Termites or ???????????

Xfaxman · Dec 31, 2016

This is the hinge side of the wood framed walk in door of the Garage. I knocked the dirt off of the front edge, then went and got the camera.

What is doing this?

The arrow points to the door frame in the closeup pictures

Bigfoot62 · Dec 31, 2016

Looks like termites to me.

jfh28 · Dec 31, 2016

sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it's termites.......you can see the mud tunnels they make in your pic's.......termites bodies dry out so they can't take exposure to outside thats why they make the mud tunnels.....they live in the ground and travel up to feed on the wood.......if you happen to see one when you break open the mud tunnel it will look like a white ant if it's the subterranean ones except instead of a wasp like waist it will be segmented.......Jack

Stimw · Dec 31, 2016

You can buy a chemical online called "Demon" or "Cyper" that claims to have a 10 year residual for termites.
Mix with mineral spirits for wood treatment, water for ground treatment.

KYErik · Dec 31, 2016

I'm not convinced yet that it is termites. All the termite damage I have seen has looked like swiss cheese- mostly holes with thin strips of wood between the hollow areas. I had a west facing door frame rot in a similar manner (from the bottom outside edge). Peck on the rest of the doorframe with a hammer and see if there are any other hollow areas that resemble tunnels.

RobertBrown · Dec 31, 2016

Don't much matter.... it's a wood boring insect.
I would replace with pt and inspect the rest of the building...

If that's the only damage then it could be ants. Carpenter ants eat rotten wood. If you see them...you're good.

MossRoad · Dec 31, 2016

These are images of termite damage and mud tunnels...

termite damage - Google Search

tjkubota93 · Jan 1, 2017

That isn't termites. I have a door that is rotting at the bottom like that. I don't know if its from improper installation (lack of drainage) or what.

tjkubota93 · Jan 1, 2017

Water gets in the end grain and moves up the board.

dadster4 · Jan 1, 2017

Looks like water/rot damage to me...a gap should be left between sill and end of wood, then caulked.

EddieWalker · Jan 1, 2017

The dirt is the dead giveaway that it IS termites. Here in Texas, they are a great source of income for me repairing what they have done. The first sine that there is a problem is finding the dirt. They eat the wood, and bring it down to the queen and the colony. Then they bring dirt with them back to where they have found a good source of wood.

This is classic termite damage.

Treatment requires killing the queen, which is anywhere from a foot, to several feed down in the ground. She is always down in the ground. Nothing else matters, you have to kill the queen.

best thing to do about the termites is to get on a schedule to have your house and buildings treated every spring because that's when the flyers go out and search for untreated dirt to start a new colony. They look like flying ants, and they are very common in the spring. EVERY YEAR!!!!!

As for the comments that it's wood rot. Look at the dirt in the wood. That does not happen when it's rot from water. Dirt means termites.

Bigfoot62 · Jan 1, 2017

^ Eddie is right. Dirt doesn't run uphill.

Dirt tunnels=termites.

s219 · Jan 1, 2017

Agree, looks like termites due to the dirt. However, the reason they are there may be because there was wood rot due to moisture. That is a very common place for wood rot to happen -- water gets in there between the jamb and the sill, wicks into the wood, and bingo. Termites will be attracted to wet/rotted wood even more than dry wood, so I'd probably consider the moisture problem to be the root cause. Consider sawing out and replacing the damaged wood with PVC lumber and caulk it in good, and of course treat for termites.

Thall303 · Jan 1, 2017

With the damage shown in the photo, the termites are probably farther up the wall doing damage that you have not seen yet!

EddieWalker · Jan 1, 2017

s219 said:
Agree, looks like termites due to the dirt. However, the reason they are there may be because there was wood rot due to moisture. That is a very common place for wood rot to happen -- water gets in there between the jamb and the sill, wicks into the wood, and bingo. Termites will be attracted to wet/rotted wood even more than dry wood, so I'd probably consider the moisture problem to be the root cause. Consider sawing out and replacing the damaged wood with PVC lumber and caulk it in good, and of course treat for termites.

Exactly right. Doors need porches to protect them. If you do not have a porch, this is what happens. Same thing around garage doors.

Termites have a natural habit of remaining just under the paint, or wallpaper or whatever the finish is. If they break through the surface, like they did here, you should assume that there is going to be significant damage elsewhere. Just like the roots of a tree. How many years does the tree grow until it's roots break the surface?

The entire perimeter of the building needs to be treated. If there is concrete anywhere around the outside of the building, it needs to be drilled.

There are two facts here that we know for sure. There IS a termite infestation. It is WORSE then what you see in the pictures.

jfh28 · Jan 1, 2017

subterranean termites live in the ground and travel to feed on wood.......they need moisture to survive as their bodies will dry out....hence the mud tunnels to travel in.......also why they are attracted to moist rotting wood.........in general they won't go much higher then six feet above ground as the distance starts to get to far away from the moisture.......although I have seen them on second floor bathrooms with leaks around the tub/shower........or if the wood can get wet up higher like leaking flashing at roofs..........generally the first really warm day of the spring you will get the flying termites that swarm.......if you see this it's a sign that the nest underground is mature and the swarming termites are being sent out to establish a new satellite nest.......this is usually a sign that the original nest is at least five years old and so they have been feeding on your building that long........if you don't treat the termite infestation you are only wasting your time doing the repairs as they will be back......treatment is usually accomplished by putting down a perimeter barrier around the entire building by trenching about a foot down along the foundation and flooding the trench with a chemical........any slabs have to be drilled and rodded to get the chemical underneath........the concept is to put a protective barrier around the building as any termites would have to travel through the insecticide to get to the wood and will either die and stave out the nest or bring residual insecticide back to the nest and start killing within the nest.........most high quality insecticides will last 10 years in the ground so you only need to treat once but then inspect each year for any further activity......termites are incredibly smart and will avoid an area that is treated.....that is why spot treatment does not work......they will just go around it........best to do it right the first time and be done with it..........Jack

Xfaxman · Jan 1, 2017

Thanks for all of the replies.

I think it started with wood rot, sometimes after a rain there will be a puddle of water inside against the pole.

The door frame is fastened to the pole.

Was built in October 2011, 5x5 poles and treated 2x6s at the bottom,

MacLawn · Jan 1, 2017

A case of wood lice if I've ever seen one. And I have seen one.

RobertBrown · Jan 1, 2017

That column holds up the whole corner of the structure. Gulp.....
That sucks......you could add a couple of posts on either side to sure it up against the impending failure.