Termites & sweet plants

[vjp2.at]

In 1967 my uncle brought us some yew bushes from Connecticut. Soon we were inundated with what appeared to be flying ants. We thought they might be termites but the popular Greek dictionary (Divry) said termites were white ants. So every April, for about two days, my folks would have the vaccuum ready and zap any "ants" that appeared. In 1999, after my mom died, we had half our windows replaced and were told we had termites. So we call one of the national chains and they tell us we don't have any. I say, humor me, put one trap by the kitchen. Oh, you are right. Thanks, so WHY am I paying YOU? So a year later they come back and theaten to remove all the traps if we don't pay them for renewal. PLEASE, do! 2009 I see something that spooks me and I was lucky to have just reconnect with my freshman bio lab professor, an entomologist. She tells me to never have any sweet plants too close to the house. So we remove the yews.

[invalid unparseable]

I have dealt with both termites and ants and it is easy to tell the difference.

Neighbors on two sides both had termites and knowing they were close to the house I had ground treated and continue to pay for protection.

I had several overgrown pines near the house removed and went for the protection when termites got into the stumps and even roots a few feet from the house. There are DIY treatments I had been using but for peace of mind we got the professionals.

[micky]

There is nothing I can say to top that!

[vjp2.at]

I had no confidence after how the contractors behaved. I would suspect my professor (now) being a well known entomologist trumps them.

I Just sold that house (after 58yrs) . We never had any termites after 1999, but the 2009 almost-incident was a wake up.

My mom loved yews and the cardinal birds they attracted. My alma mater has plenty of them too. Pretty bushes.

In my new home (just moved in this summer) no sooner do I remove the yews that ants, wasps and snakes disappeared.

Take home: no plants of any kind a yard from your wall.

I wanted a concrete collar around the house but was told with 14F (-10C) up here, that could heave the wall off the house.

[micky]

Not the same thing, but I had termites eating my picket fence, so I went to a exterminator supply store to look for a remedy. I got referred to another location that I could not find but the guy there referred me to a private home, occupied by a father and 3 brothers who had an exterminating company.

They were at work but the mother answered the door, carrying another, infant brother.

I told her my problem and she said, You don't want to poison your ground for something like that. What you want to do is cut off the bottom of your fence pickets so they don't reach the grass. If they dont' reach the grass the termites can't go up in them**.

**This fact is the basis for the movie "White ants can't jump".

So that's what I did, and I was impressed that she gave truthful advice instead of just leaving my number so her sons could sell me treatments. I'm sure they are honest too and I'd call them if I ever needed that. I eventually realized this was a company whose advertising I saw.

To a small degree, the termites could leave one picket and travel through the fence rail to another one, but they didn't do that much and the whole termite problem disappeared after I cut the bottoms off.

That was 25 years ago or more.

I think the round fence posts were treated, and maybe the rails, but then how did they manage even a couple times to get to another picket?