Do you know anything about termites/extermination?

[Bertha Venation]

My Grandma's house has to be tented and the exterminator has suggested drilling into the slab to pump in death underneath the house. My father seems set to nix that idea because, as he told my sister, "I'm not sure it's necessary to drill into a slab. Termites live in dirt or wood. I'll get back to you on this tomorrow."

If you know anything about the bug kill biz, will you please tell me if drilling into the slab is common procedure? If so I'm sure it's necessary, given what I know about the infestation.

Thanks

[Eumenides]

1. Termites

<snip>
Subterranean termites build earthen, shelter tubes to protect them from low humidity and predation (Figure 6 ). These tubes are usually 1/4 to 1 inch wide. Houses should be inspected at least once a year for evidence of tubes. If the house has a crawl space, the inside and outside of foundations should be inspected for tubes. If the house has a concrete slab floor, cracks in concrete floors and places where pipes and utilities go through the slab should be closely examined. Cracks in concrete foundations and open voids in concrete block foundations are also hidden avenues of entry.


http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IG097

:dunce:

[Bertha Venation]

5. thank you!

Forwarded that to my sister. I appreciate your help.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. If the kind of termites she has (can't recall the name)

are concrete termites, your father's idea won't work...there IS wood in the foundation...if all there is is surface damage to trim, you can individually treat areas and replace the damaged wood.

If the house is old, it's best to treat the structural wood or you are looking at structural damage and would have a problem selling the house..this way whenver the house is sold you will be able to demonstrate the problem was adequately addressed.

Shouldn't cost more than about $1,500

[Bertha Venation]

6. here's the estimate she got

$1,100 for the tenting
$750 for subterranean
$850 for interior wood repair
$2,200 for exterior wood repair

My dad wants to do it on the cheap: tent & interior only. He's being a butt about her renting, and he doesn't want her to buy it because she can't afford more the going rate for rent or sale. He's treating his daughter like it's a biz deal and it makes me sick.

Thanks for your input, NSMA.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

12. I think you can get the tenting and treatment from one place

and possibly get a contractor or handiman for the other...maybe the INTERIOR wood is a big job, but the EXTERIOR wood can be done by anyone with a hammer, nails a saw and a good relationship with the local Home Depot. I did the exterior wood on my house myself....it was fun :-)

I also think you can shop the actual tenting and treatment price and play companies against one another and save a couple hundred bucks.

[Bertha Venation]

13. yeah, the exterior is going to wait

Knowing Chette, she'll do it herself. She's more butch than I am, and she's straight.

[GOPisEvil]

3. Well, they tend to live under the slab, in the dirt.

So, you've got to get the poison to where the nest is. Sometimes, the exterminator injects poison under the slab, but maybe that wouldn't be effective in this case. :shrug:

[Bertha Venation]

7. that's exactly how she explained it to me --

but all my Dad hears is the KA-CHING, not logic or reason. Can't believe, whether she lives there or not, that he would be cheap about fixing the place up.

[proud patriot]

4. My very good friends own a family Termite Business

The drilling around the exterier is the way to go .
We get our house treated around the foundation about
every five years .

There are also moisture messures to deal with .
Where there is moisture there will be termites and
other critters .

IMHO the best measures to be taken are the water
protection combined with treatments . It avoids
major repairs later . :hi:

[Bertha Venation]

8. thanks, PP -- I appreciate the info.

:hi:

[dae]

9. Formosan termites or the really evil little mothers. A reputable company

such as Terminex would be the only way I would handle them. You could also call your County Agents office and have him send an entomologist out from the state A&M University. What state do you live in?

[Bertha Venation]

11. The house is in California, and although I'm a native

I don't even know if we have an A&M University. Sounds like something UC Davis would cover, but that's north; this is south.

Thanks for the thought.

My sister did choose a highly-recommended co., and checked them out w/ the BBB before asking for an estimate.

[dae]

18. Every state has an A & M (Agricultural & Mechanical) University, that

has County Agents, aka Extension Agents.
Southern California does have some hotspots of Formosan activity.
Whoever does the work make sure you get a good guaranty.
Good luck!:)

[bif]

10. Termites are bogue

That's about all I know about them.

[KT2000]

14. Safer alternatives

Here is a web site where you can learn about safer alternatives: http://www.thebestcontrol.com

Pesticides are powerful chemicals that can cause a lot of damage to health. They have not been safety tested on children, fetus', the elderly, the ill and pregnant women.

I would really encourage you to investigate the chemicals that the companies want to use before they are applied to you grandmother's home. Then, investigate safer alternatives.

[PVnRT]

15. While the fumes may get you high, they are dangerous

Don't breathe them! :evilgrin:

[blindpig]

16. baits are a possibility

some bugguys offer special termite baits which workers carry back to the nest....much cleaner but maybe not feasible if the house is seriously infested.

[Raven]

17. Bertha, I had termites

in my house in Ma. I got a very reputable company to come and they did two things: they treated the wood that the termites had infested and they put bait traps all around the outside perimeter of the house. They then came on a monthly basis and checked the traps.

The exterminator guy told me that they don't pour stuff into the ground anymore because of the environmental impact. He also said that you need to continue a maintence plan or the little buggers will come back.

Make sure that you get a company with a good reputation. :hi: