Termites... think I've got 'em

[big0mike]

I think I may have termites :eek:

Anyone know anything about them, getting rid of them, and the costs associated with getting rid of them?

I'm getting two people scheduled to come give me inspections, Truly Nolen and a local company Poor Boy Termite Control, so we'll see what happens but any advance info is appreciated.

The Poor Boy place bragged on their website about having advanced thermal and microwave detection capabilities. Truly Nolen and Terminex did not so I'm wondering if that's really a plus?

Thanks for any advance info!

[sunsetpizza]

I discovered termites last spring. Here in TX they are typical subterranean termites. The swarm (reproduce) in the spring and that's how most discover them. They came through a tiny hole in my wall and another spot in my hallway floor and flew al over the place near those sites. 2 neighbors discovered them at the same time.
I learned this from our company:

There's 2 systems for ridding your house - trenching and baiting.

In Texas most homes are on a slab. Termites infest through the outside wall up into the wood or through the slab from underneath through a crack or a plumbing hole. We had them both ways . :mad:

Trenching - they dig a trench all the way around your house about 12-18" deep I think. On my patio and driveway they were going to drill holes every foot or so. Inside they wanted to drill through my slab to inject at every point the slab had plumbing or electrical. This meant through cabinets, tile, hardwood floors! Then they flood the trench and inject the holes with chemicals building a barrier so the mites don't come in.

Baiting - They installed baits around the exterior of the house every 5' or so. The bait is just a chunk of soft wood inside a plastic housing about the size of a spray paint can. It's flush with the ground so you just mow over it. Then they check the baits every quarter. If activity is found, they replace the wood with wood that's got a growth inhibitor in it. THe mites eat this, take it back to the nest, and they can no longer molt and die off killing the whole colony.

I had spot treatments on my 2 areas - one outside, one by a tub drain (they cut the wall open on the other said about 4x4 injected into the dirt under the slab and covered the opening with a white air return grate. And I had baits installed. so far we haven't found anything in the baits or the house.

I like the bait idea for a few reasons.
1. if you disturb the trench by landscaping, you're screwed.
2. the chemicals are effective for 5-7 years iirc. then you've got to do it all over again.
3. i didn't want all those holes drilled through my cabinets and floors. the risk of hitting a water line appalled me!
4. you're talking about >100 gals of checmicals being pumped into the earth. I'm no environmentalist but yuck. I've got a son who digs up dirt all the time around the house.
5. cost it was double the price for the trench because of all the labor.

So I paid $700 I think. My neighbors paid a little less. That's one year of checks (they check the bait and the entire exterior for activity) and also will spot treat if any termites are found. Also they can set up a bait inside as well - taping it to the wall.

I was told the baits you buy at home depot are worthless though. It's a chemical that just kills off the ones that eat it and don't get the goods back to the nest.

Our bait system is DOW chemical
http://www.dowagro.com/au/prod/sentriconII.htm

I should've checked that website before I typed all this!

anyhow, get some estimates, take your time. I was alarmed that my house was falling down! The 2 guys I talked to said to relax. The termites take years to eat a 2x4, do your research and make a wise choice. When they open the wall by the tub, there was no structural damage to the walls, the floor has a bit of a soft spot right by the wall.

Hope this helps - let me know if you have other questions.

[Quads]

I second sunset and everything he said.
Went through it. Pain in the ass, I don't remember the costs exactly. I remember it wasn't cheep, but it wasn't outrageous.

[Shadow]

One thing we have very little of in Michigan is termites, thankfully.

[Trann]

Huzzah for real winters.

[j p frog]

best way I have found to see if they are around. Get someone wooden pegleg. Stick it in the ground 3-4". Check daily to see if it is getting shorter. If so, you have termites. If moddy is hanging around looking for the person who lost the pegleg...you have a whole other problem! sorry

info above sounds right to me.

[big0mike]

Truly Nolen stopped by yesterday. Had a look around and found numerous tubes on the exterior. Gave the me whole spiel about drilling and trenching and never gave me an option for baiting and trapping.

~$1200 for just the subterranean termites. $1800 if I wanna treat for the more aggressive dampwood termites.

I'm calling a Sentricon provider tonight to see what they say...