termites

[woodcraftssuch]

I had some SYP trees sawn up a few years ago and they have been stickered and drying since then. I planed about 300 sf today and some of it has some termites. I plan to use this on a ceiling in the house , heated and ac'd. Before I put it up I will put 3 coats of polyurethane on it ,the first thinned so it will soak in good. I figure that will cramp their style somewhat. If they live on despite the poly, will they not be able to survive once the wood reaches its final moisture content, after a year or so? How might these other possibilities work...

1 Sticker it up, wrap it in plastic and set off some bug bombs. Maybe 1 per day for 3-4 days or a week? 2 Wrap it up and pull a vacuum on it like vacuum bagging? 3 Hook some 110 volt wires to each board for 10 minutes or so, black on one end and white on the other? 4 Put some kind of bug killer in the first coat of poly? 5 I don't really want to heat it as I imagine it might warp,but if I made a foam sheet oven with a heater in it, what temp would it have to reach and for how long? Thanks, Sam

[Mike in Arkansas]

Don't believe you need to worry about termites in the wood. They live only in the ground and can't survive out of the nest for any time.

[Lew Hodgett]

Long before that you better hire an exterminator to do the job correctly.

This is not a DIY job, you can't get access to the stuff, and with good reason, that the pros use to kill termites.

As I type this, a group of probably 50-60 condos next door, all of which would sell in excess of $500K, have been totally tented by the exterminators.

Trust me, a lot of those condo residents would like to save some $ with DIY techniques, not to mention temporary housing costs.

Don't want to hire an exterminator?

Try to get a loan about 3-5 years down the road and the loan company gets a report of termites, alive and well, in the house.

Lew

[San Diego Joe]

Actually, it depends on the species. But I think if you head down to your local HD they will have a pesticide for spot treating. You essentially drill a hole and pour the stuff in.

[Leon]

Sorry Mike, that is in correct. Termites have nests in the ground but can live in the walls of a house for days. If there is a water source like in a bath tub drain near by they may never have to go back out side. Subterranean termites are however intolerant of light. Some types of termites can survive in day light and swarm/fly in the spring. So they can enter through soffit or gable vents of a house. If termites could not survive out side the nest for any amount of time there would not be a problem with them consuming homes in the South.

[Richard Cline]

There are several different kinds of termites. The subterranian termite is often viewed as the most damaging and it is possible that it might be discouraged if its path to the ground is interrupted. There are also dry wood termites that migrate by flying and their colony may never reach the ground. The Formosan termite is another possiblity.

I certainly would not want to bring a live termite colony into my house. Once inside, it can spread to the entire house structure.

You might call a local termite company to see if they would fumigate your wood pile for some modest cost. The use of other pesticides sounds like a risk unless the label on the can specifies that it is effective on termites. The wood might be suitable for firewood but I wouldn't bring a stack inside and risk the spread.

Check

Google termite control.

Dick

[Leon]

Let me tell you that you do not want to entertain the possibility of introducing termites into you home. They can take years to get rid of once you are infested and the damage that they do is much higher than the savings you are considering over buying termite free wood. If it were me, I would burn the wood or keep it as far away from your house as possible.

[Larry Jaques]

On 5 Mar 2005 15:58:34 -0800, the inscrutable "Mike in Arkansas" spake:

There are 2 different types of termites. Drywood termites live in the wood and keep eating. Subterranean termites come out to eat and then return to the ground. Either is capable of eating your house.

--LJ, whose Vista, CA house was home to gazillion of both types and the inspector said he'd never seen such a bad infestation in his 20+ years as termite inspector. The quote was $6,500 plus whatever they found when they got in there. (I moved.)

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[Chuck Hoffman]

Don't react emotionally and take time to study the situation thoroughly. Get a variety of opinions. Do some research on the net, call exterminators and see what they recommend, etc., then make an informed decision.

The fumigant most often used for tenting is Vikane gas. It kills the adults but does not kill the eggs. However, juvenile termites require adult care and without it they die. Vikane is not available to the general public.

That said, there are other effective techniques: 1) freezing the wood will do it (it will freeze the termites), 2) coating the wood with a borax solution (you will have to do some web research to find the appropriate percentage, application technique, etc.)

You could have possibly prevented the infestation by saturating the ground under your wood pile with the borax solution and spraying it on the boards when you stacked them to dry.

[Mike in Arkansas]

Ah Well. Just goes to show, everyone is ignorant, just in different areas. I'm generally pretty good about keeping my mouth shut about things I don't know much about. This one just slipped out :)

[Phisherman]

[Leon]

LOL... Well some times despite out best efforts, we just can't help out selves.