Many states require termite inspections before real estate can change hands. None are required in Minnesota because there are no termites here. That is why I was astounded a few years ago when I sold a home that was infested with termites. The buyer had an inspection and we all saw the mud tubes, but since none of us had ever seen a termite or a mud tube it just did not register.
When an exterminator later informed my buyer that the home had termites no one believed it. We were told over and over that there are no termites in Minnesota, maybe in Southern Minnesota but not here in St. Paul, we are just too far north. I later learned that there have been cases of termites in homes on the East side of St. Paul near 35 E, and there have been a couple of cases in South St. Paul.
I now know what to look for and can at least spot the obvious signs of termites. The type of termites that live here are call subterranean termites. They use mud tubes to travel from one place to another. The picture above shows what a mud tube looks like. They don’t like light and the mud tubes keep them in the dark.
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Termites do live in the metro. My former broker sold a property on the west side of the river just south of Lake Street. A very nice area but typical of the homes by the river, they had lots of mature trees in their yard . . . and moisture. Imagine her shock when the buyer who was from the south requested a termite inspection and termites were found! Granted, they are not the problem here that they are in the south, but they do exist.