Photo by PPMA and NPMA
Hourglass contains 1 cup of sawdust, which equals what a subterranean termite colony could consume in a 2-hour period. Something to think about? Reminded me of the slogan from the TV Soap “Days of our Lives” – “Like sands through the hourglass .. so are the Days of our Lives.”
Termites are relentless and will work 24/7/365 trying to gain access into your home or business.
One of the problems with doing termite work is what is under the concrete. The picture above isn’t under concrete but in a block wall holding up a RV gate. The problem that I have run into is cups and trash that were just thrown in before the concrete was poured. Cups are a real problem because they are coated with that waxy material and takes a zillion years to decompose.
A number of years ago I had an issue with a set of steps and finally after taking it apart we noticed trash, wood and cups which prevented the termiticide from reaching the dirt in a uniform way. Love to be Superman, but I can’t see through concrete.
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I truly wish everyone who builds or does work on homes would talk to one another. Here is my list of things I would want to talk about, not in any order:
Bugs in general don’t have any idea whether it is wood or foam, they probably just think it might be a good place to call home. I’ve seen termites use foam as an avenue into a structure and I’ve seen carpenter ants tear up the foam used as insulation. So it didn’t really surprise me when I noticed the damage from carpenter bees. It is extremely difficult to stop them from doing damage to foam, with wood you can paint it and frequently that deters them but not so with these bees and foam.
I’ll would bet that most people would say termites but not so, it turns out to be the desert locust. This locust you may recall is the one from the Bible and can eat its own weight in food a day. It is estimated that a large swarm could eat 20,000 tons of grain and vegetation per day. (“The Handy Biology Answer Book”)
In the U.S. I’m still betting on the termite, estmates suggest over 5 billon in damage each year. Termites are in search of food and when they find it they will eat and eat. 24/7/365 that is their schedule and they won’t waiver unless the building is under water.
What can you do to discourage termites from finding your home as a food source:
PPMA King/Queen Sub-termites
Termites don’t eat concrete or plastics, but they will build over it and many other products. There was a few years ago some type of foam which was filled with concrete and it always worried me as in my opinion it was just a space in which they could build a tube.
Garages are well known for termite activity, I guess when build it is the last concrete poured and who knows want went on after the pretreatment. That story for another day, but I find termites in garages often and this is not always what I find but it is interesting. Since the expansion joint is visible in the garage, this is what you look for when performing a termite inspection. Mud tubes or tunnels coming up the foundation wall into the structure, are often visible unless you have storage against the walls which most people do. So the lesson here is not to obstruct the expansion joint, better said than done since the garage is the catch all of our lives.
I recommend a yearly inspection which is free from ProBest unless it is for a sale of a home or business for termites if you live in the South or Southwest and if you notice anything that looks like mud inside the home call Professional Termite Company ASAP.
Did you Know…
ProBest Pest Management and our U.S. Contract Postal Unit will now have on hand – secure drop off bins for easy destruction of personal papers and documents. We have teamed up with TNT Shredding – you drop off your papers and documents to a secure bin and they pick up and shred.
A BBB Accredited Business since 12/15/2009. BBB has determined that TNT Shredding, LLC meets BBB accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints.
NAID is the international trade association for companies providing information destruction services. The NAID Certification Program establishes standards for safety, security, and privacy needed to be maintained by certified companies.
InfoSafe is the industry leading information security and privacy compliance certification program. InfoSafe forces companies to have the necessary administrative, physical, and technical required by all major federal, state and industry regulations.
There are so many things that can cause you to have those sleepness nights, so worring about what’s eating your home shouldn’t have to be one of those things. So whose got your back? Well, ProBest Pest Management if you have one of our warranties. The pictures above are just one more reason why wood shouldn’t touch the soil and you should be able to clearly see the foundation slab.
Subterranean termites (western) – live in underground colonies or in moist secluded areas aboveground that can contain up to 250,000 members. They build distinctive “mud tubes” to gain access to food sources and to protect themselves from open air.
Wood Rot – A wood-decay fungus is a variety of fungus that digests moist wood, causing it to rot. Some wood-decay fungi attack dead wood, such as brown rot -is a dry crumbly condition sometimes incorrectly referred to as dry rot in general. The term brown rot replaced the general use of the term dry rot, as wood must be damp to decay, although it may become dry later.
Powderpost Beetles – The term “powderpost” comes from the fact that the larvae of these beetles feed on wood and, given enough time, can reduce it to a mass of fine powder. Powderpost beetles spend months or years inside the wood in the larval stage. Items that can be infested by powderpost beetles include wooden artifacts, frames, furniture, tool handles, gun stocks, books, toys, bamboo, flooring, and structural timbers. If an item is brought into a home this beetle could reinfest the entire structure.
Drywood termites are social insects that live in colonies in sound, dry wood. Each colony consists of offspring from an original pair and cut across the grain while subterranean termites usually go with the grain.
