Termites

[mowkep]

Probably 7 years ago we tore down a shed on the back of our property. It had extensive ant and mouse and probably termite damage. This spring, we had guests staying in our basement. Winged termites showed up in the basement enmass. Days later we had a professional install bait stations around the house. The garage is not attached. I asked the guyif it was okay and he said he saw no signs of termites in the garage. Here now 4 months later, I went to grab some lumber I had stored in the garage from that shed we tore down. The bottom pieces were infested with termites. I sprayed the boards with sevin and then burnt them. It was all dry lumber. 1x6 and 2x6 about 100 inches long. 4 of the 1x6 pieces were bad. It just happens that the pest control checked the baits a day after I found the termites. He said he saw no evidence of live ones in the bottom plate. Should I be worried? Solutions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Old Man Roger]

The term ''Better Safe Than Sorry'' comes to mind.

 

[BillK]

Was the lumber sitting on the floor ? Was there a crack under it or some other way the termites were getting to it ? I don't think they will just crawl across the floor.

 

[mowkep]

I see what you are saying. I'm sure they got in through the sill plate. I had the lumber stacked on top of treated lumber scraps. They are going to quote putting in more baits, this time around the garage. Hidden pests ****

 

[BillK]

I see what you are saying. I'm sure they got in through the sill plate. I had the lumber stacked on top of treated lumber scraps. They are going to quote putting in more baits, this time around the garage. Hidden pests ****

If so there had to be contact or a mud tunnel from the sill plate to the wood ?

Call me skeptical but I am not sure if I believe in the bait type treatment. We had termites once in the house and opted for the full treatment. Pay Terminix every year and sort of consider it an insurance policy. In this area it is basically not "if" you will get them but "when" you will get them.

 

[mowkep]

That is the weird part. Inside and out looks good. The garage was built in the 70s. The sill plate is sitting on some sort of fiberous material. Could that be the inlet? IDK. Unless I start pulling off aluminum siding on the outside or drywall inside, I won't know what is happening inside the walls. If anything is even happening

 

[mowkep]

But no evidence of mud tunnels

 

[nadogail]

In my community there are only two kinds of houses; those that have termites, and those who will get them.

 

[DuluthMachineWorks]

As someone who had to replace an exterior wall due to termite damage, don’t play around. Get a full termite barrier treatment applied by a professional (I.e Termidor) or do it yourself with something like Taurus SC (same active ingredient). It’s actually pretty easy to do your own treatment if you’re not opposed to some basic chemical mixing and digging. There’s good videos online.

If you want to be sure regarding damage, go around and pound a nail in to each stud to get a rough idea if the inside of the wall has been compromised. Honestly if I was in your position I’d just open the wall and inspect- drywall is a lot cheaper than structural damage and termites don’t play around.


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[mowkep]

Started poking at the sill plate with a nail. About a 2 foot section of not good.

 

[DuluthMachineWorks]

Yeah, definitely open up that wall. Hopefully they didn’t get far and you caught it early. You should expose at least a couple of stud bays beyond where you think the damage extent is to make sure they didn’t go farther than you think. In our house, we had foam insulation between the studs and sheathing, and it was basically a termite highway.


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[randyandrewsberg]

On a simple slab garage it is very cost effective to self treat with a fiprnoil product like Termidor SC or Taurus. It can be done in a few hours and requires no real special equipment as long as you can put your own man power into making the small trench. If you want to have it done with a warranty, find the oldest locally owned company in your county that does termite work. They will do a better job and be less expensive than any national brand.


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[Jlbc212]

What type of foundation do you have supporting your garage? Masonry block walls have cavities where termites will build their mud tunnels out of site. Concrete foundations or slabs often have cracks where termites will construct their mud tunnels. How close is your sill to the surrounding outside grade? If the sill at or near grade level the termites mud tunnels may be difficult to see. Take a good look around. The termites had to get from the ground into your garage from somewhere.

 

[mowkep]

They are coming next Tuesday to put more bait stations around the garage which is detached from the house. $495 and possibly spraying inside if nest is active. The garage is clad in aluminum siding and is a couple inches above grade on a concrete slab. I think there is a row of masonry blocks under the sill plate. I will have some time to investigate this weekend into the possible damage....