Termites?

[Gofor]

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 ?

When I lived in the Florida panhandle, the termites would take care of a pine or oak stump in about 2 years. A that point I could pretty much just knock it apart. Here in NC, it takes more like 5 years, and then there still may be a lot of tap root left on pine if the sap was down when the tree was felled (i.e winter storm or by chainsaw). The other thing that will shut down the termites on a stump is when the fire ants move in and take over the nest. I have had this happen both here and in Florida. It seems the fire ants like the same moist environment that the termites do, but don't continue munching on the wood. If you kill/run off the fire ants, the termites won't come back either for a few years at least. I haven't found a solution for that.

If you want the termites to really work on a stump, cover it with a mound of moist dirt. That seems to speed up the process.

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[arcwick08]

I've been told that unlike carpenter ants, termites don't actually LIVE in the wood of a house they are eating... they just travel to it from an exterior in-dirt nest. Any validity to that?

 

[Jeff]

I've been told that unlike carpenter ants, termites don't actually LIVE in the wood of a house they are eating... they just travel to it from an exterior in-dirt nest. Any validity to that?

Some info to consider. A termite is a termite and they eat up the house.

http://www.orkin.com/termites/termite-behavior/

 

[Gofor]

I've been told that unlike carpenter ants, termites don't actually LIVE in the wood of a house they are eating... they just travel to it from an exterior in-dirt nest. Any validity to that?

I think it may have to do with the type of termite. Formosan termites and most common termites establish a nest and then forage out. If they find a good food source, they may set up another nest in that area. Drywood termites live in the wood they are eating. (This supposition is based on what I read on the i-net, so take that into account as to validity). If you see a swarm of winged ones inside a house, odds are there is a nest in or under that house because they swarm from the nest. If they are on the outside of the house, they could have come from anywhere close by, including from under the house.

My comment about the fire ants "taking over the nest" in a stump was most likely not entirely correct. They may just take over the chambered-out moist stump, but the result is that the stump pretty much stays intact. (This observation is based on personal experience).

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