# Termites



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Where did you get the Termador. Most states require a state licence to buy it.

How far away is your well from the house?

How do you plan on applying it?

Your going to need a hammer drill, a high pressure sprayer with about a hundred gal tank, a nozzle for flood spraying, a Tee handle with a 24" long pointed nozzle and a shut off vlave, a trianguler shaped hoe.

And no just a little pump garden sprayer is not going to cut it.


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## dortress (Apr 12, 2012)

joecaption said:


> Where did you get the Termador. Most states require a state licence to buy it.
> 
> How far away is your well from the house?
> 
> ...


1. Purchased online; arrived today.
2. I have no well.
3. I am planning the recommended 6"x6" trenching instructions and 4gals linear 10 ft all around my home. Concrete foundation wall is well above grade and structure above that. Again, I have seen no tubes or frass on the exterior or on the interior crawlspace. 

My back, a spade, a 5 gallon bucket and a lot of trips to mix and pour are all I need to address outside.

This window is over my front porch. I am going to have someone pull up the wood closest to the house so I can do an examination under the porch -the one area I can't see. That would let me trench there as well. 

I'm needing advice on the interior rendition strategy.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Wrong product for inside treatment.

In most case the insides would get a boric acid form of treatment. Less toxic to humans and animals.

Really need to go back and edit your profile for some better ansewers. Just your location could help figure out what type termites you have and how to treat them.

Are you even 100% sure there termites and not carpenter ants. Both have swarmers.
If you go to Google and do a search on Termite ID lots of pictures and info on how to id them come up with suggested treatments.
I was a licenced exterminater many years ago but we a reguler post on here now that does this full time and he should be coming on again soon so hold up for his input.

Subterranean termite do not leave frask. They leave mud tunnels.


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## dortress (Apr 12, 2012)

Thanks Joe. I'm in Baltimore suburb area. 

I'm almost positive they're subterranean termites. Big white equal length pairs of wings, thick bodies; no pinched waists. They're not dry termites - no reddish wings. They're swarming during the day. This is the first time they swarmed. I was here last spring and saw no activity of this nature - I would've freaked right then, as we were going through settlement right around this time last year. 

I was in the house when the they swarmed this past weekend and applied a contact insecticide into the windowsill, just to make it stop. When I did, debris ran out through the hole in the sill. So there's damage behind there. There's no moisture indications coming down from the ceiling and the windows are protected from the overhang of the porch. I can see clearly the see the roofing over this area from my second floor, and I don't see any evidence that there's problems there allowing water to get in from above. So it must be UNDER the porch, where no one can see it.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

dortress said:


> Thanks Joe. I'm in Baltimore suburb area.
> 
> I'm almost positive they're subterranean termites. Big white equal length pairs of wings, thick bodies; no pinched waists. They're not dry termites - no reddish wings. They're swarming during the day. This is the first time they swarmed. I was here last spring and saw no activity of this nature - I would've freaked right then, as we were going through settlement right around this time last year.
> 
> I was in the house when the they swarmed this past weekend and applied a contact insecticide into the windowsill, just to make it stop. When I did, debris ran out through the hole in the sill. So there's damage behind there. There's no moisture indications coming down from the ceiling and the windows are protected from the overhang of the porch. I can see clearly the see the roofing over this area from my second floor, and I don't see any evidence that there's problems there allowing water to get in from above. So it must be UNDER the porch, where no one can see it.


Termites make mud tunnels because that have to have moisture to survive and the sun or even the wind would dry them out and they die.
Please forgive me but I just hate to see someone try and DIY a termite treatment. It's your whole house your risking. Fine to try and save money but this is not the best place to do it.


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## dortress (Apr 12, 2012)

no need to apologize.  I came here because I wanted some good advice - and that's what I'm getting. I can use the termidor for another purposes (ant control), so it won't go to waste. I'll do some investigating tomorrow for a service. Thank you.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

1) In the crawl space-can you see all elements of construction? Meaning, exposed masonry wall, exposed overhead joists, sill plate, band board. If so did you probe hard into the wood with a large screwdriver. Sometimes you don’t see the termites/evidence because it is inside the wood.

2) The front porch-is it masonry or wood or what? If masonry you will need to hammer drill thru the slab; you can rent a drill. We use 5/8” diameter holes about a foot apart, about 6”-8” from house wall. Wooden porch/deck maybe you can lift a board or two to get underneath.

3) The adjoining soil, and soil under neath porch if not a masonry porch can be trenched with a digging/grubbing hoe, also called a mattock. Thats what we use. Dig dipper than you need to prior to treatment to see if you expose the white worker termites. If so, then you know the general target area.
When treating in the trench, since you don’t have a power sprayer, you can take a several foot length of rebar and pound holes in the trench so as to facilitate absorption into the ground. You don’t want to rely on gravity alone, unless you have loose soil. 

4) We drill into block voids only in the area requiring treatment. Sometimes the top block is open, meaning the voids are exposed where they meet the sill and we spray into it. Not much room to work, but power spraying eqpt makes a difference. 

Termite work can be done by diy’ers but it is difficult for all of us, especially when masonry, crawl spaces, etc are involved. Keep us posted.


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## Aarone1972 (Jan 9, 2012)

*Termite help*

Super information, Thank you both. I am in western Maryland an I was about to purchase Termador over the internet and attempt my own termite treatment as well. 
I am very frugal and stubborn, so even though I am certain a professional would be a good choice Im think Im going to try to do it myself.

I recently took on a project of tearing down an old carport structure and enclosing it into a garage. The previous structure had two finished and sided walls(side and rear) and it used the house as its third side. It was open in the front where the driveway comes into the carport. I tore down the old side wall and rebuilt it, framed in a new door, a window and built a front wall with a garage door. Im reeeeeeealy happy with how it turned out. However........

When I was tearing out the old wall I found a buch of mud tubes and eventually hit the motherload of ants in the wall. Some were black, but most had white wings. I dont know the difference between carpenter ants, termites, etc, but I know mud tubes are bad!!

I just finished the garage and figured I should treat the house. I have a few questions. I have a really nice rotary hammer with bits up to an inch. I can easily trench about 70 percent of the house. The other 20 percent has a concrete sidewalk 4-5 feetwide poured directly against the house. Should I trench at the edge of the sidewalk (4-5 feet away from the house or drill the sidewalk next to the house? 

The final 10 percent of the perimeter is a set of concrete stairs built up against the house. Again, should I trench at the outside edge of the stairs, or drill them. 
I think I can mix and deliver the chemical to the trench but in a diy situation what is the best way to deliver the chemical through the pad where I have to drill?. GArden sprayer and patience? 
Thank you in advance for any advice.

Also any thoughts on the stink bugs who have taken over my garage?

Aaron


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## dortress (Apr 12, 2012)

I just want to post a reply for Bugman: I did have a contractor come in last week and open up the siding and the decking on the porch under those windows - the one area of all the places you listed that I could not see. 

"Who are stupid idiot builders." That is the answer Alex, to "People who didn't grade the ground under the porch properly, leaving dirt touching the wooden ledger boards attached to my home." Very angry about that, because that's the one area that no one has touched since the place was built. IDIOT BUILDING CONTRACTORS. 

So, dirt was cleared away from the wood/house by the contractor, so that problem is solved. A professional came and treated the perimeter of the home, soaked EVERYTHING under the porch, in the crawlspace and drilled under the garage slab with Termidor. Fortunately, I have a poured foundation, so I didn't have to worry about things creeping in through blocks. Wood in the home shows minimal damage (THANK GOD) and all the structural support to the house is solid. We checked under While they treated the exterior, I used the other products I bought (Premise, Boracare) to treat the wood / tunnels in those areas. Contractor sealed everything up and I consider myself a VERY lucky woman. 

Thank you again for all the information.....


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