Normally I have noticed that they cut the extra cable and fill it in with cement. Post tension slabs, pull the concrete together by cables within the concrete. This helps to keep the concrete tight and prevent the concrete from cracking.
“Ants are so passe, You need a termite farm of your desk“
Photo by PPMA
Not sure how this will play out with customs but I think it would be cool to watch their activity. I will keep watch and keep you up-to-date on the progress.
Workers are the main caste in the termite colony for the digestion of cellulose in the food and are the most likely to be found in the infested wood. Workers are out and about 24/7/365 and constantly searching for wood.
One of the key areas in homes in my opinion is the garage, so keep an eye for the the expansion joint. I also recommend not placing wood, boxes or anything cellulose on the expansion joint.
Termites are always looking for food and guess what, that could be your home. What do you look for:
- Mud tubes.
- Look at your foundation, check at your ceiling for down tubes or just dirt.
- Look for damage to baseboard.
- As always if your not sure call a Professional.
access
access
Your home is your castle
Access into your home is your decision and seems to be in your court, right? Every home has penetrations from either the slab or flooring, I can’t think of a single exception. So if you have an example let me know about it. Every time a pipe comes through your slab or flooring there is a chance that termites might exploit the opportunity.
On top of this, there are often issues at the time of the pretreat. Construction proceeds and after we do that pretreat we never know what happens to that hole where the pipe comes up. Often times there is soil piled up and sometimes it is removed and guess where the termiticide is? Gone and there is no protection. So those are the areas where we all need to be vigilant and pay attention to walls and other fixtures.
Any break or protrusion into the structure can be an avenue for termites, so any pipe or other object that extends past the concrete can be their entrance.
This was an easy entrance for the termites and once in they usually don’t leave without taking a bit of your home for food. So what do you look for:
- Any mud tube/tunnel on the outside foundation wall.
- Any suspicious dirt on the ceiling, small hole with dirt around it.
- Drop Tubes inside the homes.
- Baseboard that looks crinkled, subterranean termites usually run with the grain of the wood.
Enlarge the picture and notice the down tube (in the middle of the left hand basket). Our Arizona termites make these tubes to reach the ground and often times they can be in the strangest places.
The termites find wood and then focus on taking it back home, they are smart and they are attempting to find a quicker and easier, way back to the ground. Yep, amazing.
“Screw succession: termite queen found to be genetically immortal.”
It’s all about the Queen, long may she reign! Right? It is kind of interesting when she technically can create an exact replica of herself by cloning.
Photo by PPMA
You bet we could and here is one right from the architects their little homes “Climate control in termite mounds.”
We often think of termites as home wreckers, or pests who frequently get into our homes. But these termites have come up with a way to regulate the temperatures within their castles. There are even termites in Australia that build north and south to take advantage of the sun and wind.
AZ termite tunnel
This was just a cool shot, termite drop tube inside the bathroom coming down a window area.
Arizona termites doing their thing.
Seen something like this – call ProBest Pest Management 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176