Termites

[utrecht]

Pretty much. Unless you have their Sentricon baits and a contract for weekly monitoring visits.

The funny thing is that when our storage shed was being eaten alive by termites (a $900 repair), our neighbor was using the Terminix service. We went over to tell her about our termite problem and noticed a tunnel on a potted plant (wooden pot) on her back lanai. None of their Sentricon baits had any termites. Her house was surrounded by baits that were monitored weekly and none of them found any of the critters. But I bet the Terminix franchise owner has a really nice boat.


You could try the traditional route of calling three or four exterminators for a quote. Drill into the sidewalks & ground around the foundation, squirt in Termidor only, maybe spray the plants in the yard around the house with more Termidor. No bait traps, no monitoring, no house tenting, no armed guards or flamethrowers. Hawaii is generally considered an expensive state for labor-- we paid $325 in 2001 and $285 in 2008.

We haven't noticed any tunnels since 2008; I check the house's perimeter quarterly. We're about to [-]rip into[/-] renovate the familyroom addition that spawned the 2001 infestation, and it'll be interesting to see how extensive the damage was. While we're in there we're going to properly repair the joint between the main house foundation and the familyroom concrete pour.

Our 1978-built rental home has never had a termite problem (I check its foundation quarterly too). The land used to be sugarcane & pineapple (heavily sprayed with pesticides in the 1950s on) and when the neighborhood was built the entire tract was treated with Chlordane (dioxin). I doubt we'll ever have a termite problem there.

I used to think Chlordane was pretty nasty stuff until I learned that most of the Manoa homes built in the 1930s-1950s had their lots treated with DDT & motor oil.

Based on what you said earlier, why does not seeing tunnels give you confidence that you have no termites? How do you know they aren't coming in thru cracks or whatever? That was my problem with your earlier post. If I have no visible damage and no tunnels but still cant have confidence that I'm not in trouble then when can I ever be confident?

If I could spend $300 and be reasonably confident that I'm in good shape I would do it tomorrow. But right now I have nothing visible and if I don't see any more tunnels coming up, then it wont make a difference if a guy comes out digs holes and sprays water into them. If I cant have confidence when I see nothing now, how do I have confidence because I had a guy spray and see nothing then?

 

[Nodak]

Finally found an advantage to living in an extremely cold state. We don't have termites around here; at least I've never known anyone who had termite damage to their home.

 

[Nords]

Based on what you said earlier, why does not seeing tunnels give you confidence that you have no termites? How do you know they aren't coming in thru cracks or whatever? That was my problem with your earlier post. If I have no visible damage and no tunnels but still cant have confidence that I'm not in trouble then when can I ever be confident?

If you've never seen external tunnels then you probably don't have termites. Of course it's no guarantee. Eventually, though, when they come into the house via other means, they build external tunnels (as well as their other paths).

If, however, you had a tunnel and you haven't brought in an exterminator, then you probably still have termites. You don't kill off the nest by spraying some pesticide and destroying the tunnels. They're just inside the house (and underground) by other means, eating away and working up the population and getting to the point where they'll build more external tunnels (as well as damage the interior walls). Eventually they'll make you aware of their presence.

If I could spend $300 and be reasonably confident that I'm in good shape I would do it tomorrow. But right now I have nothing visible and if I don't see any more tunnels coming up, then it wont make a difference if a guy comes out digs holes and sprays water into them. If I cant have confidence when I see nothing now, how do I have confidence because I had a guy spray and see nothing then?

You don't have any confidence. However you've taken action to kill the underground termites (which requires an exterminator) and you have a warranty for a few months.

As the warranty nears its end, if you haven't seen any interior damage or exterior tunnels, then you can start to feel confident.

Finally found an advantage to living in an extremely cold state. We don't have termites around here; at least I've never known anyone who had termite damage to their home.

Yeah, I have to admit that's one advantage of having an exterior deep freeze. I don't think that method has ever caught on around here, although I remember seeing the "all natural extermination" ads.

 

[LOL!]

I haven't seen any termite activity in years, but to go back to what I wrote earlier ....

When I was seeing termites and tunnels it was only a year after our home and others in the neighborhood were built. The previous owner of our home had had termite treatment as anyone in our neighborhood would have what with all the trees, stumps, and visible termites. (Previous owner sold the home after living in it about 6 months due to a job transfer.)

Nevertheless, despite the treatment there was plenty of visible termite activity everywhere including tunnels occassionally up the foundation. What would you do in this situation? You know the foundation/perimeter has already been treated for termites, but you still see termites?

 

[Nords]

Nevertheless, despite the treatment there was plenty of visible termite activity everywhere including tunnels occassionally up the foundation. What would you do in this situation? You know the foundation/perimeter has already been treated for termites, but you still see termites?

I guess I'd be checking the warranty on the previous treatment and calling the exterminator again.

Termidor is supposed to be the latest "magic bullet" that sterilizes the colony. You would hope that it was mixed in the right concentration, applied correctly, by a reputable exterminator.

Another problem is basic prevention: keeping rotting wood & moist ground away from the house. Our storage shed developed its termite problems because of a compost pile (30 feet away) that we'd built with old wooden pallets. The termites thought the pallets were yummy, but we didn't figure out their connection to the storage shed until it was too late.

 

[utrecht]

Just so I don't get ripped off, if i call someone and tell them I want a basic termite treatment, how many holes should I expect them to dig? Every 3 feet or so around the house? What kind of holes are we talking? I assume they will use a machine and not a shovel?
Whats the difference between this and the termite treatment that Ive read about that costs $1000-$2000 for a medium sized house?

 

[Nords]

Just so I don't get ripped off, if i call someone and tell them I want a basic termite treatment, how many holes should I expect them to dig? Every 3 feet or so around the house? What kind of holes are we talking? I assume they will use a machine and not a shovel?
Whats the difference between this and the termite treatment that Ive read about that costs $1000-$2000 for a medium sized house?

Our holes have since been covered over by stamped concrete, but every 3-4 feet sounds about right. They use a half-inch masonry bit on a hammer drill (through the sidewalks & lanais) and inject the liquid with a root sprayer from a pressure hose, so it probably spreads 1-2 feet. Our house has 2000 sq ft on the ground floor so I'd think that qualifies as bigger than medium.

I guess the price difference depends on the method. Houses can be tented (and gassed) or portions can be frozen/heated to kill termites. They might be using other chemicals, or you might be seeing the difference between having it done in Hawaii or having it done in your area.

But Termidor is effective enough that I don't think the more exotic methods are necessary.

 

[mickeyd]

When I was a kid living to FL we had a 2 story 100% wood house that was close to 100 YO. I can recall having to have it "tented" several times over the years and we had to stay at a friends house for a few days until the poison gas killed all of the critters. I believe that those termites also could fly.

 

[utrecht]

OK, so I broke down and called an exterminator. Its a family business and was recommended by a friend who had used them so I feel a little more comfortable that I wont get ripped off. The appointment is for Saturday. I'll report back later.

 

[W2R]

OK, so I broke down and called an exterminator. Its a family business and was recommended by a friend who had used them so I feel a little more comfortable that I wont get ripped off. The appointment is for Saturday. I'll report back later.

Good decision, IMO. Hope everything works out.

 

[Texas Proud]

I guess I will post again to give some info..


You do not tent a house for subterrainian termites... if you do not do the outside of the house where they come it, tenting does nothing...

You tent when you have the dry wood termites (I could be using the wrong term here... it has been over 30 years).... they are the flying ones that were mentioned... I had a nest land on my house one day (and happend to have seen them).... the next day went to get some poison for them and when I took a look they were gone... I was worred that they had decided my house was the place to stay, but I never saw any sign of them again....

You only drill holes if you have concrete next to your house.... you trench the dirt otherwise.... I think the trench is not supposed to be a lot smaller than when I did the work.... mine were about 4 inches from the slab and 4 inches deep... we would flood the trench with about 100 to 200 gallons of chlordane... once treated, if you do not break the soil after filling in the trench you are safe for probably 50 or more years... (that is at a 1% solution... some people were cheap and used 1/2% which did not give as good results)....

I did my sisters house with chlordane over 30 years ago and if you dig around the house today where it was in the trench you can still smell it...


As I said earler... spot treatment is worthless... don't waste any time and money this way... treating termites is like that old Fram commercial.... you can pay me now or pay me later... later costs a lot more....

 

[utrecht]

Nords, when you said you paid $325 in 2001 and $285 in 2008, was that a spot treatment, or the entire perimeter?

My exterminator quoted me $250 for spot treatment and $850 for the entire perimeter. Both with a 1 year warranty. He said if he was doing a random inspection and hadn't been called there because I had seen a couple tunnels, he would've said I was termite free because he was found no evidence anywhere. Inside or out.

The treatments include digging trenches like Texas Proud talked about. No holes being drilled.

 

[Nords]

Nords, when you said you paid $325 in 2001 and $285 in 2008, was that a spot treatment, or the entire perimeter?
My exterminator quoted me $250 for spot treatment and $850 for the entire perimeter. Both with a 1 year warranty.
The treatments include digging trenches like Texas Proud talked about. No holes being drilled.

Both were for a full perimeter treatment, although the first was 10 years ago on a 2400 sq ft house and the second is a 12'x16' storage shed with a concrete lanai.

I think $850 is a fair price, especially with the warranty, and most especially considering the costs of repairing damage later if this isn't stopped now. Of course he's probably not using Chlordane, but at that price you'd want Termidor. This is not an area where you want to go with the lowest bidder.

 

[utrecht]

He's using Termidor. According to Wikipedia, Chlordane has been banned since 1988.

 

[Texas Proud]

He's using Termidor. According to Wikipedia, Chlordane has been banned since 1988.

Not only banned... but if they find any they get it in bunny suits....


And I used to have it all over me way back when...

 

[samclem]

For certain situations, another approach is to apply a penetrating borate solution to the mudsill, the rim joist, and the outside foot or so of the floor joists. If you've got a crawlspace or an unfinished basement this isn't hard to do. It's also a good idea to spray the inside surface of the foundation wall below the mudsill with this solution. And, if you are doing new construction, it's cheap insurance to spray the solution inside the voids of any cement blocks before the "termite cap" or solid block goes on.
The termites do NOT like this borate solution--they will not build mud "pipes" over cement blocks that have been treated with it, and they can't eat the wood that's been treated. The stuff you spray on has the borate and chemical penetrants (including glycol) that will allow the borate to reach completely through a 2+" thick piece of wood sprayed on just one side. It lasts forever, as long as the wood doesn't get soggy or the stuff doesn't get rinsed off the concrete (it's a waste of time and money to put it on the outside concrete walls for this reason). It's very safe stuff, and a fairly easy DIY job if you can get at the wood. When done you've got a perimeter that should deter subterranean termites. Typical brand names are BoraCare and is Tim-Bor. Some brands also contain an anti-mold ingredient that can be useful in some situations.

This approach will be less useful in homes built on a slab--it's hard to get at the wood to spray it, and any crack in the slab can let the buggers get to an interior wall, rather than just the exterior ones.

New construction is even easier, and this borate treatment is very popular now (including slab construction). A spraying of the lower wall framing and sheathing of the whole house takes less than an hour before the insulation goes in.

 

[WanderALot]

I did a quite of bit of research a few years back when I found some frass (termite poop) in the house. It turns out that I had drywood termites. As someone else mentioned, these are 'slow-eating' termites. They can definitely do damage, but not nearly as fast as the subterranean variety (the kind the OP has with mud tunnels).

As far as drywood termites are concerned, their colonies are apparently quite small (< 3000) unlike the subterranean kind which can have HUGE colonies. While drywood termites can cause problems, they can be treated locally without tenting. If you tent for drywood termites, there's no guarantee that they won't show up a week after you tent the house.

I had the house professionally inspected 2-3 times and was not impressed with the inspection. Two of the times, *I* had to point out the infestation sites. We had a small infestation on the side of the house. We made a decision not to treat it since we will be tearing down that side anyways for a home addition. I plan on doing some sort of preventative treatment like Timbor or Boracare. Both seem to be quite well regarded and cheap insurance.

 

[utrecht]

Anyone know if termites will eat pressure treated wood?

 

[Nords]

Anyone know if termites will eat pressure treated wood?

Not if it's borate or copper-arsenic.

They may still use the wood as a bridge to get to something more yummy, like door/hallway molding.

 

[utrecht]

I got my termite treatment today. I now have a termite force field around my house and I feel bulletproof!

 

[Nords]

I got my termite treatment today. I now have a termite force field around my house and I feel bulletproof!

We found a termite hole (and a dozen of the little critters) in our familyroom arch wall in 2003 and did a full treatment around the house's foundation. The termite signs disappeared but we knew we'd have to confront some damage there one day.

Last week we removed about 1000 sq ft of drywall from the familyroom. We knew we had a cold joint in one corner but we were pretty surprised to find termite tunnels in just about every single stud bay. And, of course, they'd eaten most of the lintel over the arch. I can reach in there and pull out wood by the handful.

We're removing that arch anyway, and the contractor said it "didn't look that bad". I'd hate to see what he considers "bad".