# Termites?



## handermanntr (Jan 6, 2018)

Greetings all,
I took a visit to my crawlspace to check my insulation, and found these little dots on some of my wood. I think it is from the spider but I want to make sure I am not getting termites. the foundation was treated 4 years ago, and is apparently good for 7 years, but I just wanted to check. For background, it did have termites in the past before i bought it, but i had it treated. Thanks!


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Termites usually make tracks in the wood. I don't see that in the pic.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I don't think that's termites although some of their droppings can look like that. Might be worth a further look by removing some of that insulation which might be hiding some of what is going on there. I've had termites a couple times in my house. Once they even ate all the way through a floor joist in the basment. They usually have mud tunnels they use to get to the wood.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Judging by the white staining on the side it more like a moisture issue causing fungus to form.
https://www.google.com/search?q=pic...-tk8TYAhUDd98KHcRpAV0QsAQIKA&biw=1366&bih=637
Is there a vapor barrier covering the ground under the house?


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## CrazyGuy (Nov 18, 2017)

I don't believe that termites will mess around with treated lumber and that looks like a treated board. Somebody correct me if I am wrong on this, but I don't think termites would eat chemicals. As joecaption said, maybe just fungus. Either way if it's been 4 years since a termite treatment probably would hurt to get another soon.


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

I think that you are right, termites are smarter than us. They won't eat chemicals.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

There are drywood termites and there are subterranean termites.

Subterranean termites comes from below and have mud tubes. Drywood termites do not have mud tubes.

In my experience I have had treated lumber eaten by termites. What was apparent to me is they seem to prefer the softer easier wood if that's available and will by pass the harder and treated lumber but if that's all there is, they will attack. The sole plate were turned into swiss cheese and collapsed if I pressed it by hand.

I have had treated bottom plates eaten all up by sub termites in one house.

Then I have another house where I had Dade County Pine roof framing. Dade County Pine is about extinct and VERY hard - and the original builder in the 70s used some other wood to go across all the ceiling joist, and the termites ate all the furring strips, leaving the Dade County Pine alone. I got lucky there because it made the repair easier.


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## handermanntr (Jan 6, 2018)

Thanks for the advise all. I would rather not pay for the treatment again so soon if I don't have to. It is very expensive. Also, these black dots look like they are hanging by a small thread like a spider web, so I don't think they are termite droppings. My crawlspace does have a moisture barrier. Also, the darker wood is the old wood that was attacked by termites, the whiter wood is the new wood. It is possible that the old wood existed before the moisture barrier did.


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