This post should make you residents of frozen wastelands feel better about your hostile environs.
About four years ago we started a compost pile down the slope at the bottom of the backyard steps. Being [-]cheap[/-] frugal, we [-]liberated[/-] recycled wooden pallets to set up three separate bins.
A couple years later we found a much nicer Costco 50-gallon plastic bin and moved it up to the side yard (closer to the kitchen). It was a drag going all the way down the steps to the old wooden bins so we left them to finish composting and rotting.
When we finally disposed of the pallets last year, they were filled with termites. We sprayed pesticide on everything and put the wood in the trash, thankful that we'd dodged a bullet.
Not so fast. Last week when we were working on the slope's playhouse we noticed telltale termite holes in the siding and finally found their tunnel. The previous owner/builder had butted the concrete wall against the house's front siding/trim and had "neatly" grouted in all of the space between. The termites had used that grout joint to cover their superhighway to the foundation & walls and had almost totally eaten away the front support beam. (Gee, no wonder the floor was so bouncy!) Once I stuck a screwdriver in the gap (created as the playhouse was sagging down on what was left of its front support beam) I could dislodge the tunnels... and lots of annoyed termites. The tunnel was over 100 feet away from the compost pile.
So we called the exterminator-- $300 for five gallons of Termidor and a couple hours' spraying. Then we called the contractors to spend another $900 to jack up the front of the playhouse, replace the front beam and half of one joist, and put it all back together.
I verified that hydraulic jacks are still a lot of fun and that the demolition & repair are no fun. I'm glad I didn't tackle this one on my own, although I've learned a lot in case there's a next time.
Our neighbor has Sentricon stations that are monitored for a fee. The exterminator checks them every week, and he had visited the day before we told our neighbor about our termites. While we were chatting, she noticed a tunnel on one of her outdoor potted plants so she called her exterminators. The next morning their Sentricon guys scrambled back out to "discover" that termites had started chewing on two of the stations. (Another 75 feet away from the playhouse, and nearly 200 feet away from the original compost pile.) It seems hard to believe that their termite invasion took place in just a couple days, and much easier to speculate that the professionals didn't notice the stations were getting hit.
The $300 Termidor treatment is supposed to kill the entire nest, and hopefully we're done with repairs. Meanwhile they've been paying at least $25/month for eight years... but they do have a warranty.
About four years ago we started a compost pile down the slope at the bottom of the backyard steps. Being [-]cheap[/-] frugal, we [-]liberated[/-] recycled wooden pallets to set up three separate bins.
A couple years later we found a much nicer Costco 50-gallon plastic bin and moved it up to the side yard (closer to the kitchen). It was a drag going all the way down the steps to the old wooden bins so we left them to finish composting and rotting.
When we finally disposed of the pallets last year, they were filled with termites. We sprayed pesticide on everything and put the wood in the trash, thankful that we'd dodged a bullet.
Not so fast. Last week when we were working on the slope's playhouse we noticed telltale termite holes in the siding and finally found their tunnel. The previous owner/builder had butted the concrete wall against the house's front siding/trim and had "neatly" grouted in all of the space between. The termites had used that grout joint to cover their superhighway to the foundation & walls and had almost totally eaten away the front support beam. (Gee, no wonder the floor was so bouncy!) Once I stuck a screwdriver in the gap (created as the playhouse was sagging down on what was left of its front support beam) I could dislodge the tunnels... and lots of annoyed termites. The tunnel was over 100 feet away from the compost pile.
So we called the exterminator-- $300 for five gallons of Termidor and a couple hours' spraying. Then we called the contractors to spend another $900 to jack up the front of the playhouse, replace the front beam and half of one joist, and put it all back together.
I verified that hydraulic jacks are still a lot of fun and that the demolition & repair are no fun. I'm glad I didn't tackle this one on my own, although I've learned a lot in case there's a next time.
Our neighbor has Sentricon stations that are monitored for a fee. The exterminator checks them every week, and he had visited the day before we told our neighbor about our termites. While we were chatting, she noticed a tunnel on one of her outdoor potted plants so she called her exterminators. The next morning their Sentricon guys scrambled back out to "discover" that termites had started chewing on two of the stations. (Another 75 feet away from the playhouse, and nearly 200 feet away from the original compost pile.) It seems hard to believe that their termite invasion took place in just a couple days, and much easier to speculate that the professionals didn't notice the stations were getting hit.
The $300 Termidor treatment is supposed to kill the entire nest, and hopefully we're done with repairs. Meanwhile they've been paying at least $25/month for eight years... but they do have a warranty.