Termites

[jeffreylesser]

Well, I have termites in my house in several locations, mainly the attic and my son's room. After inspection they recommended tenting, then looking at the fish tank they suggested a localized treatment using Termidor. I do not want to go through tenting, it would be a nightmare. Even localized treatment has me worried as my tank is on the second floor, and I have exhaust ducts and other things running up through the attic to the outside. My thoughts were that I would probably still want to use plastic and tape on my tank while they are spraying in my house. Am I in the clear, or is there a better alternative?

Cliff are you out there?

 

[HighlandReefer]

I assume you have drywood termites and not one of the other species like the Formosan termites (super termite)?

I have had success with localized treatments for drywood termites as opposed to the tenting for most situations I have encountered over the years. In Maryland drywood termites do not survive the winter, but if brought in from the south, in furniture or what have you, they can survive in heated homes. So we occasionally need to deal with them.

One good thing about drywood termites is that their colony size and extent of damage occurs a slower rates than the common subterranean termites or worse yet the Formosan (super termites). If the infestation is not out of hand, I would pursue localized treatments by injecting into the colonies with aerosols using straw attachments. If necessary, opening up walls or flooring areas, perhaps ceiling areas to get to the infested areas is worthwhile IMO. Usually they spray all the wood surfaces with Termidor or a similar product.

After a localized treatment, you will need to keep an eye on the infested areas (perhaps the rest of the house as well) to make sure you get the drywood termites. Drywood termites produce very distinct fecal droppings which the termites kick out of their galleries in piles. Swarmers occur normally during the spring and one needs to be able to identify the species from the wing patterns to make sure they are not a subterranean termite or others. I have seen cases where companies were in reality fighting two species of termites and couldn't ID the swarmers. I have seen companies fighting drywood termites and thought they were subterranean termites. This leads to problems for the homeowner until they get someone out their that knows what they are doing.

Regarding your fish tank. With a localized treatment you can get by with covering the complete tank in plastic and turning off the air & water pumps for about 4 hours. Make sure you keep windows open if possible. If you go fumigation route, you will have to get the tank out of the house.

Good luck and if you have questions let me know.

 

[HighlandReefer]

One thing to keep in mind when doing localized treatments for drywood termites is that simply spraying the exterior of the infested wood surfaces does not penetrate into the wood far at all. Perhaps 1/64- 1/8 of an inch max. If their is paint or sealers on the wood surface, forget about any penetration. This is why injecting chemical directly into the termite galleries with straw attached aerosols is so important. This is also why opening up areas to get to the termite galleries is so important.

 

[HighlandReefer]

One other option worth looking into for drywood termites is using the Sentricon Bait system. I'm not familiar with how effective this bait system is for dyrwoods and would have to research this aspect. If the Sentricon Bait system works on drywoods, this would be the safest way to go since it is not toxic to humans. Perhaps a combination of Sentricon and localized chemical treatments may be effective in some situations.

 

[Habib]

Cliff are you out there?

Call Beetlejuice thrice to show up once.


Call Cliff once to make him post thrice.

 

[HighlandReefer]

:lol:

He woke me up, that's not fair.

 

[HighlandReefer]

I've been in one of those moods lately and sent Bill (BillsReef) a PM regarding what he would look great in:

He wants the hot pink ones. :lol:

 

[Habib]

I've been in one of those moods lately

I'm not sure I want to know in what kind of mood you are lately.

 

[HighlandReefer]

I can assure you I'm in a really sweet mood. :lol:

 

[Habib]

I can assure you I'm in a really sweet mood. :lol:

EDIT: OK, gif is not working; not shaking head.

 

[jeffreylesser]

Thanks Cliff. Yes they are dry wood termites. I noticed the droppings in my sons room when moving furniture but could not find the kick hole. I just recently painted in there so that may be the issue. They are in the wall in his room, and low to the ground as the pile of droppings was contained in an area the size of a silver dollar. I checked his dresser and found nothing. The rest are in my attic, some of them right above my sons room. Sounds like the localized treatment is the way to go for me right now. I will look into the bait traps as well, sounds like an added measure of security if I am not tenting.

I'm not sure how to respond to the rest of the thread so I think I will leave that alone...

 

[HighlandReefer]

Sounds like a good plan.

Keep in mind the droppings fall by gravity. Either they come out below the baseboard and/or cracks around window framing or there will be a hole where they push the pellets out and then fill it with frass afterwards.

I wish you the best.

 

[HighlandReefer]

I'm not sure how to respond to the rest of the thread so I think I will leave that alone...

That's all Habib's fault. I didn't do it, you didn't see me do it and you can't prove a thing.

 

[jeffreylesser]

I guess thats what years of working with chemicals,pesticides, and what not will get you. Betelgeuse in high heeled flippers.

 

[HighlandReefer]

:lol:

A little DDT, Chlordane, Agent Orange, Fumigants, Organo-phosphate war gases and what have you, that will do it.

 

[HighlandReefer]

If you think I'm bad, just think what Randy and Habib have sniffed over the years.

I'm not even going to mention Boomer, He just ain't right. :lol: