Termites under house, some wood affected

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by Ev, Dec 14, 2006.

  1. Ev

    Ev Junior Member

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    Went under my house and it is apparent I have a serious colony in the area as bits of wood on the ground get eaten..

    I also noticed damage in one of the beams, but I do not know if that is old or current damage that I need to treat.

    I take all precautions that the agricultural department advises

    What do I do, I just don't wanna be a sucker to the pest controller
     
  2. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day vfrev,

    you don't say what precautions you are taking?

    but no matter at this stage i would suggest you not disturb anything where they may be attacking your home, if you disturb them they will simply move onto some other part.

    call in a very reputable termite control person (there are lots of not so goods out there look for an older person who has been doing it for 20 or so years) and go from there.

    but apart from chemical treatment of the soil around the homes foundation parameter, there are bait stations that offer control but nothing is guaranteed, you may have to use both methods??

    then you need barriers around the home it is suggested that the first 1 meter out should be a dry zone, that is no gardens/trees/potted plants (definately), no cement paths either (the termites can gather in the moist ground under the path and find a way past your protections) grass or the preffered loose stone covering.

    for the second meter you can then have cement paths or lawns, again no gardens in this zone either.

    so any gardens are at least 2 meters from the boundry area of the home.

    and in all cases you must be vigilant do under home inspections yourself often (the pest man should suggest how often but the more the better).

    if you find action call the pest man don't disturb them.

    at the end of the day it matters not waht termite action you have in the garden, you have no control over that and they are there whether you see them or not.

    but i itterate call in a good pest control guy, you may have to do some repair to structure as well?

    the biggest mistake home owners make is to have gardens/trees close to the home.

    also it will pay to ahve an inspection done as well, that generally isn't part of the treatment, and best to get the inspection from anotehr pest person who does only inspections.

    keep us updated

    len
     
  3. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Ding Ding Ding ... Alarm Bells..

    Apart from taking Len's sage advice there is more to do.

    Get a strong pointy screwdriver and get under your house and do your own inspection. Look for mud trails and try and stick the screwdriver into any joints or suspect patches. Especially look around any areas of moisture - bathroom & kitchen. Do the same for any outbuildings, wooden tanks stands etc.

    What is often common is that two nests are involved one outside the home that caused the 'infection' and another smaller one that is being established inside your home. This may well be up high and have a good look at any evaporative AC units and their water sources. Behind or above showers is a common place.

    In your situation I would probably pay to have the place checked over, then sprayed, checked and baits laid.

    It took my folks over 20 years to locate a major nest in our place which was eventually located in an old fridge [with a cork liner that they had eaten out]. They had the place checked and sprayed innumerable times.

    Not trying to frighten you but your house had just had, figuratively,, a little heart attack and you need to seek urgent assistance.

    Cheers

    floot
     
  4. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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  5. frosty

    frosty Junior Member

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    borax may slow them down

    there is no such thing as a safe termiticide or a reputable pest controller

    if you spray prepare for you and your whole family to get sick ....... it may not happen immediately that is how they getaway with still using it ..... but down the track when cancer or neuromuscular problem occur remember why

    arsenic baits are less harmful ( which shows how bad the sprays are )

    cant type more due to useless hands casued by spray

    all houses should be structurally built of steel or other termite resistant material

    frosty
     
  6. Plumtree

    Plumtree Junior Member

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    Termites always require moisture and if you can eliminate the source of water you will have a start on eradication. We bought a house with leaky gutters, a shower that also leaked ( I think they all leak) and the hot water tank dribbled water constantly. Termites were found in the internal wood of the shower stall when somebody leaned on the structure and it fell apart. After replacing all of the leaking components we installed 'traps' to catch exploring termites. Traps are tubes with cardboard, which termites love, stuffed in them. There is a window to see what is going on and the idea is that the termites will seal up this window to preserve moisture and exclude light. When you discover that your tube is harbouring white ants you can have a pest controller in to apply a poison in a very specific area. This is taken back to the nest and the theory is that the queen will die followed by the rest of the nest. However, thanks to eliminating leaking water and, I guess, the drought, we have no sign of termite infestation. Make sure the underfloor ventilation is effective. I would be very reluctant to spray a large area because of the severe possible side effects. At one point we lived in a rental property and the landlord came by one day and sprayed under the house. First the lizards died in obvious agony, this attracted birds who ate the lizards. The birds were found the next day throughout the garden. We found two dead cats a few days later but we can't be sure if their death was connected with the spray. Once you find the termites they are easy to eliminate, finding them is the hard bit.
     
  7. Ev

    Ev Junior Member

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    On a local motorbike forum here some nice guy who use to work in Pest control, came around just out of good will and took a look, told me what was what and everything is going to be OK.

    While we found evidence of termites around under my house there was nothing to worry about as they were not attacking the house and not resently active...

    Although I will start pro actively hunting them to kill them before they eat my house based on the advice as the strike first mentality is cheaper better and involves less chemical exposure...

    As for termites being an integral part of the environment, sorry little friends not around here....
     
  8. Susan

    Susan Junior Member

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    termites under the house

    Hi vfrev.

    gardenlens advise is good.

    I am a licenced pest controller and a permaculturist.
    Whilst 'frosty' may not agree, we are not all disreputable, there are exceptions to every rule.
    I have taught IPM in many PDC courses.
    Being licenced as a pest controller just means I am in touch with what is new in this industry.

    And whilst it may surprise some, there is at least one Australian company that is not only trying to get the lowest toxic chemical registered and for training in their use.
    Neem would be good... but it takes a CHEMICAL COMPANY to do the trails and get it through.

    When your friend showed you "what is what" keep inspecting for your self. And might I suggest you write it in a diary, it is very hard to rember what you saw before.

    Statistics say 1 in 3 houses will be affected by termites some time - this does not mean destroyed.
    So Good Luck!
    Sue
     
  9. Ev

    Ev Junior Member

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    Re: termites under the house

    Thanks Sue... my friend said I should check under the house every 3 - 6 months and make some pine bait wood out in the perimeter and check that as well.... first sign of a strike and I should initiate poisoning to destroy the colony.... while ruthless I cannot afford another house so I will follow this advice

    I will kill them all every last one of them....evil laugh hahahahah

    Yeh the diary might be good too Thanks

    PS: For a good read on termites phone the department of Agriculture Western Australia for their pamphlet... ohh and find a friend who can give unbiased advice....
     
  10. frosty

    frosty Junior Member

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    Re: termites under the house

    Hi Sue

    if you use synthetic petroleum based pest contol products then I stand by what I said

    they are not safe and anyone who uses or recomends them is killing and or disabling people for personal profit ......... I dont think anything is much more disruputable than that :evil:

    of course if you dont use or recomend such products the fact you are licenced does not make you disreputable ......... I know there are things like neem that are safer ........ and as I said above even arsenic baits are tame compared to OPs

    but when I hear things like pest controllers saying synthetic pyrethoids ( linked to Parkinsons disease ) are just flower essence and totally safe my blood boils :evil: synthetic pyrethoids have NO relations to pyrethrin it is just a name used to fool people

    and I hope everyone knows Organophosphates are nerve gas ........ the same as sarin and the same as the nazis used to kill in the gas chambers

    and most people have been duped into spraying it under their floor - polluting not only the inside air of their home but the groundwater and the soil - suburbia "floats" on a sea of chlorpyrifos .......

    if you live in suburbia and grow veggies in your back yard you are eating it

    and eventually you will get cancer or neurological disease

    but of course no one will admit that is why

    frosty
     
  11. Susan

    Susan Junior Member

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    termites under the house

    Hi Frosty
    I totally agree synthetic chemicals are really very toxic and the 2nd generation one are more so than the first.

    Actually I don't recommend them. I would much rather suggest the chitin production inhibitors. People don't need to moult to grow so they don't affect us, (not that we know of yet anyway).
    The saying "Prevention is better than cure" seems a waste of money where pests are concern.
    After all they all have important roles in nature and if they are a problem then it is usually people that have caused the situation fto upset the balance. Monoculture and all that...

    I too cringe when I here people recommend some of the botanical chemicals. Derris dust has now been found to cause Parkinsons Disease.
    Or the off the cuff saying that glyphosate and some of the insecticides "are less toxic than table salt". Maybe true...but from a medical point of view you don't have to drink too much salt water for you kidney's to have a hissy fit.

    We need to keep ourselves informed and then we can make sound choices.

    Off my soap box for now
    Greenly
    Sue
     
  12. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    BLACK ANTS BLACK ANTS BLACK ANTS BLACK ANTS


    Tezza
     
  13. Ev

    Ev Junior Member

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    I think I know where you are going with this please elaborate if you can how they can be transformed from random guest to a white ant killing force without them eating me out my kitchen.
     
  14. Jez

    Jez Junior Member

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    Talcum powder barriers work well for us vfrev, strong oils like eucalyptus, citronella or one made from tansy if you have some can be used, or you can get special tape to form a barrier. Obviously if you can block off where they're getting in this is the best solution...but not always practical for all houses.

    But yeah, as Tezza says, black ants are a major enemy for termites, so if you can encourage, yet control them they're certainly useful...so barriers would be the way to go.
     
  15. Susan

    Susan Junior Member

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    Black ants, black ants...

    Hi Tezza
    We have 3000 species of ants in Australia and because I live on the east, I am not so sure about what lives on your western climes of the continent.
    However all our 'black ants' over here (Technomyrmex albipes and Ochetellus spp) all prefer sweet foods.
    Therefore a common bait is:
    1 tablespoon boric acid
    1 tablespoon white sugar
    1/2 cup water
    Mix and devide between 2 jar lids and place in the trail paths

    Good luck,
    greenly
    sue
     
  16. christopher

    christopher Junior Member

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    Susan,

    We use solignum on their trails and on psts as a barrier. What, if any, risks are there with solignum? We have been told by organic farmer friends (over 40 years organic!) that solignum is not long term dangerous as it is a turpentine product....

    My wife uses a detergent spray which kills the "wood lice" (local name for termites) on contact. It also works for leaf cutter ants in that it dissolves the bonds in their legs(!?!). This might not work for some people, I know Frosty is sensitive to detergents, but it has worked for us.

    Borax is supposed to work, too, but is impossible to get here. They may have it up north at Spanish Lookout. Diatamaceuos earth also works, I have been told. Saw it used against insects in the US, worked well!

    Any way, we have neem here... how would we go about making an insecticide?

    Any other good ideas?

    C
     
  17. hedwig

    hedwig Junior Member

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    If you are in a rented house you even don't have any influence of what type of pest control. the blokes worked a whole day removing soil ect. and of course spraying a lot. They even didn't say tha I have to take my clothes of the clothes line etc.
    I have some herbs growing nearby(2m). Is it save to eat it after some weeks? But you never know were these guys really sprayed afterwards I saw that there were lots of it on the path.
    Now we bought our own house and it is only 40-50 cm over the ground - do I have to inspect every pole every 6 month (nasty)? And there is a shrub under one window - do I really have to pull out everything which is more than on (or better 2) meters away from the house?
     
  18. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day hedwig,

    you should do regular underhouse inspections at least 6 months maybe even 3 monthly, buy a good strong torch you need good light. keep ventilation for under house good. keep under house clear of any debris etc.,.

    i would suggest remove the shrub keep that 2 meter clear area.

    len
     
  19. Maxene

    Maxene New Member

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    Try not to touch and clean up the colony. They build dirt tunnels, so try to leave it alone. Call the pest control to come and assess the situation. I think what you should do is call the pest control to come and assess the situation.
     

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