Temporary control of termites

[Ray K]

I'm posting this as a tip that may help others.

My first indication of termites was Thursday morning. (Last year they didn't enter until April; must be the mild NJ winter that moved their swarming schedule up.) I couldn't get the exterminator to treat the house until six days later. The termites had been entering almost as fast as I could vacuum them up. Five minutes later, there would be more. Scary thought that I'd have to fight them for six days.

The two entry points are at the top miter joints where the three door casings met. (That door is in a wall that was originally an exterior wall; since the addition, it's now an interior wall. Slab foundation under original house and addition.)

Solution: spray water on the entry points. A single spray might last 24 hours or even more, but to be on safe side I spray twice a way. Not a single one since.

[larry]

Sorry, don't sound like a good idea, the only things termites need/want is wood(pulp) and water. Maybe you don't see them because now they are happy right where they are, in your wood.

ahh, what do you do for a living? maybe pest control.

I could see adding a little boric acid to the water.

-- larry / dallas our termites are bigger than yours ;-)

[hallerb]

you need a permiter and underslab treatment, which along with bait control kill them for years.

just a light spray leaves them ready to attack again

[ransley]

They are actualy attracted to moist ground, you need real treatment. Spectracide make bait stakes at HD you put around the outside in the ground. Get spray also.

[HeyBub]

Ah, no. Swarming termites don't want wood or water. They want a female termite.

[Norminn]

If they are swarming from an interior wall, it would seem the infestation is inside the house. If you had it treated a year ago, you should not have a recurrence. Got insurance for retreat and/or repair?

[Ray K]

I didn't have a treatment last year; just got an estimate. I was perhaps naive in hoping they wouldn't be back this year. I was wrong.

It was the exterminator company that will treat the whole house next Wednesday that suggested I use plain water as a stop-gap measure until then.

[Backlash]

Research the product Termidor. It will get them ALL in a colony in a 3 month time span. Kicks fire ants asses, too. Spreads from one to the other, through social contact, till they are all gone. Controlled substance, but found on ebay.......

[Ray K]

That's what they will be using.

Thanks,

ray