk.

 

“The sensor could detect audio signals in that frequency range,” Lee said. “But, before we could hear termites, we had to know where in the house to listen. They could be anywhere. That’s where infrared comes in.”

 

Termites bring their own water supply into a house. Water, like nearly everything in the world, gives off a certain amount of heat in the form of infrared radiation. Infrared cameras detect this heat, as well as tiny differences in heat from one area to another, and generate photographs that highlight the differences. A moist area in the wall, therefore, stands out by giving off a slightly different temperature compared to its surroundings.

 

“The right type of infrared camera can be used to detect the heat ‘signature’ of hidden moisture,” Seddon said.  “That tells us where a termite colony may be located. So now we know exactly where to use our acoustic sensor to listen for the termites. If termites are there, we usually hear them.”

 

‘Seeing’ and ‘Hearing’ Through Walls

As part of his research for the USDA, Lee tested a wide range of infrared (IR) cameras for the sensitivity and resolution needed to quickly and accurately scan walls for hidden moisture. Once he settled on the right IR camera, he began to customize it to his own specifications and applied thermographic principles to find other problems in a house.

 

“Many of a house’s worst problems are hidden behind the walls—faulty wiring that could cause a fire, water damage that could destroy a roof, missing joists. All these issues have a heat ‘signature,’ but only infrared technology can find them,” Lee said.

 

Lee soon left NCPA and teamed with Seddon to found HomeSafe. They developed a three-step home inspection process: 1) an infrared scan; 2) a traditional visual inspection; and 3) an acoustic scan for termites. A few months later, HomeSafe awarded its first franchise to Mid-South HomeSafe Inspection in the north-central area of Mississippi and Memphis, Tenn. “We saw HomeSafe’s potential right away,” PEAKS partner Margaret King said. “We couldn’t sign that contract fast enough. Before long, we were keeping two fulltime inspectors busy around the clock.”

 

The concept spread like wildfire. HomeSafe sells franchises and licenses its technology to existing home inspection businesses, pest control operators and entrepreneurs looking for new business opportunities. The company now has franchises or licensed pest control users operating across the country, including Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Utah, California and Oregon.

 

Bruce Thomas, co-owner of A-Z Tech Home Inspections in Greensburg, Pa. said licensing HomeSafe’s technology boosted his business substantially. “Our average monthly sales from March, 2000 to April, 2004 were $6,609.52. We started using the HomeSafe system in May, 2004. Our average monthly sales after that time quickly increased to $13,326.40, an increase of 119 percent.”

 

“After we started using HomeSafe’s technology in 2004, we had a fifty percent increase in business during that first spring’s swarm season alone while our competitors were losing business,” said pest control operator James Wilson, co-owner of Wilson’s Termite & Environmental in Brandon, Miss. “We use it to this day. It has been a tremendous boost to our business.”

 

Realtors like HomeSafe because its high tech inspection reduces the risk of lawsuits and buyer’s remorse after a sale. “The technology is almost magical to our clients,” said Becky Tann of Nix-Tann & Associates, whose firm uses HomeSafe-Central Mississippi in the Jackson area. “You can see through the walls! We had a situation in one house where there had been some termite damage. It had been repaired, but, lo and behold, they had forgotten to reinsulate that area. How in the world would you know that? You’d never know it without this technology.”

 

HomeSafe’s equipment will be used by Steven Ramos, the featured inspector on HGTV’s popular “House Detective” program in episodes scheduled to air this summer. “As a full-time practicing certified home inspector, it is my opinion that, hands-down, the HomeSafe IR camera will make you money,” Ramos said.

 

“Once a client or realtor sees HomeSafe in action, once they’ve had the chance to look inside the walls of the house and see and hear what our inspectors can see and hear, they’re automatically sold,” Seddon said. “This approach isn’t just innovative, it’s revolutionary. It is the future of home inspection.”

 

For more information on HomeSafe Inspection, Inc., visit www.HomeSafeInspection.com or call (866) 327-7233.