termite treatment

We are moving into a new house, in Southern California, and we just had our wooden shed and fence inspected for termites: they are both full of them! The guy said that to tent the shed would cost $$$$, and that we should try and treat it ourselves. Does anybody know how to do this? We'll replace the fence, but the shed is a really cute structure, and to tear it down woud be a shame. (Both the shed and the fence are very close to the house, so that's why we are concerned).
Thanks a lot!

 

If your home is properly treated, you can have a huge stump full of termites right next to the foundation, and they won't infest your home. They'll get zapped when they try their subterranian thing.
You can get some off-the-shelf treatment for the shed, but it will not be nearly as effective as having it treated.
Good Luck!
Mike

 

Do you have dry-wood or subterranean termites? Injecting a Timbor solution into the wood can be helpful. We've had good luck using Demon TC as a barrier solution (injected under high pressure into the soil in and under the foundation slab) and dusting Timbor and Drione in the wall cavities near suspected infestations. We're currently using the FMC bait stations with modest success; so far, two out of 10 have been fed on by termites and I've installed the poison cartridges. We'll see....

BTW, I got these products here. There are other sources but it is difficult to get some solutions into California.

Gotta love those termites.....or else it'll drive ya insane

Pat

 

Camachinist makes a good point -- since you are in CA, you are going to be VERY limited as to what you can get to go after the critters with, and how effective what you are able to get will be. That's somewhat thanks to Prop. 65, although the situation existed long before that.

 

Just wanted to add that, at the time I purchased (early last year), the items I mentioned were available for shipment into California (where I live). Only way I could get them locally was by having a licensed applicator do the job. I work with chemicals in my business and had the appropriate safety gear other than the pesticide-specific filters for my respirator. The instructions and MSDS which come with the product are pretty comprehensive (there's also information online) and, if one follows them, a safe and effective result should be expected.

If in doubt, have the job done by a licensed applicator.....

Pat

 

Thanks for the replies!
I am not sure what these termites are, probably dry wood kind. The house only had a minor subterrenean termite infestation, which was treated last month. The termite inspector said that he had inspected it two years ago, and that it is still in the same condition, termite-wise! That leads me to believe (or hope) that the Old Guy is right, and that termites won't spread to the house. How do they migrate anyway? Do they fly or move under ground? And how quick? And what exactly does "proper treatment" of the house mean? Full of questions, I know...
I will look into the products you recomended, and see if we can handle treating the shed ourselves.
Thanks so much!

 

Termites move slowly and steadily, consuming all cellulose-based material in their path. We even had them eat the drywall paper off our drywall; evidently they liked that better than wood because the adjacent studs were untouched.

It can take a year or two for a colony to consume a typical wall stud, depending on the size of the colony. Watch out for the emergence of the winged termites in spring (subterraneans)....where they come from can indicate possible infestations. They can fly off and start new colonies so beware.

DIY termite control (note I didn't say eradication ) is too involved for a bulletin board post. The site I mentioned above has some great info, as do agricultural extensions of major universities which specialize in agricultural science, such as UC Davis in California.

Good luck!

Pat

 

So, sounds like we should treat the shed ASAP. So many projects, so little time!
Thanks!

 

I may be wrong here, I'm sure one of the pros on the board will correct me if I am, but I thought TENTING was to treat the airborne termites, NOT the subterranean kind which require treating the subsurface!!!!
frank

 

Tenting of a structure by a professional applicator is one way of attempting to rid the structure of active infestations, whether by air or by land . The difference is, if the structure is infested by subterraneans, only the food gatherers (workers) actually in the structure are killed, leaving fresh ones from the underground nest to continue the work at a future date. A proper application should kill all drywood termites in the structure, but even this still leaves the structure vulnerable to future infestations as the gas doesn't have a residual barrier capability.

The best approach, IMO, is a comprehensive one, both with the eradication of identified active infestations and the raising of barriers to future infestations. Barriers can take the form of chemicals like the ones I mentioned (all have some residual effect), and/or eliminating earth/wood contact, cellulose refuse (like firewood on the ground for example) and points of entry. Other measures include bait traps and the cultivation of natural predators, like ants (which evil is worse? ) to slow or eliminate the progress of the termites. Lastly, keeping the soil around structures dry can help with subterraneans. One of our infestations begin with a dripping exterior faucet, which we left dripping purposely into a bowl to water our animals (outdoor cats). Damp soil, which wasn't sufficiently broken from our stucco, dampened the stucco (which is like a sponge) and created a point of entry. Also, cracks or voids in a concrete slab (like around plumbing fixtures and pipes) can be points of entry.
I learned some hard lessons during this experience. The chemicals and traps ran around 500.00 and I spent a good 30-40 hours mitigating and treating the infestations. Control (if that is a good word ) is ongoing, with trap checking done bi-monthly.

Pat