Posted: 8/31/2016 11:32:39 AM EDT
|
I moved into my house a year ago and had the place inspected, and the squirelly little shit that inspected gave me a clean bill of health. I noticed termites around Mother's Day and was assured that it was normal and not to worry.
Today while walking around the house inspecting (I usually do this weekly, or whenever I'm bored before work) I noticed a mud tunnel going into the brick through one of the vents. I squished it, and sure enough there were termites crawling through it. Checked the rest of the perimeter, and found a much more substantial one near the side door. This door casing needed to be replaced when I moved in, or at least repaired as it had water damage. The realtor did some shoddy repair with some putty, and I planned to replace the entire door (case and all) after I had the gutters installed. I had planned to do this immediately, but work and life got in the way. Now it looks like I will need to replace the jack stud(s) too. What is y'all's advice? I'm in Lacombe. |
|
Terminix is coming out to drill the driveway, trench the perimeter, and put down some 55 gallons of termite-be-gone.
I'm not sure how to go about proving that they were present. I'm also not sure how quickly they can damage things. I'd like to say that the invasion to the brick vent is no more that two weeks old, but on the side door, I can't be so sure. I actually didn't see the mud tube until I crouched down and looked close. |
|
too bad this stuff isn't around any longer, Probably because it worked
Chlordane for Termites In the U.S., the insecticide chlordane first became available in 1948. While it provided long-term residual effects at low cost and with great effectiveness, concerns about its impact on the environment and human health led the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban all of use of chlordane except for subterranean termite control in 1983. In 1988, the EPA decided to no longer permit the use of chlordane for termite control. Today, the chemical is only permitted for experts controlling fire ants in power transformers – and no products in the U.S. currently are registered for this purpose. The EPA has indicated chlordane is a probable human carcinogen. Laboratory animals have developed liver cancer after consuming high doses of chlordane. However, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether it causes cancer in humans. Chlordane in soil does not easily break down – it may persist for 25-35 years. While this residue provides long-term termite control, it also creates concerns about bioaccumulation. Even though chlordane has not been used on food crops in more than 30 years, it may still be present in our food and water supply. |