Termites

[deerefan]

I live in a very rural area, lots of woods surround me. I was told a time back when I asked about treating my house for termites that it was not really a big problem for me b/c the termites have plenty to eat in the forests and probably won't bother my home. Any truth to this and if not how do you guys prevent termites?

 

[brin]

We built our house 5 yrs. ago and paid $400 or so to have it treated for termites and let it go at that..we are also surrounded by woods..My neighbor on the other hand pays a huge amount of money to the termite folks every so often for treatment..I pass on that .we are on a basement with poured walls and I keep a close eye out for any dirt tunnels..never have seen one and until I do I will keep my money in my pocket. Even if you have a termite problem, they don't eat your house overnight..you will , in my opinion spend far more trying to prevent it than you will to repair termite damage if it ever happens..you just have to check around your foundation walls at least once a year. Just my opinion and experience.

 

[arrabil]

Just don't store your firewood in the basement like the idiot previous owners did in our house! Cause once they're in, they don't know there is a forest outside.

 

[tallyho8]

If your house is on piers, you must have termite shields like in the photo. If it is on a slab, you get the ground treated before you pour the slab and usually again around the slab.

This is just for subterranean termites which are the most common in our area. Just cross your fingers that you don't get Formosan termites.

 

[winston1]

Termites don't eat live trees. They eat dead wood. They can do lot's of damage and many times you can have them and not know it till you bump a piece of trim or something and a hole shows up. They only eat the internals of the wood, trying their best to not let you know their around. If you are on a slab they will tunnel under and come up around your plumbing, etc. Not necessarily a dirt tunnel to be seen. Having said all this, I personally don't have my home treated. I have had them twice but caught them in early stages. I have done treatments myself. Being the East Texas redneck that I am for several years now I take my used motor oil and pour it around my slab edges. Please don't turn me in! It really is not that damaging to grass or my wifes flowers. Haven't had any termites since I begin this practice.

 

[heehaw]

i was in a farm supply store a couple years ago: they had some boxes of something, can't even remember what, stacked right in the middle of the show room floor: to their surprise, the concrete floor had cracked under the boxes, an termites ate almost everything available, before they noticed. an the slab was pretreated prior to pouring the concrete: the termite co was retreating the place an paid for the loss:
heehaw

 

[20 20]

I live in a very rural area, lots of woods surround me. I was told a time back when I asked about treating my house for termites that it was not really a big problem for me b/c the termites have plenty to eat in the forests and probably won't bother my home. Any truth to this and if not how do you guys prevent termites?

Look at it this way your house will be made of wood. Does the termite care which wood is which, or is interested in just eating and building in the easiest spot?

I treated my house while I was building, it was cheap and from everything I've read and researched it should be fine for close to 75yrs. I used a borax mix and a sprayer. I had used borax before for other critter{boring beetles} problems and I have to say it work real good. All you have to do is spray it on your lumber, plus it's organic{only deadly to insects}. When they go to eat the lumber they also eat some of the borax{and take it back to the queen} and can't digest it, THEY DIE . The only catch with borax is that it has to be where it won't be washed of, like in rain etc.

 

[heehaw]

where do you get the borax an how much per gallon of water?? i bet that would work on carpenter bees/ants too: an the bees are really putting the hurt on a couple sheds.
heehaw

 

[brin]

where do you get the borax an how much per gallon of water?? i bet that would work on carpenter bees/ants too: an the bees are really putting the hurt on a couple sheds.
heehaw

heehaw - I pasted an old TBN thread below that covers Borax pretty well..looks like just 20 Mule Team Borax will do the trick...
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/98799-diy-termite-prevention.html

 

[20 20]

Heehaw, Brin is correct, 20 mule team, can be bought most anywhere. I believe the last I bought came from walmart{Don't care for the store but ya gotta do what ya gotta do }. Depending on what type of sprayer you'll use will depend on how much to try and thin. I used a cheap pump sprayer at 1st and mixed with HOT water. The HOT water seemed to help disolve the stuff. It will clog up the sprayer especailly if you leave it for any length of time. I ended up using my cheapo sand blaster attachment now. It doesn't clog and really splatz{if that is a word } the borax into/on the wood. When I was done my wood looked white and I covered every little crack and crevice. Some folks like to mix it with anti-freeze to help it stick plus the anti-freeze is a poison. I wanted to stay as organic as possible. If I'm not mistaken in the forestry forum they talk about it in detail????