Neighbor Had Termites

Hi Everyone -

A neighbor recently had a swarm of termites in their living room and had a professional pest control company come out and treat (bored holes in the concrete garage floor around the foundation and also the mulch/grass all the way around the house near the foundation and injected something).

I haven't noticed any termites in or around my house but now I know they are near by.

Do I need to do anything to prevent termites? If so, what?

I live in Northern Virginia in a 12 year old house.

Thanks for your advice!

 

It cost nothng for an exterminator to come inspect your home. In VA there's at least 10 termite coloinys per acre, not just in your area.
if trees were cleared to build your house your far more likly to have them.
If it was an open field long before they built the house why would termites be there? There was nothing for them to eat.
With new constrution the plumber let the 4" plug drop under the house where the toilet are, there's scrap lumber left under the house, I've even seen where they threw scrap wood in the front porch area before it gets back filled.
It does not matter how old a house is or what type of foundation it has if termites want to get in they will find a way.
I'd stay away from Trmiex and Orkin and do not fall for that Sentricon bull. If there's active termites under or in your house it needs a chemical treatment not a bunch of plastic tubes out in the yard doing nothing but costing you money every year for them to come lift out a piece of pine to see if there's termites out in the yard.

 

Thanks for the info, Joecaption.

Is there anything I can do on my own to prevent them? Is there a spray/barrier at the hardware store that's worthwhile?

How would I know if I have termites? I know to look for the mud tubes inside and out, swarming termites, and wings on the ground but what if they are in the attic or in a finished part of the basement.

 

Hi we live in neighboring Maryland and I think the best way to see if you have any termites in your house is to look near the sill plate of your house in your basement. If your basement is finished with paneling or drywall you will need to remove some of that to see if your house is damaged. Once termites are in your home you really need the services of a professional as they can use real strong chemicals in a safe manner. We had termites and found them coming in when we were adding in wiring for high speed internet and had to temporarily remove some shelving. The first signs will be mud tubes inside of your house and more advanced signs will be damaged wood full of holes. Keep in mind that mud tubes are not always seen outside and instead termites will come in through cracks in concrete as they did in our house so you will only see the damage visibly inside and not outside. So keep mulch away from your foundation and watch out for trees that are too close to your house either your trees or your neighbors. If roots get too close to your foundation you need to dig them up before they do damage otherwise you get cracks in your foundation that termites can get into after the roots dry out and die. You are right by the way to be concerned about your neighbors termites as our neighbor had a shed full of termites and we are certain that they followed roots from our old tree that was dieing and then into our house. Good luck to you!

 

Thanks again for the info, everyone.

The termite inspector just left and didn't find any evidence of termites.

I learned a lot from you folk - thanks for sharing information with me.

 

I had the bait stations installed back in Tidewater VA, when after 3yrs the initial treatment due to swarmers wore off and they wanted to spot treat areas of activity. The stations were cheaper than continuing with the regular insurance/inspection and retreatment program if any were seen. They checked them every 3 months and if activity was seen, added poison which was carried back to the nest . Never had a problem after that...but the neighbors did when the termites cleared out of my area. I also wasn't keen on them just pumping chemicals into the ground/structure for no reason. I think they are very effective and cost efficient. Believe mine was Terminix

The pump treatments kill the critters that come in contact with it, but do nothing for the colony. As an entomologist explained to me, the termites, when they die, emit something that makes other termites avoid that area. They just go exploring elsewhere.

 

If Termidor or Premise or the new Dupont material was used to treat, I would not worry about termites being chased away by the chemical. Those are non-repellents, which is the newest strategy. We believe that we may be killing colonies because of the non-repellency. The termite goes about business as usual, taking the chemical back to the nest. What Gunguy says is interesting and probably has merit-I'm not an entomologist, but I do go to a lot of training and the internet is an amazing tool for knowledge and info. Insects, especially colony insects have evolved to survive. Everytime we think we understand an insect or specie, we learn more about what we don't know. If that makes sense!

 

I should have mentioned (and will now for informational and historical purpose)...the entomologist I spoke with was on staff at an Army base in Tidewater VA, they had their own pest control division. He cited to me info from Duke University (I think?) and about the bait and chemicals currently in use (this was in '98 or so).

He said I could probably do just as thorough a job of treatment as a Pro...IF I was willing to trench 2' down all around the house and drill holes in the brick facade around the foundation and mix and funnel the termicide in. Uhhh..no thanks. Thats why I went with the typical rod treatment for the first few years.