Termites?

[arcwick08]

We're looking at a house here in WNC and found a small termite shoot in one area of the basement ceiling, against the outer foundation wall during the inspection. No other signs that we could see.
I've never dealt with termites before - how hard are they to get rid of? Do exterminators have effective ways of dealing with them?

The house has been vacant for a few years (estate sale), so there are some other fun things (snakeskin in the attic for one).

Thoughts?

 

[mquan01]

Hire an extermination company. They will shoot a bunch of Thermidor around the house, which will eliminate them.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

I would inspect with an ice pick, as would that looks okay in the dark areas can be punky or soft from the damage. Also hiring a professional inspector to look over everything can be enlightening. Good luck.

 

[Jeff]

Termidor is effective but there are other options too. This stuff is not DIY.

http://www.termites101.org/termite-treatment/

 

[eyekode]

One note: there are termites everywhere around here. Having signs of termites may not mean there is a problem but definitely better safe then sorry.
I am not a fan of paying for "extended warranty" or other dubious insurance. But I do have a termite contract. It has already paid for itself as my garage has had to be treated.

 

[Gofor]

First off, if there are signs of active termites, this should be fixed, treated, before the property is sold. If you are buying and financing it, the lender will most likely require this. If you buy it, I would highly recommend getting an on-going contract with an extermination company that includes annual inspections as part of the annual fee, and the provision that they will retreat for free if any show up in a 5 year period. If the house is treated before you buy, you very well be able to go to that company and get a continuation on that contract without having to have the whole house re-inspected and fully treated again (save yourself several hundred dollars at the outset).

When we bought our house (new build), we were able to go to the same company that treated the house for the contractor/dveloper, saving us about $300 in initial treatment. They found signs of termites starting twice in the next 5 years and re-treated those areas for free as part of the contract. At the 5 year mark, we did have to pay for another complete treatment, and will have to after 5 more years. You may want to do an Angie's list, BBB, or similar check to get a reputable company.

JMTCW
Go

 

[arcwick08]

Thanks everybody, this is great info. I got a quote from a local company to do the liquid termidor treatment - about $800 one time (will be paid by the seller) and then $150.00 yearly ongoing for treatment. That sound reasonable?

The property is well fed and I have a small child - any concerns about ground contamination with the liquid treatment? Obvious junior wont be digging in the treated dirt, just being cautious...

 

[SubGuy]

I have DIY termites in all the places I have lived. It seems Florida was the place where they were the most persistent. The most effective chemical I have used is Bifenthrin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifenthrin It works extremely well.
The brand I use is Bifen XTS in liquid form like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=106M6WNKFCG0K5YXE65H

It's very concentrated and works well for trenching applications as well as surface applications. Also ensure no foliage, mulch or trees are touching the foundation or house, that allows for a free highway into your wood rich home.
That stuff also works like a champ on ants (especially fire ants and carpenter ants).
Some precautions to look into, don't spray where it can get into a ponds or creeks. It's not good for marine invertebrates. Do some some research if you decide to use it, but all the precautions are on the bottle.

Just a piece of info from my experience.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

Hire a pro!

 

[arcwick08]

*Though in DIY, I'd absolutely want a pro when dealing with biocides like these. I posted here to plumb the collective brain of ncww

 

[Gotcha6]

DIY applications may be okay for some people, but beware if you don't have experience with the stuff. Had a bookkeeper 20+ years ago renting a home that had a termite infestation manifest itself one spring. Her landlord's brother had an old bottle of chlordane and simple applied it to the inside of the foundation walls UNDILUTED! She nearly died from chemical pneumonia. Needless to say, the brother denied any wrongdoing. I have a good deal of experience in a lot of construction fields, but I always call a pro when it comes to that stuff. BTW, I too was concerned with ground contamination from these products and once asked an exterminator if a slab pre treat they did would be impacted by a subsequent rain before the slab was poured. He said the chemicals re crystalize in the soil so as to not migrate. The majority of these chemicals do not kill the termites but the destroy the probiotic enzymes in their gut literally starving them to death.

 

[sandfarm]

Hire a pro. The no wood bark mulch against the foundation is a myth. Termites eat the cellulose in wood, they don't eat the bark. Shredded mulch may interest termites. But the pro's applied barrier is for just that purpose, a no termite barrier
Besides termites are everywhere in the ground before and after you build a structure.

Joe

 

[thrt15nc]

Those prices are about right. We built in 2005 and of course had the approved termite prevention application done on the house footprint site. Then I found out about 4 years later that the guy was under investigation for never using any product in his applications. He had been putting down water. So we had a site application done all over again. They drilled holes through the brick walls into the ground etc. etc. Then I set them up on a yearly inspection. I think the application cost us about $1000 and now we pay about $100 a year for their inspection. I built a yard shed in the back of the lot and last year found activity at it as they had eaten the pine trim around the back double doors. Called them, they came right out and treated it and now it'll be included on the yearly inspection. To me, the costs for the termite prevention done by a professional are cheap. They can do too much damage to not stay ahead of the game.

Tom

 

[Tarhead]

I would also do a Radon test personally on any house being considered prior to closing. We had to have a foundation evac system installed on our house when we lived up there.

 

[arcwick08]

I would also do a Radon test personally on any house being considered prior to closing. We had to have a foundation evac system installed on our house when we lived up there.

Yep, we had radon tested (as well as full water analysis, septic, etc. I'm neurotic). Came up at 1 pcpl on the radon - I understand 4 to be the acceptable exposure limit.

 

[SubGuy]

Well, before anyone thinks I am willy-nilly spraying this stuff anywhere, my aunt own a Pest Control Company and I took the job up under her advice as a professional with 40 years experience. So please don't discount my advice right away. I understand those who are skeptical with all the old time chemicals and DIY disasters. Bottom-line is you can DIY with the right research reading the documents from the company and EPA. If your willing to go that far with the DIY job, you'll be fine.

 

[mkepke]

Thanks everybody, this is great info. I got a quote from a local company to do the liquid termidor treatment - about $800 one time (will be paid by the seller) and then $150.00 yearly ongoing for treatment. That sound reasonable?

The property is well fed and I have a small child - any concerns about ground contamination with the liquid treatment? Obvious junior wont be digging in the treated dirt, just being cautious...

Those prices are pretty typical, IME.

I would be concerned that there may be considerable damage that you can't see - you (or the seller) need to get a termite inspection done, and that may well include getting the seller's permission to do some damage, e.g. removing drywall.

Ask the termite guy, but the chemicals are typically not toxic to humans.

-Mark

 

[Glennbear]

I am not trying to hijack the thread but I have a related question for the brain trust here. I had some sawhorses alongside the shop with the legs sitting on the seam between the sidewalk and the shop footing. Within months termites had eaten into the end grain and into the legs. Paradoxically over a year ago I cleared out brush and trees across the front of my property but the remaining stumps show no sign of being dined on. Do I have gourmet termites who only want untreated SYP lumber for lunch ?

 

[mkepke]

I am not trying to hijack the thread but I have a related question for the brain trust here. I had some sawhorses alongside the shop with the legs sitting on the seam between the sidewalk and the shop footing. Within months termites had eaten into the end grain and into the legs. Paradoxically over a year ago I cleared out brush and trees across the front of my property but the remaining stumps show no sign of being dined on. Do I have gourmet termites who only want untreated SYP lumber for lunch ?

Unless you pull the stumps and cut them open, can you really tell if they have termites ? It's in the termites' nature to stay hidden away.

I'm assuming you could only tell the sawhorses had termites by moving the sawhorses.

I've had the same experience..a 2x4 left on my concrete driveway eventually sees termite damage with the termites coming up via the control joints.

-Mark

 

[SubGuy]

As much as I like to poison the buggers for eating my favorite hobby, I do appreciate the work they do out in the woods. If it were up to just the mushrooms and bacteria, it might take awhile. Can you imagine a forest full of tree sized pick-up sticks?