FUNGI: The Quietest Demolition Crew

Unlike pests with legs, fungi doesn’t crawl around your home, but rather takes the form of mold. While bugs often alert you to their presence, mold usually grows in rarely visited places within your home, making it harder to see. However, mold releases billions of spores into the air you breathe. If you find you suffer from illnesses, respiratory problems, or allergies that get better when you’re away from your house then you may have a fungus problem. Persistent, musty odors within your home are also another good indicator of a mold problem, but it usually requires a professional to determine the source.

Mold requires water to grow, so it often takes root in damp areas, like the insides of walls or ceilings that have been damaged by water or where there’s an active leak. This can be indicated by peeling or bubbling paint, discoloration, or bulging in your walls or ceilings. However, damp and humid areas (like basements) run the risk of becoming a host for mold.

BROWN ROT, WHITE ROT, WET ROT, DRY ROT

There are numerous different types of wood-decay fungi, but they all share some common features. Regardless of names like “dry rot” or “wet rot,” all wood-eating fungi require a degree of moisture from their host wood. Once they’ve found a place to grow, wood-eating fungi produce enzymes that target the wood’s cellulose. Cellulose is a stiff, sturdy compound that makes up the wood’s cell walls. By feeding upon the cellulose, the fungi consumes the very essence of what makes wood such an excellent building material, leading to the “rot” in their names and causing severe damage to your home.