Termites- eating wood

Post by **HAPPYGOLFER** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:35 am

Before entering Thailand, I hadn,t heard about termites eating wood. By now many of my neighbours have experienced that termites , probably coming from the soil beneath the house , has been eating wood inside the house ( kitchen, bathroom etc) I,m new in Thailand, that,s the reason I ask, Do anybody have knowledge about this problem and how to solve it? Pest control? But is their anyway I can solve it myself?

Post by **PeteC** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:36 am

Termites are everywhere, except perhaps the Arctic circle and Antarctica.

A pest control company is the best to come out and assess if you have any, and if not, look for danger signs that would attract them, such as wood exposed to soil contact etc. Be sure though you use a trustworthy company as many will say you have them even if you don't in order to get work. Talk to your neighbors about what companies they've used and their opinions.

If your house has the tubing that goes into and under the foundation, that's good as it's there to enable a pest company to inject a solution directly under your house and into the ground where the termites come from. Many newer developments have this tubing, usually 4-6 capped tubes near the ground on at least two sides of the house that span out into different directions under the house. We get ours charged up once a quarter and it takes care of keeping ants out as well.

If you don't have these, there are other baiting methods the company can use.

Self help is a can of Chandrite with the needle spray nozzle. If you have termites you'll see little piles of wood waste in various spots, a very fine sawdust type substance. Above the piles will be a very small hole about the size of a pin head. Insert the Chandrite needle into that hole and spray on a regular basis until no new discharge dust disappears. This won't rid your entire house of them, but it keeps them somewhat under control until a pest company can root out any nests and do a professional job. Pete

Post by **advocate** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 6:49 am

I have seen termite infestations here that are so bad that they have partially eaten couches, shoes, and curtains, etc. I have seen hardwood floors ruined in just a few months. If you are away from your home for any length of time, you need to have the piping under the house topped up with pesticide regularly even while you are gone. Good idea to have them spray along all of the baseboards/ bottom trim, and any wood on the outside.

In addition to using the underground piping, I spray the bottom of the walls all around the house monthly with a spray can. Check for termite nests in the yard and poison them. I have heard that borax spread around outside the house helps with insect control but does not protect from termites burrowing up from underneath the house.

Post by **splitlid** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:13 am

everything you need to know about termite protection
from the Building Codes of Ozstraalia

http://www.termite.com.au/2006versionTe ... screen.pdf

Post by **margaretcarnes** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:35 am

We don't tend to get termite problems in the UK and the only time i encountered the little critters was in a woodpile in Canada - you can hear them chewing away inside the wood if you keep still and close enough.
In Thailand there is often woodworm so I'm wondering if that is the problem, because the signs - tiny heaps of sawdust around the holes - are the same but without the chomping noise. Either way one cheap solution could be good old WD40 sprayed around the holes. It draws out woodworm for sure, but does need repeated treatments because eggs are still hatching inside the wood.

Post by **HAPPYGOLFER** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:06 pm

Thanks for the good advise

Post by **Takiap** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:25 pm

We certainly have termites on our property, but they have never caused any damage to our home itself, probably because our house is built about a meter above ground. I even leave a few old pieces of wood lying about for them.......Every few days, I flip the bits of wood over, and the chickens go mental.....lol.

If termites are destroying your home or at least parts of it, there must be something wrong with the way it's been built. Just look around you........how many Thais do you see using the pest control companies? I know, some Thai owned homes do get termites, but not really that many. Interestingly enough, when we were starting out with the building of our place, it was a Thai builder who suggested we should have the house up off the ground. The reasons he gave, were that it helps to keep termites away, and it helps to keep the house cool. I have to say, he was correct on both counts.

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:24 pm

Takiap wrote:...............If termites are destroying your home or at least parts of it, there must be something wrong with the way it's been built. Just look around you........how many Thais do you see using the pest control companies? I know, some Thai owned homes do get termites, but not really that many. Interestingly enough, when we were starting out with the building of our place, it was a Thai builder who suggested we should have the house up off the ground. The reasons he gave, were that it helps to keep termites away, and it helps to keep the house cool. I have to say, he was correct on both counts.

Totally agree

Of the three properties that I have built myself and the several that I have designed for others, I have always had them raised off the final ground level by at least 30cm (1ft). Never had a termite problem in any of them and the buildings certainly remain cooler with the air flow underneath.

The restaurant at the Lodge was not built this way and at first we had an attack of the little critters - we now get it treated regularly - I wish I had built it slightly raised as per our bungalows and house.

Post by **STEVE G** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:42 pm

If termites are destroying your home or at least parts of it, there must be something wrong with the way it's been built.

Exactly, if you use hardwoods that have been seasoned, they are too hard for termites to eat. Our house in Issan has a frame of teak beams that came from a house over sixty years old and they've never been eaten by termites, even though some of them were originally partially buried in the ground.
I have three large wooden pillars holding up the porch roof that are still going into the ground at the base and have had no problems with those either.
They generally eat soft woods or new timber that hasn't been seasoned correctly.

Post by **advocate** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:35 pm

It's not always how well the wood has been seasoned, but whether or not it is old growth teak. Old growth teak has a much higher oil content than younger trees, and termites don't like the oil. Old growth teak is now difficult to find and expensive.

Post by **hhfarang** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:54 pm

Building off the ground is correct, we have a 1 meter crawl space beneath our home with pipes attached to the bottom of the house connected to outside receptacles so that we can have a pest control company hook up outside and soak the ground underneath the house with upside down sprinkler heads attached to the under house pipes. We do that three or four times a year.

Post by **deepee** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 9:22 pm

splitlid wrote:everything you need to know about termite protection
from the Building Codes of Ozstraalia

http://www.termite.com.au/2006versionTe ... screen.pdf

and another good reference site is
http://www.drdons.net

Post by **Ginjaninja** » Wed Mar 04, 2015 10:44 pm

Hi folks,
I appear to have an infestation in my brand new condo <2yr build. We think it's because of a contaminated selection of cheap 'engineered-wood' (flooring). Several other co-owners have highlighted a similar problem....
Would this be termites: