If you see them and holes you have it bad , oh, why not get a pro, It could be worse than you know. I used spectricide bait sticks ,it is a long term treatment to kill them 6 months, you need spray inside now . Ive never done spray but I would guess drill up from the crawlspace to the nest. But you would not want to get it on yourself so a pro would be best.
try alt.consumers.pest-control
I got rid of carpenter ants that I could hear chewing up inside my walls:
Go to Home Depot, buy as many syringes of the ant/termite bate that contains FIPRONIL, I think its 0.01% as a gel. They are individual packs containing about 1 ounce I think.
Drill small holes in the floor, or if not take up the boards. Anayway, I drilled an array of holes in my walland injected 20 of these loads into the wall where I could hear them. The sound went away after about
3-4 days and they were all gone in a couple of weeks. There was never any sign of wood dust ever again, and our house passed inspection last winter before we sold it. I filled up the holes, sanded them and painted them, no-one will ever know what happened:)Good luck,
Dean
(ps might want to look online for something in larger buckets than these single syring packs.
I don't have/nor ever had termites, but had a small encounter with carpenter ants, and still battling carpenter bees. IMHO, to prevent problems is a DIY approach, sparys, baits, powers stuff a home owner can use. Problem is that you are past the 'prevent' stage. I wouldn't delay and get a professional to evaluate the situtation and treat it. I was all freaky about carpenter ants in my house(found out fire isn't a viable solution), and they aren't at all as damaging as termites.
Wish you luck with your battle!
later,
tom @
Just saw one of the little boogers push his poop up a pin hole thru the hardwood floor.
I would really appreciate some advise on how to track them down and get rid of them. In particular....
1 - This was in ground floor, raised foundation. Should I crawl underneath and inspect or is it more likely they are in between the hardwood floor and the 2x8's? I got to looking at the floor and saw that all the holes are within 4-5 feet of the sliding door. Wouldn't be surprised if there has been a leak around that door before I moved here.2 - What is good to use these days? I have sprayed outside for termites years ago with Terminex (not sure that's the name), but anyway the stuff is no longer available. Probably was some kind of pyrethrin.
Anyway, thanks in advance.
Fred
alt.building.construction; alt.building.contractors; alt.home.lawn.garden; alt.home.repair; misc.rural
One word.....Termidor. A controlled substance for pro use only, but available on Ebay. 78 ounces does 100 gallons of mix. Kill record is 100% in
3 months after application. Spreads like a virus in the colony through contact with treated soil and grooming. Kills slowly to allow spreading time. 2 gallons per foot outside foundation, 2 gallons inside, 1 gallon behind brick veneer, per linear foot. Google for Termidor by BASF.RJ
In article , snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com says... :) One word.....Termidor. A controlled substance for pro use only, but :) available on Ebay. 78 ounces does 100 gallons of mix. Kill record is 100% in :) 3 months after application. Spreads like a virus in the colony through :) contact with treated soil and grooming. Kills slowly to allow spreading :) time. 2 gallons per foot outside foundation, 2 gallons inside, 1 gallon :) behind brick veneer, per linear foot. Google for Termidor by BASF. :) :) You are describing treatment for subterranean termites, the poster description sounds more like drywoods...also you mention Termidor is for pro use only, there might be a reason for this...the recomendation you are giving is about 16 gallons too much per 10 linear feet. If you have applied this rate at your own house, you may want to look into an environmental clean up.
If you care to be patient, Timbor might work. You can buy the powder or make your own [40% Boric Acid/ 60% Boraxo/mix with hot water IIRC] You need to spray the area where activity is seen. And keep watching and spraying. Here, in Hawaii, this method is gaining popularity. Especially if there is clear access to the beams. Again, no immediate gratification as in tenting but it does seem to work.
Google Timbor or Boracare [made with antifreeze] for more information.
Thanks MR!!
Thanks, Dean!
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Thanks, RJ! I'm pretty knowledgeable about pesticides - they can be pretty nasty if you get them on you or breath them, etc.
What I'm wondering is, after you use the Termidor or other stuff for termites, then clean up good, air out, etc... will the chemicals seep out of the wood later? Or do they disintegrate into "safe" compounds?
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Thanks John. Funny you mention this one. I noticed at Home Depot, they had 3 types of products - 2 were pyrethrin substitutes and the other was a boric oxide hydrate (B3O8-xH2O or something like that.), and I have a bottl eo boric acid that says it's for ants. I don't mind waiting for this kind of stuff to work, as long as it does eventually do the job --especially since I know that boric acid is one of the safer pesticides.
Thanks again. (To all - I really appreciate all the great advice!)
Fred
the powder or
water IIRC] You need
watching and spraying.
Especially if there is
gratification as in
information.
The "secret" is mixing Boric Acid with the Boraxo. Boric Acid alone is not nearly as effective as the 40/60 combo. Even more effective is the version mixed with antifreeze. But observe precautions if you use antifreeze as it will kill pets and plants.
Good luck.
NO NO NO!
You don't want to use anything that will send the termites elsewhere! You need them to take the chemical to the nest and feed it to the queen. Once you apply borax or anything like that where you can see them, they will not go back there and you will miss you opportunity to get the little buggers. I leared the hard way there, I boraxed one place from the outside, and then they never ate any of my bate.
I think the brand name was Combat, but I can't be sure. Anyway the drug name is Fipronil.
Dean
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Being in Hawaii myself and having spot treated with Term-Out for years, question(s):
- is this safe around pets (cats to be exact)
- is it safe to spray upwards (crawlspace under the house, attic) (the MSDS looks it it ought to be - Termout isn't so nice to get on oneself)
Mahalo,
Maren (reading this in misc.rural)
Please be careful as to not poison your house too much. Try calling for a few free estimates from exterminators, that may give you a better idea for what you are up against, and if it's practical for you to do it yourself.
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Thanks. So far, I called 2 exterminators, and both will only come out and do an inspection on the condition that, if they find termites, we agree to let them do the work and bill my insurance company. I would never agree to such terms as these.
I don't blame you, that sounds like a raw deal. Did they offer to 'inspect only' for a fee?
Yeah, it amazes me that someone with termites already popping up in their house would be looking for advice on how to try to try a DIY job. Termites are serious business and the most effective chemicals and application tools are not available to homeowners. When I spotted termites, I called in pros. It cost me about $600, but I also have a yearly contract now, which for about $50 provides for yearly inspection and free re-treatment if they should recur. IMO, money well spent.
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