Termites

[Fredkrueger100]

Last Saturday my wife and I were planting some new plants we bought for our flower bed. She was digging a hole and when she moved the mulch and a little dirt a bunch of white bugs were all over the place. I looked at them and unfortunately they are termites. I found another area where they were about 6 inches down from the first spot. So I got my Talstar P out and saturated the areas. I then went through every single inch of my flower bed flipping my mulch up so it looks better an also to see if there were more. I found no more in the flower bed but found two other small deals of them in another flower bed about 40 feet away. I saturated them too. I know some people say mulch attracts them but there is no evidence to back it up according to terminix. I don’t know how long they have been there. I don’t know what to do other than what I’ve done. I don’t see any places where they have gotten into the house but am afraid they might. But after looking up the treatment I couldn’t believe how ridiculously intrusive it is. And very expensive. Has anyone had termites like this? Did they ever get in the house? My thoughts were why would they leave the mulch as it is such a good area for them. But that might just be wishful thinking. I also just purchased a product called Taurus SC that the professionals use for termites. It’s supposed to get on a termite and they carry it back to the colony and it transfers to other ones and kills them all. So I am gonna spray that when it comes in.

 

[Cowcatcher]

Daggum Tony, I'm started to wonder if all your issues in that location are a sign to abandon ship!

 

[Fredkrueger100]

Daggum Tony, I'm started to wonder if all your issues in that location are a sign to abandon ship!

Nah, bad luck just runs in my family. If there is a 99.99999% chance something will go right and a .1% chance something will go wrong it will go wrong.

 

[DavidMcmillan]

Tony, if you ever do decide to move, please let us know, so we can avoid that area. You just seem to be a magnet for things most of us want to avoid!

Best wishes with you new pets...

 

[Fyrtwuck]

Just me, but if I found any close to the house at all, I’d flood a perimeter around my house like a moat around a castle with termite killer.

 

[Gunbuffer]

1. Terminix; the company that makes money to kill them tells you mulch doesn’t attract termites.
Well mulch is used to retain moisture and moisture attracts termites.
1a. If you found those termites within 10feet of your house, you got em.

 

[Gunbuffer]

1b. This is the only thing that will work.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

1. Terminix; the company that makes money to kill them tells you mulch doesn’t attract termites.
Well mulch is used to retain moisture and moisture attracts termites.
1a. If you found those termites within 10feet of your house, you got em.

I know that termites like mulch. But others have said the same thing. Not just companies that want our business. They don’t just feed on wood. And I know I have them, that’s why I created this thread. Just because they might be within 10 feet of my house doesn’t mean they are in the house. I had some within 10 feet at my last house and they never came in. I went out and checked the spots that I found them earlier and they were all dead with the exception of one. It looked like it was about to die. Did the company that treated your house tell you why they have to drill into the porch and foundation to injection the poison? I didn’t realize they could eat through concrete.

 

[John6185]

We had termites, I found them when I was preparing to clean the exterior front door jams for painting. I have a door with glass inserts on both sides and I found that as I was cleaning a "blister" off of the jam I Flicked it off and I could see termites. I ended up taking a 2X4 and having to cut it down to make a replacement and so far it held up. I called Terminex and they charged
"cough, cough" $1500 and all they did was drill some holes in my cement porch and around the particular area where the termites were, put some traps about every 10 feet around the house so the termites could eat and carry the poison back to their colony. Then, after about a week, I noted that the wood floor was discolored over the cement slab and on inspection I found that termites had gotten to the wood laminate and chewed it up so I called Terminex again and they came out and put some more Thermidor in the area. A person can buy Thermidor but you'd have do devise a means of pressure to inject several gallons around your house and you'd save a bundle. Most likely, you can research on the internet and find out how to inject the poison under pressure. It seems that the job is too simple and Terminex is making a great deal of money by doing a job we could do ourselves.

 

[tRidiot]

We got the drilling treatment done about 8 years ago. We had one small spot in the house where they ate into a windowsill, no other signs of them inside. One swarm outside. Since then, we've kept up the contract for the "warranty" with Orkin. <sigh> It's a racket... they'll treat your house (about $2k for us), but they won't guarantee it unless you pay the annual fee (couple hundred?) and have the annual inspection. Helluva longterm subscription service they've got us on, right? But... if you have definite infestation and ever want to sell your house, you have to disclose that or you can be sued. So... we pay the annual fee until it's time to sell.