How to Trench for Subterranean Termites the RIGHT Way. Everything you need to know. How and why.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 30 май 2022
- There are a lot of videos about how to trench for termites, but this is the most comprehensive one on the web. It not only explains how to do it, but how subterranean termites work. Everything is totally explained. Do you really need to drill holes in your patio or driveway? Which termiticides you should use and which ones you should not use. Should you trench under your crawlspace? What is the RIGHT way to dig and fill in a trench? Does trenching always work? Do you always need to trench? How to give trenching a "boost" to make it work faster and better. If you have questions after watching this video, I will answer them in full detail. I won't ignore you or give you one-line answers that are not helpful. If you have a termite problem, then you have come to the right place.
Please note, sometimes I do not always receive posted questions from viewers or I do receive them, but RUclips does not allow me to respond to them. Sometimes I do not receive a question until six months after it was posted. These glitches do not happen often, but they do happen. It is my policy to respond to all questions within 48 hours, so if you do not hear from me in a couple of days, then please email your question to me at guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Please do try to post questions in the comment section first and only use the email address if you don't hear from me. The reason for this is that other folks may have the same question, so it would be nice for them to learn as well. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Remember... I will always get back to you and there is never a fee for my service.
Video on how to identify termite species: • How to Identify Termit...
Taurus SC:
www.solutionsstores.com/tauru...
or
www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-ter...
FiPro termite foam: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro...
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam...
Thanks you Guy! Thanks for being a generous giving person. You have given me hope in getting out of my termite problem.
What? I can't believe you did that. That was incredibly generous of you. Nobody has ever donated that much money before. I don't even know what to say here. I never expect people to donate any money at all to my channel, but I can tell you that it does go on long way toward improving the quality of my videos. This is almost enough to purchase a small monitor that I need to look at while I am shooting videos. Right now I have no idea what the camera is seeing because I am in the front of it and I have no videographer operating the camera. Therefore, I want to place a small monitor, that is about the size of a cell phone, on the camera tripod, so that I can see what the camera is seeing. This will save me a lot of time reshooting when the camera has my head chopped off or something. Thanks to you, I can now afford to buy this monitor, so thank you so much for that. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks, Guy! Your videos are a great help! It's difficult to find any decent pest control information online without contacting a pest control company. You always take the time to give direct advice on specific problems. It's nice for people to know there is a professional they can talk to about this stuff who doesn't have any skin in the game.
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words and for the tip. Both are very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you for your kindness to helping us to safe money especially during this time .God bless you and your family
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Excellent information, thank you for taking the time to make this and your other videos.
Thank you so much for those kind words and the tip. Both are very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Good day Guy, you may remember I trenched in front of the rocks along the front of my garden in front of the house in Oz. Thanks for your help at that time. We have monitored the results and we feel like pros. 😁😁😁😁. I could send you some photos of the work via email if you’re interested. You’re a good guy. Just so useful is your information and so much common sense with that makes your RUclips channel so valuable. Hope you’re well!
That is so thoughtful of you to take the time to write such a nice comment. It makes me happy that I was able to help you. I always love to see photos. You can send them to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. I'm glad that it all worked out for you. Be well my friend.
I'm in Australia too where do you get the termite killer granules Bayer? Is there a similar product here in WA
I'm so sorry that I'm only getting to answer this right now. For some reason, RUclips did not send me your comment until this morning. They do that sometimes and I have had them hold comments for as long as 3 years already. If ever you ask me a question, and you do not get an answer within a few days, then please email me.
The granules are only available in the US. You have different species in Australia, and not all of them behave the same way. Some species where you are require a more aggressive treatment. So, you need to identify the species to figure out how to treat properly. I am so sorry that I cannot be of further assistance. Be well my friend.
I wish i could tell everyone i know: WATCH GUY'S videos before you call a TERMITE PRO!!!! Appreciate your upmost honesty And straight forward and thourough explanations. The information om ur channel is a treasure chest of value. flawlessly thorough & everything i was seeking online after finding out i had termites!!! i did a hundred google searches and read a hundred useless articles that never explained what i wanted to know. I wish i could have found your channel sooner. 100% Liked & Followed.
This man is wise. Listen to him. Dont argue with him.
Thank you so much for those kind words and for your support. Very much appreciated and humbling. Be well my friend.
Thank you for complete and accurate info
You are very welcome. Be well Wendy.
Thanks! I enjoyed your easy to undetstand guidance. The videoes are very appreciated.
Thank you so much. That was so kind of you. I will use that money toward buying more equipment and making more videos. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
I will subscribe. For your honesty. And your helpfulness
That is very kind of you to say. Thank you so much. Be well my friend.
Thanks for the video. Very informative.
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
This entire video is great!!
Best long RUclips I ever watched!!!!
I’m glad didn’t skip this video.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you for taking the time to help me and others. It is much appreciated. I have learned a lot from your videos. You are the Man Guy.
Thank you so much. That was so thoughtful of you. I am so happy that I was able to be of assistance to you. Also, thank you for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, I truly appreciate your efforts to gift agency to homeowners who would rather take pest control into their own hands. I’m treating an elderly handicapped couples home for termites, they are my neighbors and I spoke with them about their anxieties about not being able to afford to pay for the treatment of their home. It is a gift to have someone like you offer it he information in a manner that is easy to consume!
Thank you for your time and consideration, it’s really a service to many!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Your are very kind for helping out your neighbors like that. Be well my friend.
Thanks for another great video! 👍
That is so kind of you to say. Thanks for watching. I know you are a fan and that is so humbling and so much appreciated. You are a super person.
Be well Steven.
GUY IS THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING RID OF PESTS! Vince from Chicago!!!
Thank you so much. That is so kind of you to say. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
You are truly remarkable. Thank you
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Nicely shared important knowledge on termites world’
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks a million buddy! Subscribed. I like your style. I'm always DIY and I hate spending too much money.
Thank you so much for those kind words and for subscribing. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Great video, learned a lot my friend.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks Guy..just discovered you and live in Florida. Learned a lot already
I'm glad my video was of assistance to you. Please let me know if you have any questions. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions You are so generous. Our home is old and already been treated for the spectrum of wood pests.
I'll review your videos and hopefully with that knowledge will keep them at bay.
The only one that's a major concern is the Formosa termite! Those already been detected in nearly cities.
Hopefully, will never need to deal with those.
Thank you so much for sharing
@@Bigum99 Watch out for drywood termites too. They literally fly to your house and colonize in the wood. If you live in Florida, then you should be doing a preventive treatment for them, as well as subterranean termites. I treat my home with granules for subterranean termites and I also do the preventive treatment for drywood termites as well. I will give you links to the videos. Be well my friend.
Drywood termite prevention video: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Subterranean termite granules video: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you so much
@@Bigum99 You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
We so appreciate you! Thank you so much. We are on fixed income and are older, but need to try to do this ourselves. Thank you for such detialed instructions.
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Awesome video. So helpful!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
I’m so grateful 😢❤
Always my pleasure. Be well Charity.
On my way to search for Treatments of other Termites on your channel. 1st home owner here (3 months). And we've spotted a cpl on the kitchen window. Thanks for your time an knowledgeable expertise
How you handle that will depend on the species. Figuring out the species is actually pretty easy and I have a video on how to do that. I will provide you with a link below. After watching this video, you should be able to identify the species. Just get back to me after you watch it and let me know what you found out. At that point, I can tell you exactly what you need to do. Let me know if you have any problems identifying the species, but I do not think that you will. It is much easier than you may imagine. Also, please tell me where you live. Location matters. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
Great video very informative thank you
You are very welcome. Thanks for that nice comment. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you for this. I am going to watch all your videos and will have questions. We have active termites and will be trying to identify them soon. So thankful to know we probably can do this ourselves and save a lot of money on a fixed income. Bless you!
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, first off thank you so much for the invaluable information and content you give for free. I watched every second of this (and most of your videos) with that I will be thorough as well to try and paint my picture. Recently I discovered active termites in our property from frass coming out of the wall in three small spots.I climbed into the attic and saw a small mound and poked it with a stick and yes active termites which were about 5--7 feet to the side from where the frass was protruding. So I discover your videos and watch most on termites and due to the frass I assumed they were drywood termites (I am located in north Texas). I had three companies come out to give me quotes and they all stated they were subterranean. My home is one bathroom which is located in the center of the house with all the other piping (laundry room) the companies believed they were coming up through the bath drain area in the center of the house which is close to the location of the frass. As far as the outside, my property has two driveways to enter from so I have a lot of concrete coverage quite large actually. So as for my questions..
1. Does my information sound like subterranean termites?
2. With having all that concrete should I allow the companies to drill holes to input the termiticide or do you believe I would be good just doing the pellets or trenching the yard myself? And would you recommend pellets or trenching or both?
3. Spot treating they wanted to spray through a small cut open hole to where the bath piping is and foam the wood frass protruding areas of wood..
Spot treating quotes were $300 and to do everything including spot treating and outside trenching and drilling concrete were between $950-1250. I feel I can do most myself but wasn't sure especially with all the concrete. Once again THANK YOU so much for all your time and information as i'm sure you have helped countless people. Hopefully my question will help answer others as well. God bless.
Also one more thing, I did recently spray Bifen I/T around the house for mosquito and bug control before I had found out about the termites. Would that be an issue for trenching or using the granules on the ground?
@@andrewmellencamp4588 If you live in North Texas, then the pest controllers are probably correct that you have subterranean termites, because drywood termites are not known to exist that far north. However, termites in the attic is a red flag, and you need to check to make sure that these guys are not Formosan termites. Try to dig out a specimen with a red head and then watch my video on how to identify termite species. If you find out that they are Formosan, then I need to explain how to go after them. Just use a flathead screwdriver to dig into the wood in the attic and get out a specimen with a red head. Put it in a jar and let it die. Then you can have a good look at it.
For me to be able to tell the best way to treat this, I would need to see photos of all sides of the property, from the house to the property line, and to the street. After I take a look at it, I will be able to tell you if you need to drill the concrete or if this is something that you can take care of yourself, with either the granules or by trenching. You can send the photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Please remind me of your RUclips name when you send the photos, so that I know who you are.
I am somewhat surprised that they want to spot treat this problem. I usually advise homeowners to do both an exterior treatment and a spot treatment inside the house, but most professionals do not spot treat for subterranean termites. I think it's a great idea, so I am happy to see that there are some pros out there that have finally figured it out. Anyway, spot treating is super easy to do, so you certainly do not need a pro to do that. In fact, most of the pros do not do it correctly anyway. To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to buy a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. Drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. Inspect for exit holes in all the walls and woodwork. If you are seeing exit holes in the wall, then there is most likely a stud behind the exit hole. Get a stud finder and locate the stud where it meets the ceiling and drive a small nail into the stud a couple of inches below the ceiling. Attach a weighted string to the nail and that will show you where the stud is. Then drill the holes 4 inches apart along the entire length of the stud, about 3 inches deep. Do the same thing for woodwork, except only drill the holes halfway through the wood. If you think that there is a 2 x 4 behind the woodwork, then drill a 3-inch-deep hole every 8 inches. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you have a slab home, then you may find them going up the outside of the house on the slab and even the side of the house. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
Spot treating alone is kind of like throwing a Hail Mary pass. Sometimes it will take out the whole colony, but it is a good idea to treat the outside with either the granules or trenching. Hopefully, you will be able to use one of those methods, and I will let you know after I see the photos. Meanwhile, you can go ahead and do the spot treatment. Don't forget to spot treat the attic too.
The Bifen IT you sprayed should not pose any problems with termite treatments.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
Thank you sir! You are a blessing to us people who are struggling financially and find that they have termites and can't afford a professional exterminator. And know you have to do something and do it yourself and pray it works! Thank you again! I ha
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you, sir! Subbed.
You are very welcome. Thank you for subscribing. Greatly appreciated. Be well my friend.
You’re awesome, thanks for sharing so much information, here in Florida, Clermont area and having many black widows and spiders in my area, home is located street across from a pond so I know that doesn’t help but it’s incredible the information you are sharing with your other videos. Thank you and hope your well. ✅💯🫡👍🏽
Thank you sir great Video
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Very good advices! I'm a retired rice mill superintendent and I did all my pest control in house and man we were very vigilant on all pests that try to get a piece of our products. It was quite complex because we were treating so many different areas all cover by 14 different categories that I have to be licensed. Of those, only the Aerial Application Category I could not apply because pilot license was a pre requisite although I took the course just for fun and knowledge and approved it. I tell you this not to show off but to confirm what you said there's nothing in stone regarding to pests but you have to be aware of the least common of the senses the elusive common sense and never relay on one thing. Your approach is spotless why spend many dollars is there is a simple and inexpensive way. For a brief time I worked for a extermination company as branch manager I enjoy solving complex problems to pharmaceutical companies, restaurants and many small industries simply and inexpensive. I enjoy your shows very much and thanks for sharing your experiences with such generosity.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you so much for your wealth of experience expertise and knowledge- I wish my professors at University spoke and taught as clearly and with clarity as you do. You take the fear out of learning by making the complex simple. Simply brilliant! ❤❤❤
You are very welcome. What a nice thing to say. That is so kind of you. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks
COOP
...
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Thank you great tips
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
So glad I found you today Guy. I bought a 120y olf small wood home, it was treated. However the bad wood was not removed and ORK__-pest company wanted to sell me another expensive treatment. Your knowledge will be used by me.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. You can do this. Probably even better than the pros. Be well my friend.
You are a great resource. I wish you'd been on YT in 2006 but I guess you were still working and there was no You Tube! I wasted my time digging trenches too deep at first (like a foot), digging 10 ft at a time length, calculated the concentration of Bayer Premise needed and mixed with the bucket. I also pushed in a garden fork (potato fork) a few inches deep all along the trench, then flooded, then soaked the backfill. Saved most of my house but lost the worst area in front (didn't know) because winter came and was going to wait for Spring. The other area I got damage was where I drilled 1/2" holes along my patio (1 1/2' apart) then using a smaller pvc pipe with holes drilled in it making it into a screen and a funnel JB-welded to the top, pushing it down in the ground, and pouring solution in and letting it soak in-but it didn't work. My clay soil didn't take enough solution using just gravity and I got damage. I already had bait stations on the house perimeter and had saved one end of the house using the bait chemical that affects the termite molting (that type works), the stomach poisoning type does not. My stations along the patio picked up the termites and they devoured a wooden bait stick-I mean QUICK! They damaged my house in that area. That's when I called a pro. Using my boreholes, he had a pressure rod that he stepped on the trigger and man he really got some fluid under the patio. Actually had sand volcanoes coming out of the adjacent holes. Anyway he got enough down there to do the job. We trenched the rest of my house and were successful using Bayer's other, newer, non-repellent chemical.
Thanks for sharing that story. Very interesting. The good news is that you only needed the pro to do the concrete, so you saved a lot of money there. The bad news is that you are no longer protected if you did the treatment in 2006. If it were me, I would install monitoring stations around the house. You can make them yourself for under 50 cents each. I will give you the link to the video. It sounds like you have dense soil, so termite granules may will not work for you but you can do a test to see. If the ground passes the test, then you should use the granules too.
For the granules to work you need to have dirt around most of the house and that dirt needs to be porous enough to allow water to seep into the ground fairly quickly. To find out if the dirt around your house is porous enough, just dig a small hole next to the house that is about 4 inches deep, 8 inches long, and just the width of the shovel. Fill the hole with water and watch to see how fast it drains down into the ground. If it seeps into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules should work just fine. However, if it just kind of sits there, then the granules would not be a good choice, and you should just use the monitoring stations. Make sure that you buy the correct granules. You need the ones that have imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell the correct granules, but you can get them from Amazon. I will give you a link to them.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to make monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
Video on how to use termite granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k0_1_7&=&crid=6U9ASK6AJN8D&=&sprefix=termite
Thank You Sir that very nice for You to do this
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
That was my thinking too, about the drilling. Termites like wet dirt and after a rain some will travel from under the patio to other areas. When the perimeter is poured, I think it doesn't take long for the termites to go into the wet treated dirt and spread the chemicals throughout their paths that go under the patio.
If you trench around the patio, then they will pass through the termiticide on their way under it. The idea is that you need a continuous barrier from the street, around the house, and back to the street. No drilling required in most cases. Be well my friend.
Thanks!
Thank you so much. That was so thoughtful of you. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
25 years ago I was a licensed applicator. You've taught me things I never thought of, like why should we drill inside the house? (Because I was taught to, smh) ! Thanks!
Thank you so much. That was so kind of you to do. Very much appreciated. Be well Ron.
Hello Guy, Thank you for your videos. However, I lived in a 1925 twin home in Philadelphia. The home has a front lawn, about 10 feet long, and along the side and the rear , the house has a stone wall about 6 ft high and the ground areas has concrete blocks along the side and rear of the house.
I have a termite infestation that ate away the riser of the bottom step in my living room, and buckled several areas of the oak flooring near that area. We removed pieces of the steps and saw that the bottom horse of the step had been eaten away too.
Checked the ceiling joist in the basement that supports that areas of the step and found that about 6 lineal ft has damage in the center. It appears they had been eating for some time.
The basement floor is cemented; however there is an area where they ran the drain pipe that is on top of a dirt floor. And I saw dirt tubes that was on the post holding up a portion that supports a powder room on a landing between the basement and the first floor. The dirt is loose in that area, but no room to trench nor is the dirt deep. The basement is finished and do not know how to treat this area.. Would removing the dirt as much as possible and then foaming.? Do I need to bore the concrete in that area on the outside and treat with Taurus SC?
Looking forward to your response.
Can you send me photos of all of this? I really need to look at it to determine the best way to go after these guys. My email is guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Send photos of al sides of the house from the house to the property line and photos of the area in the basement where you are having a problem. Please allow a couple of days for me to look at everything and answer the email. Don't worry. Even though there is a lot of damage, this species actually east very slowly. There is a lot of damage because the infestation has been there for a long time. I hope that helps. Be well Shirley.
Thanks so much for the video Guy. This was very informative. I would like to get your advice. We had a bait system installed last year after seeing swarmers in our foyer by a large pest control company in New Jersey. Obviously, I did not see your fantastic videos when we did that.
We finally uncovered mud tubs on the ceiling of our unfinished basement this year directly below the foyer's outer wall because the swarmers returned this year in the same area (no swarmers in the basement !?!?). There are no mud tubes going up the wall of our poured concrete wall/foundation in the basement either. The large pest control company's answer was to put bait systems where the mud tubes were in our basement.
Our house is built into a hill so the basement/garage is at ground level, and our first level (where the foyer is located) is on top of it. We have a large stoop and concrete patio (likely built on cinder blocks) that wraps around the front entrance area and is directly adjacent to the foundation wall where the termite swarmers are.
Because of the information in your videos... I sought second opinions.. I called two companies and they feel the nest is below, or near this elevated concrete porch that is adjacent to the foundation wall near the problem area.
The first guy who came said they would like to drill from the top of the concrete patio (every foot) following the outer wall/foundation where we are seeing swarmers come from and inject the treatment in the the elevated porch from above. He also said that he would trench our entire house which is about 200 linear feet. The guy seemed very thorough with his inspection... He actually found that one of my sprinklers was hitting the house and the water was running down a channel in the vinyl siding and dripping next to the foundation in the vicinity of the problem. The only issue is that he quoted the job at $2900 dollars. He offers a 1 year guarantee that that can be renewed annually upon inspection for 100 dollars.
The second guy who came also seemed very good and knowledgeable... he can highly recommended and is related to a friend of my wife. His plan is to drill the concrete on the side of the porch and bore a hole lengthwise underneath our concrete porch toward the outer wall of the foundation and inject from there (so we don't see holes in the deck of the porch). I told him about the sprinkler theory from the other company, but he didn't think it mattered much. He said that he would also like to trench the entire house, and quoted us $1000 dollars for the job. He has a 3 year guarantee up front no inspections required.
Curious what you think on the difference in approach when it comes to the concrete deck? Will one be more effective than the other when it comes to treating the elevated concrete porch?
Do you think the first gentleman's theory about the water is credible? Are termites attracted to water?
And what do you think about the difference in price? I just want this problem gone. I liked the first guy a lot because he seemed so thorough, but do you think he is just trying to make as much of a profit as possible? II just do not want this to be a "you get what you pay for scenario". Thank you so much for your help!!!
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I want to congratulate you on doing several things correctly. The first thing you did right was to get more than one estimate. As you have now discovered, treatment options and pricing can vary wildly in this industry. You have now also discovered that not all pest controllers know what they are doing. You also got it right by contacting me, because I have been doing this long before most of them were even glimmer in their mother's eye. There aren't too many situations that I have not seen and there's usually a very easy way to take care of subterranean termites without spending a lot of money. This is especially true if you live in New Jersey. The truth is that you only have one species there that is of concern, and they are ridiculously easy to treat in most cases.
To give you the correct treatment for your house I need to see some photos of it. You know. A picture is worth a thousand words. Please send me photos of all sides of your house. It would be helpful to see the property from each side of the house to the property line. I am looking for sidewalks, driveways, porches, landscaping, and all that sort of thing. How you do the treatment is dependent upon all of these factors. You can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com.
I would like you to relax about the situation because the species of termites that you have happen to be very slow eaters and it takes them a very long time to do any significant damage. So, you do have the luxury of time to get this right and to do it in the most cost effective way possible.
The situation with the sprinkler water hitting the house could have created a problem with termites. They are attracted to water, so it is never a good idea to have water continuously hitting the house. That is also why it is never a good idea to have landscaping any closer to the house and 24 inches. A lot of people do it, but it's generally because they do not understand the pest control considerations. Anyway, that is a situation that we often do need to work around.
When you send the email, please remind me of the situation. I receive an insane number of emails everyday, and most of them are regarding termites. So, it is very easy to get people mixed up. I kind of remember the jobs based on the problems. Still, I get so many emails about termites that I usually need to reread them every time I make a response to refresh my memory. Make sure that you remind me that you are from New Jersey. Location matters because different species are known to exist in different areas of the US.
I look forward to receiving your email. Again, please relax, because you have time to deal with this. It is not an emergency. So, let's take a breath and get this right the first time. I promise that I will get you through it. Be well Ashley.
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you!!! You are the best! I just sent you an email!
@@AshleyCourt-kn4yd You are very welcome. I have your email and I briefly looked at it. I am a little pressed for time this morning and I want to do a good job answering your email, so I may need to write it a little later today. As you can see from other comments, I like to do a thorough job answering questions. I promise that you will hear from me today. I would do it right now, but I have a disabled son that requires a lot of care and it's time for me to get him up and ready for the day. It takes a couple of hours to pull his care together in the morning, but I will respond to your email just as soon as I have that taken care of. So sorry for the delay. Be well Geordan.
Thank you!!!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Really great, clear explanations and step by step instructions, Guy.
A couple of questions: I found 1 tunnel up the side of my slab. This is brand new. After I confirmed that it was created by termites (and I had no prior idea what they looked like), I realized that there were some in my raised organic gardens approx. 15 ft from my house. When I was pulling up extraneous growth in the raised beds, I discovered quite a few "sprouted" pecan nuts with what appeared to be tiny white worms infesting these nuts. While I had pulled out sprouted pecans in previous years, I never had the termites. And since we do not have any pecans in our neighborhood, I assumed that squirrels or rodents had been burying them there. However, I now believe these nuts and perhaps the termites came in to my garden via the commercial organic compost mix that I till into my beds every February. And this year, perhaps I got termites with the mix. Question: how can I treat the termites in my raised organic beds without introducing toxins? Can I sprinkle the termicide granules around the outside of the beds? I'm not too worried about the wood sides of the beds, as I just replaced them last year, and used preservative treated cedar.
And finally, once I treat my house by trenching, should I also spray thermicide into the space the termites have been accessing into my house? Thanks.
Okay, there's a lot to unpack here. If you trench around the house, then there's probably no need to do a spot treatment. These guys are obviously subterranean termites, so the trenching should do the job all by itself. While you could treat the damaged areas, it is probably not necessary. The treatment takes up to 12 weeks to be effective because we need to give the termites time to bring the termiticide back to the colony. You can monitor the progress with the mud tube. Two weeks after you finish trenching, just scrape off about a 2 inch section of the mud tube. See if there are any live termites in there. Then wait a few days to see if they rebuild it. Do this every two weeks until there are no more termites and they are not rebuilding the mud tube. At that point, your infestation is most likely gone. I cannot promise this for certain, but there is a very good chance that the treatment you do on the house will also eliminate the infestation in your garden. That is because subterranean termites never colonize in your home. They always colonize in the ground someplace and there is a very good chance that the colony attacking your house is the same colony that is attacking your garden. When you treat the house, that will take out the entire colony, so that will also treat the garden. Now, this is not a sure thing because there could be two colonies, but the odds are that there is only one. I am kind of getting the feeling that you are reluctant to use pesticides in the garden, so let's see if the house treatment will get it done for you. If it doesn't, then the best thing to do is to apply the granules directly over the areas where you are seeing with termites. Farmers do this all the time, and it will not present any health hazards. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
I’m using Navigator SC, I already purchased it! It has 0.8 fipronil per gallon! It is also non-repellant. Thanks for such thorough explanation Guy!😊
You are very welcome. Navigator SC is the same thing as Taurus SC or Termidor SC, so you are good to go. The only reason I don't mention Navigator SC is because I have not used it and I do my best to only recommend products that I have actually worked with. Navigator SC has the same exact concentration of fipronil, so there should be no difference. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Understood! Thanks again!
@@Intentionaltia You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Hello Guy! Thank you so much for your informative video. I was digging up some ivy on our side yard that has old wood mulch, and found termite soldiers in the disturbed soil. I am not sure if they are at my house but I will be trenching around my house this weekend, as well as the side stripe with active termites.
There is a good chance that they are eating your house. Trenching should take care of them, unless they are Formosan. You didn't tell me where you live and location matters. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. There is a map in that video that shows where Formosan termites are a problem. Please get back to me if you live in the red or orange areas on the map. Be well Naddy.
@@GuysPestSolutions Good evening Guy, thank you for getting back so quickly! I live in the West Texas Panhandle (Amarillo). I am not sure what species I have exactly.
@@naddyice5399 You live far enough north that I'm guessing that you have a common variety of subterranean termites. It is possible to have Formosan termites in Amarillo, but it is far more likely that you do not. If you can obtain a specimen with a red head, then you can tell for sure. I recommend that you do a thorough inspection of your house for termites. Look for mud tubes around the perimeter of the house, under the crawlspace, and in the attic. If you don't see any mud tubes, then you may have dodged a bullet. If you find mud tubes, then you need to trench the house. If not, then just treat the mulch. Buy Taurus SC and mix it in a watering can at 0.8 oz per gallon of water. Then water the mulch with it really well. Get everything nice and wet. I hope that helps. Be well Naddy.
Taurus SC: www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-termiticide-p-1816.html?sub_id=1817
@@GuysPestSolutions Hello Guy! Thank you so much for the advice. I took a picture of them and tried upload it in a comment but I think RUclips blocked that comment.
@@GuysPestSolutions I will try to link the termite photo one more time: i.imgur.com/LNuWwXZ.jpg
I am so happy to have found your channel!! Your videos are gold! Full of helpful information. I had my house treated when I purchased it in 1997, the company said that the window air conditioner was the water source to the subterranean termites ( I live in Missouri), We got rid of the air conditioner and got central air, but fast forward 5 years, I wanted to assure the termites were gone and had another company come out to inspect, they said there were termites there and treated the perimeter, but I watched the person and he was just spraying the product around the perimeter without doing any digging, I had no idea this was wrong until now after watching your video. I have noticed there are dead winged termites sometimes in the rooms upstairs and just this week I noticed an empty channel in one of my oak floor, this was not there before or maybe it was and only now showing to the surface. this board is close to the brick chimney ( only for furnace and water heater exaust). I will defenetely do the treteament around the house perimeter like you showed, I am so thank full for your video! God bless!
Thank you so much for those very kind words. You know, more and more, I am hearing one horror story after the other about professional pest controllers. I'm really finding it difficult to wrap my head around it. While it is true that termites do like water, the air conditioning unit that they said was causing the termite problem was not actually causing the termite problem. The termite problem was caused because there was a colony of subterranean termites located somewhere within a 300-foot radius of your home. It is certainly true that having wet ground is helpful to the termites, but, in all likelihood, they would have attacked your house anyway. If the treatment was properly done in 1997, then there would have been no reason for you to remove that window air conditioning unit.
Clearly, the company that treated without digging a trench around your home did not do the job correctly. I wouldn't even want to venture a guess on what that person actually treated with. In any case, that treatment is not going to work. If you are finding winged termites in your home, then, in all likelihood, you do have an active infestation of subterranean termites. There are actually two ways you can come at this. Of course, you can dig a trench around your home as I described in my video and that will most likely be 100% effective. The other option is to try a much easier and less expensive approach. You can simply apply termiticide granules around your home and then water them in with a garden hose. I know, this sounds too easy to be true. However, this method of treating subterranean termites works about 95% of the time. That is a little less than the 100% that you get with trenching, but it is way easier to do and it is generally worth taking the risk. So, if you don't mind, I would like to give you just a bit of advice. Go around your house and look for mud tubes. You will usually find them on the exterior of the house and they will be coming up from the ground on your foundation. If you don't see any mud tubes on the outside of the building, then, if you have a crawl space, go under there and look for mud tubes under the house as well. If you do not find mud tubes under the house, then go up in the attic and see if you can find any up there. Most of the time, you are going to find mud tubes in one of these places. If you can locate at least one mud tube, then that will allow you to monitor the activity of the termites. So, go ahead and treat with the granules instead of trenching the house. I will provide you with a link to my video on how to properly treat with granules. After you do the treatment with the granules, then wait about four weeks and break open a two-inch section of the mud tube and look to see if there are any termites in it. If you see termites, then wait another two weeks and do it again. If there are active termites, they will rebuild the mud tube. It can take up to eight or nine weeks for the granules to work, so be patient. Just scrape off a two-inch section of the mud tube every two weeks and check for activity. If you are still seeing activity after 10 weeks, then you are going to need to trench. However, if there comes a point where there are no more termites, and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated and there will be no reason to trench. The granules only cost about $50, so it's not much of an investment to save a whole lot of backbreaking trenching. Don't worry about waiting 8 to 10 weeks for this to work because subterranean termites are very slow eaters and will do almost no more damage within that relatively short period of time. Now, you should know that trenching will last five to ten years, with seven years being the average. However, the granules must be applied every year. If you apply the granules every year, then you will never have another subterranean termite infestation. Now, it is very important to purchase the correct granules and I will put a link below to the exact product that you need.
I hope that helps. If you give the granules a try, please let me know the result.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat subterranean termites with granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
BioAdvanced Termite Killer 700350A granules: www.amazon.com/BIOADVANCED-700350A-Perimeter-Treatment-Granules/dp/B000RUIJYM/ref=sxts_rp_s_1_0?adgrpid=1342504832925931&content-id=amzn1.sym.14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34%3Aamzn1.sym.14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34&cv_ct_cx=termite+killer+bioadvanced&hvadid=83906755322577&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=72390&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83907333654521%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=29859_14561483&keywords=termite+killer+bioadvanced&pd_rd_i=B000RUIJYM&pd_rd_r=7862750f-c143-42e6-9f12-4d642ac9349f&pd_rd_w=ZEivb&pd_rd_wg=snR54&pf_rd_p=14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34&pf_rd_r=CFJW2B034TAAS4HZNTJ8&psc=1&qid=1655478271&sr=1-1-f0029781-b79b-4b60-9cb0-eeda4dea34d6
@@GuysPestSolutions I appreciate that you took time out of your day to write back to me and to help with my situation, it means a lot to me. I had never heard about termites until I moved to the US from Italy in 1993, over there our houses are built out of stone and concrete so we don't have this worry. I work this week-end, but next week I will go on a hunt for termite tubes like you instructed. If I don't find termites tubes in the crawl spaces or around the house, or up in the attic, I am thinking about treating with the granules anyway because I have found termites in my Back yard, they had infested a few of my fence boards only about 10-15 feet away from my house. I will keep you updated with developments. Appreciating you for being such a kind human being, have a fantastic day!!
@@baba-sm1fm Always my pleasure. Keep in mind that, even if you do not find the mud tubes, you still may have termites. Most of the time you will find mud tubes somewhere, but not always. If you don't find mud tubes, the granules may still work, but you will have no way to monitor to see if they did. All you can do is wait to see if the termites swarm again. So, in the absence of mud tubes you may want to trench to be sure you got them. The granules work about 95 percent of the time, but that is not a sure thing. There is still some risk. Personally, I have never had them fail on me, but they can fail if the soil is too dense. If the soil around your home absorbs water easily, then you will most likely be okay. An easy test you can do is to simply pour some water on the ground next to the house. If the water leaches into the ground right away, then you are probably fine, but if the water just puddles and does not leach much, then trenching may be best.
Welcome to America. Italy's loss is definitely our gain. I am Italian as well, but I was born in the US. My grandparents immigrated in the early 1900's.
Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Grazie Paesano!
@@baba-sm1fm Always my pleasure. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy...Thanks for the very informative videos. I love that you take the time to clearly explain your solutions. I have regular quarterly 'normal' pest treatments done around the perimeter of my home. This week, the pest controller told me he noticed some subterranean termite signs outside on my foundation wall. I just had a termite inspector come and as you can imagine, he gave me a bait system quote with 2 years of monthly inspection fees. Now, I had these pests inside my home last year, under one of my toilet commodes. The same termite inspector who just came to inspect the outer perimeter did my interior treatment about 7 months ago. He did a foam treatment and I have not seen any sign inside my home since. The new exterior activity was found on the opposite side of my home from the bathroom where the treatment was done 7 mos ago (FYI). The visible signs outside are about 2-3" trails in 2 locations about 4 ft from each other. I have a very straight & flat home, rectangular if you will. I live in the California desert, so soil is sandy and its very hot (esp. now, with days over 110) . As you recommended, I will try the granules, BioAdvanced 700350A as the first means of attack? Does application time of day, in sun or shade make a difference??? Can you give me any tips on the best application process and/or should I just go directly to the trenching. If trenching, that's another convo with you.
Thank you so much , Carol
I would be happy to assist you with that. I always try the granules first before trenching. Termite granules are an effective and easy solution for subterranean termites, but for the granules to work you need to have dirt around most of the house and that dirt needs to be porous enough to allow water to seep into the ground fairly quickly. To find out if the dirt around your house is porous enough, just dig a small hole next to the house that is about 4 inches deep, 8 inches long, and just the width of the shovel. Fill the hole with water and watch to see how fast it drains down into the ground. If it seeps into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules should work just fine. However, if it just kind of sits there, then the granules would not be a good choice, and you should consider trenching.
The time of day does not matter much to the granules, but it could matter to you. I recommend doing the treatment at first light, before it gets too hot. That will be easier on you and the water will not evaporate as quickly. You need the water to melt the granules and allow the pesticide to leach into the ground, so cooler is probably better. You may want to lightly water them in three or four times.
It sounds like you already know that you need the correct granules. They must use imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell the correct granules, but you can get them from Amazon. I will give you a link to them.
Keep in mind that all termite treatments can take up to 12 weeks to work. That is because you need to kill termites slowly in order to take out the entire colony.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k1_1_6&=&crid=157C3RV0MY0AK&=&sprefix=termit
Video on how to apply termite granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Carol, im curious, the bait onGuard runs around 699. But was not told about monthly indirection fee to monitor if decide to do in Florida. Curios to that fee? S ok glad found his videos to treat homes either way!
@@daryltalley8242 I was quoted $400 for initial bait stations with a $30 a month monitoring fee, renewable after one year at $360 with continued monthly monitoring of $30 a month
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy, So I dug a hole about 4" deep by 6" long....filled with plain water and it took about 6 min for the water to seep down. Is this what you would say is fairly quickly ? Also, once I sprinkle the granules, do I water them or just leave them on the surface? I GET NO rain at all where I live in the desert, so how do the granules sink into the dirt ?
@@daryltalley8242 I'm not a big fan of bait stations because the bait does not kill termites. It only stops them from reproducing. A termite worker can live up to 2 years, so this can be a very slow process. Also, there is no guarantee that the termites will find the stations. You can install monitoring stations yourself that will alert you to the presence of termites, so that you can treat them before they get to your house. You can purchase them commercially for about $15 each, or you can make them yourself for about 50 cents each. When the termites find the stations, you can then use a bait station to kill the termites. Again, up to a 2 year process. The good news though is that I have developed a bait station that will kill the termites in about 12 weeks. I will be posting the video on how to make these yourself as early as Sunday and no later than a week from Sunday. The way it works is you install the monitoring stations. When one goes off, you install one of the bait stations that will eliminate the colony in 12 weeks instead of 2 years. If you subscribe, you will be notified when the video posts. I will give you a link to the video on how to make monitoring stations and a link to a place to buy them. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to make termite monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
Where to buy monitoring stations: www.solutionsstores.com/red-eye-termite-monitor
Thankyou for taking time to make such a educational video. I have watched several other videos before and already dug the trenches around my house perimeter. The only concern I have is not having experience. But this video has cleared my last questions and gave me confidence to do it right.
One Question I have it for you is my patio has already drill marks it’s been drilled before for the treatment as it’s 25 years old house (I just bought it a year ago) so can I just drill those holes again for the treatment and seal it back again ?
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated.
Unfortunately, you cannot use the previous holes that were drilled in the concrete. To treat a concrete patio like that you need special injection equipment because the treatment is done under pressure. You can't just drill the holes and pour in some Taurus SC. So, just trench around the patio and you will be fine. The most important thing is to treat the backfill dirt well. Make sure you get it nice and wet, like I show in the video.
Please also watch my video on how to identify termite species. Some states have Formosan termites that are very aggressive and may require an additional inside treatment. There is a map in that video that will show you where Formosan termites are a problem. Please let me know if you live in the red or orange areas on the map and I will guide you further.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
First off thank you so much for this channel. It is a huge service and excellent way to give back to society.
One question I have is: should you try to avoid rain when treating via trench? This Meaning, if it rains the day before or after treatment, does it dilute out or make it less effective in any way? I ask because it's rainy season in Central Oklahoma.
Thanks again.
The rain will not affect the treatment. Not much fun digging in wet dirt, but other than that you should be fine. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
I used to work for an exterminator. I did the trenching. I also went under houses to trench around the piers. If it was to low we would spray the piers from outside really well.
Yeah. Me too. Sometimes all you've got is spraying the piers because the house is super close to the ground. In those cases, I will also just trench around the entire house too. Hey. You do the best you can. I'm happy for you that you moved on. That's a lot of work to be doing every day. Particularly in the summer. Way too hot. Be well my friend.
Thank ❤! Can you please explain how to trat the house on wooden or concrete stumps?
Again, thank you so much for your valuable advice.❤
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I will do my best to assist with this. I'm just a little bit confused though. I would like you to clarify something for me. Are you saying that your house was built on tree stumps? I have never heard of that before. If this is the case, then it would be helpful for me to see some photos of what you have going on. You can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. if you send photos, please explain one more time in the email what is going on. Also, please give me your RUclips name. That way I can read your original comment again.
I would also like to know where you live. When it comes to termites, location matters, because different areas of the world, or even the US, have different species of termites. Different species of termites behave differently, so it is important to understand exactly what you are dealing with before you start to treat.
Finally, I always answer questions within 48 hours, but RUclips does not always allow me to do it. I don't know why they do it, but sometimes they delete my responses before people get to read them. Other times, RUclips does not send me comments from people at all, or they delay sending them for months. So, if you do not hear from me within 48 hours after you make a response, then you need to send me an email.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Great video! Lots of clay here at houston TX. Probably trenching is needed.
Yes, that is one of the limitations to the granules. If they do not leach into the ground, then they're not going to work. So, if you have soil that is very dense, then you would probably be better off to trench the house. Trenching is a lot more work, but the good news is that it lasts 5 to 10 years and you don't have to do the trenching all in one day. Unless you have an active infestation, you can take your time and just work on it every Saturday if you like until you get around the entire house. I find that trenching goes pretty fast, but I have a tendency to get a bit tired after doing one side of the house. Of course, I am 72 years old, so I'm not the man I used to be. Lol.
Good luck with it and thanks for watching my videos. That is very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy! Excellent info from a pro - Love it. When using the trench method, how often do you do this? In another video you made before this one (treating for general pests), you kind of suggested that the trench method is annual. If you mentioned the answer in your video, sorry for the hassle. Thanks very much! I just discovered your videos today and it’s all I’ve been listening to and partially watching all day! Your info is pure gold! Now I just gotta implement it. Can’t wait!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Trenching lasts 5 to 10 years, but it should only be done if you have an active infestation of subterranean termites. When you use Taurus SC as a surface spray, it only lasts about 90 days. So, it lasts a lot longer when you bury it.
Please let me know where you live and if you have an active infestation. Location matters because different places have different species. I can then tell you the best way to go about treating.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy. Great info - thank you so much! I reside in Fayetteville, NC, an area notorious for termites and its sandy soil. Thankfully, I don't have an active termite infestation. Also, I haven't observed any termites in my lawn-though I'm not sure I'd recognize one if I saw it! My home, constructed on a concrete slab in 2017, is located in a neighborhood where I never see pest control vehicles. This leads me to believe that termite and general pest problems might not be prevalent among my neighbors. However, the fear of termites looms large here as many worry about the severe structural damages they can cause, potentially leading to costly repairs. Your videos have been enlightening. They suggest that while termite infestations should be taken seriously and treated promptly, they are manageable and not as catastrophic as I previously feared. And seeing you implement inexpensive preventative measures is reassuring!
I appreciate your expertise and look forward to your suggestions on how to protect my home against termites.
@@dayslayer7871 If you have sandy soil, the termite granules applied every year should do the trick. For the granules to work you need to have dirt around most of the house and that dirt needs to be porous enough to allow water to seep into the ground fairly quickly. To find out if the dirt around your house is porous enough, just dig a small hole next to the house that is about 4 inches deep, 8 inches long, and just the width of the shovel. Fill the hole with water and watch to see how fast it drains down into the ground. If it seeps into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules should work just fine. However, if it just kind of sits there, then the granules would not be a good choice, and you should consider just using monitoring stations.
Make sure that you buy the correct granules. You need the ones that have imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell the correct granules, but you can get them from Amazon. I will give you a link to them.
Since you do not have an active infestation, you may want to also consider using monitoring stations around your home. I use both the granules and the monitoring stations. I will give you a link to my video on how to make them for under 50 cents each. I put them around my entire house for less than $25. You can also purchase commercial ones for $15 each.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k1_1_6&=&crid=157C3RV0MY0AK&=&sprefix=termit
Video on how to apply termite granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Video on how to make monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
Commercial monitoring stations: www.solutionsstores.com/red-eye-termite-monitor
Which foam is the one you like to use? There are 2 that you have linked in the description. Thanks for the great video and info.
I like FiPro the best, but it is only sold by Solutions Pest & Lawn. Unfortunately, they will not ship to all states. So, if you cannot get FiPro, then go with the Termidor Foam. DoMyOwn.com will ship almost anywhere but NY. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
I used Taurus SC in 2019 and it rid all the termites relatively quickly, and I haven't seen a termite since. It is an amazing product. It is expensive but worth every penny. I monitor for termites by simply placing blocks of soft wood pressed into the dirt in various spots and look under them every couple of weeks. If termites are around they find them fast.
The termites will most likely find the wood blocks, but it is a good idea to get them a couple of inches deep. I like monitoring stations better though because you just need to look at them to see if there are termites. If you treated in 2019, you should be good until at least 2024. Probably longer than that. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions I am constantly looking for bugs in my yard; termites, carpenter ants, and Lantern flies and emerald ash beetles included :-)
Great video, clear and easy to understand. Thanks a lot. Just one question, is the product toxic for pets ?
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. The Taurus SC is not toxic to children or pets after the job is completed and the fill dirt has dried. You do not want pets getting into the liquid pesticide. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
We use Premise and Termidor… Also Taurus sometimes… A termite bond is required for home owners here in Alabama…
I'm sorry, but you have been misled. I am not aware of any law in Alabama or any other state that requires a homeowner to have a termite bond. Alabama requires termite exterminators to purchase a surety bond as part of the application process to obtain a professional services license. The bond protects the public if the exterminator violates the provisions set forth in Alabama Statute 2-28-10.1. So, while the pest control company must be bonded, that does not mean that their customers must have any sort of termite bond. If you are selling a house, then most lenders do require a termite inspection. If the house is found to have termites, then the lender will generally require that the problem gets treated prior to the closing. I am planning to do a video on this topic sometime this year. If you know of a specific Alabama Stature that requires a termite bond, then please share that information with me. I would love to read it. I don't think you will find one though. Pest control companies that tell customers that a termite bond is required and then charge them for it are actually committing fraud. So, my advice to pest control companies is to always take the high ground and be honest. My advice to homeowners is to get more than one estimate and always check information that is provided by any company, regardless of the service being purchased.
All of the products you mentioned are fine for treating termites. I usually recommend Taurus SC instead of Termidor SC because it is less expensive. Premise 2 works differently than Termidor SC or Taurus SC and uses imidacloprid as the active ingredient instead of fipronil. It's still a great product.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
I'm doing drywood and subs treatment at my house right now and I suspected that the work was not done properly or thouroughly. Your post is very helpful. It's so hard to find a trusworthy termite company. I wish I could hire you to do my house.
I am so sorry to hear that you're having a problem finding a reliable pest control company. I've been hearing more and more stories lately of pest control companies that are, well, not competent. I find that incredibly saddening because these folks are giving the industry a really bad name. I don't know how some of these people managed to get a license. Anyway, most of the time, you are better off simply doing your own pest control. Treating for subterranean termites is super easy and you don't usually need to even trench. I have found that, about 95% of the time, I can totally eliminate a subterranean termite infestation simply by using termiticide granules and it only costs about $50 to do an entire home. If you feel like the pest control company you hired did not do the job correctly, then you may want to take out an insurance policy by applying these granules around your home. I will provide you with a link to my video on how to do it and also a link on the correct product that you need to purchase. You need to be careful when purchasing this product because there are two versions of it and one of those versions does not work. Home Depot and Lowe's no longer sell the correct version and so I am now recommending that you order it from Amazon.
Unfortunately, drywood termites are quite different than subterranean termites and this is one of those times when you cannot really treat it yourself. That is because the only way to totally eliminate a drywood termite infestation is to tent the entire house and fumigate. Of course, the problem with fumigation is that the gas they use offers no residual action. That means you can get re infested with drywood termites the moment the tent comes down. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, you must treat the exterior of your home every three months with a pesticide. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. Unfortunately, you cannot hire a pest control company to do this for you. That is because almost no pest control companies will do this type of treatment. Don't worry though, the treatment is super easy to do and it is perfectly safe. I also have a video that outlines all of your treatment options for drywood termites. This video will go over all your possible options to treat the problem, but I have to tell you that the bottom line is that the only sure way is fumigation. So, if you have a company that is busy spot treating for your drywood termites, then I have to tell you that it's kind of a waste of money. There are a lot of pest control companies that will do these spot treatments, but the problem is finding all the galleries. Even the best and most skilled pest controllers are most likely going to miss galleries. All of this is explained in the treatment options video.
I feel bad about giving you more videos to watch, but knowledge is power. The more you know about these things, then the more money you are going to save and the more effective you are going to be at resolving these issues. Learning about this stuff is going to keep you from getting ripped off and it is going to save you thousands of dollars in the end.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
How to treat your house with termite granules video: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
BioAdvanced Termite Killer 700350A granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k0_1_6&&crid=1BU67Q3WPAZMS&&sprefix=bioadv
Drywood termite prevention video: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Drywood termite treatment options video: ruclips.net/video/iD6NTU16-XQ/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Will watch and learn and do what I can myself. Very much appreciated. Thank you!
@@JohnSmith-jf3pj You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
I'm from Myanmar.Now my house was destroyed by Termites.Now I have a knowledge how to start to control by myself.Thanks for sharing knowledge about control termits. Deep Regards. KM.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
First, thank you for all the great videos and sharing your knowledge!
I recently bought a brick home on a concrete slab built in 1986 in southwest Tennessee. In June, it had a termite inspection that revealed no concerns. There are holes drilled in the brick all around the exterior (holes are about 3/4" diameter, 18" above the ground, and spaced 24" apart - and they are not weep holes - the walls have standard weep holes where mortar was withheld). The previous two homes I lived in here in the Memphis area had similar holes all the way around the exterior as well and I have always assumed that these holes were where the pest control people applied termiticide. But I can find no reference anywhere online to this practice; the only references I can find to drilled holes are down into concrete, not into brick walls. I'm wondering if it's something that is unique to certain areas like mine since I've had these holes in different homes serviced by different companies.
Is this something you have heard of? And if it is, would you recommend I use a certain product and apply it into the holes? Or should I just plug them and use other methods you talk about in your videos?
Thanks in advance!
Drilling holes like that in the exterior of the brick would not be consistent with common pest control practices. I have learned over the years to never say never in pest control. Just when you think you've seen it all, someone comes up with something new. That being said, I can think of no reason why at pest controller would wish to do that. Pest controllers have been known to drill holes through concrete block, but it is typically done on the inside of the home for foundations. So, this would certainly not apply to you. I do not claim to be an expert with regard to brick veneer, but my best guess is that the existing weep holes were found inadequate for some reason. I can think of no other reason for drilling holes every 24 in apart around the building. I find it very strange that you have seen this on more than one building. If it were me, I would call a contractor that specializes in installing brick, and ask if they have ever seen it before. In any case, I think this is more related to a construction issue rather than a pest control issue. If the holes were drilled to allow moisture to escape, then it would be unwise to fill them in. That being said, those are very large holes and do present the opportunity for pests to enter. Therefore, it may be wise to push some Stuf-Fit into the holes to prevent pests from entering. This will allow moisture to escape, but it will prevent pests from getting in. This material is made out of copper, so it will not rust. I'll give you a link to it.
I'm so sorry that I cannot be more assistance. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. Be well my friend.
Stuf-Fit: www.amazon.com/Stuf-fit-Copper-Mesh-Control-30/dp/B00149P89E/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=stuffit%2Bcopper%2Bmesh&qid=1703443094&sr=8-3&th=1
A very good explanation, thank you. I have a mobile home in Northern California. I have never delt with termites before. We noticed a couple of mud tubes coming from the ceiling, behind a valance in the cabinets. Sure enough, there are subterranean termites there. it appears they have been eating away the strip style ceiling material (material like pressed cardboard like you would see in a commercial dropped ceiling) from the back side. I think there is just the ceiling material, and probably batting insulation, then the metal roof. I'm sure they have gotten into the wood ceiling joists by now. I was going to pull that ceiling down and spot spray with Taurus SC, then re-sheetrock. But after watching this video, I may be better to spray the foam up between the joists, trench and apply Taurus SC, then monitor the activity. I would rather not spray Taurus SC inside my kitchen, even with taking everything out of it if possible. I will also go under the mobile and see if there are mud tubes and treat those areas. The plan is to replace the ceiling in that area anyway, but if I can get rid of the termites without pulling all of the ceiling don, it would save lots of additional work. Would this work okay, and if you have a better solution, please let me know. I subscribed so I can keep up with your good work. Thank you.
On edit: Now after watching a few more videos, I'm confused. I though only subterranean termites made mud tubes. Now I see that Formosan termites also make mud tubes. Now I have to get some of them and see if i can tell which ones I have for sure. Dang...
If you live in Northern California, then you do have Formosan termites there. These guys are subterranean, but they also have the ability to colonize in your house. They are the only species of subterranean termites that have this ability. Also, Formosan termites are very destructive. Other species of subterranean termites are very slow eaters, and it takes them a long time to do any significant damage. That is not the case with Formosan termites. These guys are very fast eaters and can do a lot of damage very quickly. They are known as "super termites" because of their ability to do so much damage in a very short period of time. Therefore, I recommend that you try to obtain a specimen that has a red head. If you can acquire one of these, then I can identify the species for you. The other option is to call a pest control company and ask for a free inspection. When they arrive, tell them you would like to know the specific species and exactly how they plan to treat for it. I do not recommend that you sign anything. Just thank them for their time and let them know that you are going to get several estimates. If you can tell me the species or you can get me a photo of a termite that has a redhead, then I can give you and effective treatment plan.
I would not be surprised if these turn out to be Formosan termites. Most species of subterranean termites start eating low in the building and you normally see them on the lower part of the walls or in the floors. With Formosan termites it is fairly common to see them build mud tubes up to the roof and then start eating in the attic and ceiling areas. The fact that you are seeing mud tubes coming from the ceiling is very concerning. While it is possible for other species of subterranean termites to attack this way, it is far more likely that these are Formosan termites.
Due to the aggressive nature of this species, I would urge you to either get that photo of a termite or get the building inspected without delay.
Treating Formosan termites is somewhat different than treating any other species of subterranean termites. However, in all cases, you do need to trench. If you are living in a trailer, that is on piers, then you need to trench around each pier. If these are a species other than Formosan termites, then that is all the treatment that is required. You can spot treat the damaged area with a fipronil foam, but it's not absolutely necessary. However, if these are Formosan termites, then you also need to look for "cartons" that may be located in the walls or even the ceiling. We can talk more about that after the species is identified. For now though, it wouldn't hurt to begin trenching.
You can obtain the Taurus SC and a fipronil foam from domyown.com. I will place links below.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Taurus SC: www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-termiticide-p-1816.html
Termidor foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
@@GuysPestSolutions I pulled down part of a mud tube last night and looked at them with a magnifying glass. The solder didn't seem to have crossed mandibles and the head was rectangle shaped. When I poked at it, it was aggressive though. I can find another solder and send a good pic to you. What is the best place to send it? I will do that today when I get home from work. Thanks for your help so far
@@GuysPestSolutions I can get pics to you. What email should I sent them to?
@@bigfranksworld You can send the photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. It sounds like you may have gotten lucky and all you need to do is trench around the piers. In addition to trenching, you can also spot treat to give the trenching a bit of a boost. This is not necessary, but it helps.
Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface and shoot a fipronil foam into the tube in both directions. Then shoot some of the foam on that 2-inch bare spot as well. The termites will most likely rebuild the mud tube and they will carry the fipronil back to the colony and share it with the other termites. This is exactly how the trenching works. I will give you a link to the foam.
Treating termites is a slow process. You do not want to kill them too quickly or they will not have time to bring the poison back to the colony. Therefore, all these sorts of treatments take between 2 to 12 weeks to work. This is not a problem though because subterranean termites are slow eaters and will do very little damage in this relatively short period of time. You can determine when the infestation is gone by using the mud tubes. Again, scrape off about a 2-inch section of a mud tube, every two weeks, and see if there's any activity inside the tube. If there is, then treat the tube with the fipronil foam again and let the termites rebuild the tube. Then check again in another two weeks. When you no longer see any activity in any of the mud tubes and the termites are no longer rebuilding them, then the infestation is gone.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Fipronil foam: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Best recommendation for dealing with rodents on attic . Proofing having tile roof without having to replace whole roof on sealing open gap between tiles and home build no plywood under tile
Goodmorning! Thanks so much for sharing valuable information, really appreciate it! question: what about treatments for flying termites? We live in the caribbean and have them fly into the house when it rains ...thanks for getting back to me whenever y can find a minute, Wilhelm Kaiser
I am not too familiar with termites in the Caribbean, but I can tell you that all termites that fly are swarmers. They are the kings and queens that are coming out of an existing colony and looking to start a new colony. You didn't say where in the Caribbean you live. I'm guessing that different locations may have different species, but it is a safe bet that you have both drywood termites and subterranean termites. I think some places in the Caribbean even call drywood termites "Caribbean termites." I'm pretty sure you have conehead termites as well. Anyway, if they are subterranean termites, then they only colonize in the ground, so those swarmers are trying to find a nice, soft spot of ground where they can dig in and start a colony. That could be right next to your house, and they may use your house as a food supply. If they are drywood termites, then they will fly directly into your house and find their way into the wood via cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, and so forth. So, you cannot treat the swarmers. You need to treat the colonies that are created by the swarmers. If you are seeing swarmers, then there is either a colony close by or already inside your house. In either case, you should get an inspection done by a qualified pest control company or you should inspect yourself. Just look for mud tubes around the house going from the ground up. They may also be in the crawl space or attic. If you see mud tubes, then you have subterranean termites. Also look for frass on the inside of the house, on the floor around the walls, particularly under windows. Frass looks a little like sawdust or small pellets. If you see frass, then you have drywood termites. After you have determined that you do have an infestation, then get back to me and I will help you figure out how to handle it.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Love the analogy of the termites that are homebodies vs ones that like to go out to eat and bring takeout back lol
Thank you so much. That is very kind of you to say. Since you live in Florida, you have very sandy soil, so the granules should work well for you. I don't think you need to trench. I live in Florida too and the granules have never failed me. However, should the granules let you down, then you can always trench. Be well Cortney.
Hi, I watched your educational video after I saw the termites. Unfortunately, I cleaned up and tore all the infested wood out. They started under my shower where the drain goes through the slab. They had mud tubes going up the outside of my shower into my sheetrock.
I was going to call terminex, but after watching the video, I think I will take your advice first.
Thanks so much for the informative video.
Please tell me where you live. Location matters. I want to make sure that you are not dealing with an aggressive species that may require more than just trenching. Most of the time you are not, but I would be a terrible pest controller if I didn't check. A lot of slab homes are built in the south, like Florida, which is Formosan termite territory. That species is found in southern coastal states, California, and Hawaii. Please let me know and I will tell you if this is a concern. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions South Louisiana.
Okay. That is NOT what I wanted to hear, but I did suspect that this was the case. Most slab homes are in areas where Formosan termites exist. You happen to live in the Formosan termite capital of the world. So, you definitely need to check to make sure that you are not dealing with these guys. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. Don't worry. It's not that hard to do. I will give you a link to the video. Please get back to me if these are Formosan Termites because these guys are bad. Really bad. They are often called super termites because of how fast they eat and unlike other species that cannot colonize in your home, these guys can. So, you need to take extra steps with Formosan termites. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
Ok Guy, I had to work late, so I didn't get a chance to inspect the mud tubes to inspect the termites, but my exterminator came out and talked to my wife and told her that it was formosan termites. He wants to drill holes around my shower and pump poison around the shower...I'm worried about him hitting a water line.
I'm no expert, but I think whatever he is doing isn't working because this is the 4th time in 5 years that he has been here. They just keep moving over to the next room. He claims that that is different colonies. That's why I want to treat the whole house. What do you think I should do?
Thank you for all the info, I really value your opinion.
@@jamesaucoin131 What you are describing is NOT the right way to treat Formosan termites. It may help, but you are correct that he may drill into the pipes. Also, this treatment alone will probably not get it done. Formosan termite colonies are very large and hard to take out. Please watch my video on how to treat Formosan termites and get back to me with any questions you may have. I will give you the link.
Video on how to treat Formosan termites: ruclips.net/video/xDtGUWxMrRw/видео.html
Excellent video Mr Guy.👏
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks
Thank you so much. That was very kind of you. I will use the tip to make more videos. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
what about the water line? do we trench over that? awesome video by the way, ill definetly trench around the driveway and patio
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Water lines are usually deeper than 6 inches, so they seldom present a problem. You would just dig the trench right over it. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Thanks! PS… your video on carpenter ants was super helpful! I think I’m finally making some headway eliminating those pesky critters.
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words and for the tip. Both are very much appreciated. Please let me know if you have any questions. Be well my friend.
Greetings Guy, thank you for all the info that you provide. I totally agree with you regarding that pest control companies always want to drill hard surfaces. In my case, I have Pavers in my courtyard and all of the estimators want to drill the Pavers. I do have a few mud tunnels in that area (courtyard). The pavers are installed wall to wall witout any space. My question is this: What is my option that does Not include drilling the Pavers? Thank you so much.
To answer that I need to see photos of it. You can send them to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Please remind me of the problem when you send the photos. I get a lot of termite email. I am behind on email, but I will get back to you within a couple of days after you send the email. You would not believe how many emails I receive every day and I take all the time necessary to answer each one fully. I will do the same for you. Be well my friend.
THANKS for your informative videos. inside my house there is a crack on the floor and a mud tube came out of the crack about 7 inch high and it was done overnight. I have done the BioAdvanced 700350A Termite Killer Home Perimeter Treatment Ready-to-Spread Granules I will probably do the trenching next.thanks very much for sharing your know how.
Please tell me where you live. Also, please break open that mound and see if you can obtain a specimen that has a red head. If you can, then you can send a photo to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. I would like to have a look at it. A 7-inch mound in the house is unusual behavior, so let's see what the species is.
Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions I live in Glendale Arizona and I see them in the backyard they make flat mud leyers on dry vegetation and they are very small with a white body and dark head I don't know if is red but I didn't find any inside the mud tube.I used bioadvanced 700420a foam spray and put it in the crack on the floor.thanks for your awesome videos and help.
@@gonzouno1 Let me be perfectly honest. This one has me a bit confused. I can tell you that the termites you are seeing outside are most likely Agricultural termites. The thing that is confusing though is that these guys do not attack houses. They mostly prefer to eat dry, dead grass. It is very common to see above ground termite tubes on lawns in Arizona. So, without actually seeing this, my guess is that the ones you are seeing outside are not a threat to your home. Well, if that is the case, why are you seeing this 7-inch mound coming up your floor? That is behavior that we don't see with termites in the US. At least, I never have. So, we really need to figure out the species here. If I lived anywhere near you, then I would do an inspection to figure it out. Since that is not possible, then I recommend that you call a pest control company and ask for free inspection. After the inspection, ask the inspector to note the specific species on the estimate and ask for a written treatment plan. It is very possible that what is going on in the house is not termites at all and they could be ants. If that is the case, then the treatment is going to be much different. Show the inspector the mud tubes outside. I'm pretty sure that he is going to confirm that these are Agricultural termites. If that is the case, treating them is very easy and I will explain that after the inspection. Meanwhile, they are not a threat to your home. The important thing right now is to figure out what caused that mound that was coming up from the floor. The product that you used to treat it may or may not have resolved the issue. It would have been best to leave that mound alone until we figured out what it was. That would have made the inspection process much easier. Without that, the inspector is going to have to do a full inspection of your home. I don't think you should ignore this because it could be something serious. Please let me know what you find out and then I can tell you exactly how to treat it.
Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you very much you are an awesome person and I will follow your recommendation.
@@gonzouno1 Happy to be of help. I hope this turns out to be nothing serious and I suspect that will be the case. Be well my friend.
Thank you for making this information available! Would it be possible for me to send you an image of the termites I've found, for identification? Thanks.
Yes, but I would need to see one of the soldiers that has a red head, and the photo needs to be large and in perfect focus. You can send it to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. You can also watch my video on how to identify termite species. I will give you a link to it. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
Hi Guy, Great video but I do have a question that wasn't covered in this video. I had a house once that the termites ate the paper off the drywall but didn't eat any wood, were these the same subterranean termites you were referring to here and or are they treated the same way?
All species of termites will eat the paper off drywall. Take a look at my video on how to identify termite species and see if that house was in area where Formosan or drywood termites are a problem. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
First I would like to say thank you for your videos and continuing to comment on them! I have an unusual situation. I tested to see if the granules would work by digging the hole that you mentioned to see how fast the water would drain out of it. digging a small hole consumed a lot of time and effort. I added the water and now I have a permanent little pond next to my home. the soil seems to be an interesting mixture of hard clay, clay that has formed into small rocks, large rocks and gravel.
After doing research, I have noticed that companies will drill into concrete and inject the poison at regular intervals. literally drilling the soil around my house every six inches would be vastly preferable to the several week long process of digging a trench. would the treatment be just as effective if I drill a 1/2 inch hole, eight inches down, spaced every six inches around my entire home?
Again thank you for your response!
I'm sorry to say that you cannot do the drilling and rodding yourself. You can drill the holes, but the treatment needs to be done under pressure. You can't just pour in the pesticide. Rodding is a lot easier, but you need special equipment to do it and it's expensive to purchase. So, that is best left to the pros. Trenching through hard dirt isn't easy, but you can do just 10 feet at a time. If you do 10 feet every day after work, it will be done before you know it. Also, if you can see where the mud tubes come up from the ground, you can place a bait station right there and you may be able to avoid trenching altogether. Please watch my video on how to make bait stations. It doesn't always work, but it does work most of the time. If the termites start eating the bait, then it's a done deal for them. If they don't take the bait, then you can always trench later. I will give you a link to the video on how to make them.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Bait station video: ruclips.net/video/r05Z-aUJehw/видео.html
Hi Guy, this was very informative as usual. Thank you. Most of my property, there are plants near the concrete walk areas. Podocarpus and small trees and bushes. I don't think it's possible to get a clear 6 inch perimeter without encountering roots or sprinkler pipes. What would you recommend in this instance?
Termite granule may work in your case. I just responded to a question you posted explaining how to find out if the granules will work for you. Do that perk test. If you pass it, then the granules should get it done. If you fail the perk test, then get back to me and I will guide you further. Be well my friend.
Hello,
Your video is excellent. Thank you. I have a question:
How do you treat areas with pavers touching the foundation. Thank you
That is generally no problem, but I want to qualify my answer before I provide it. Whenever someone asks a question like this, I get a certain image in my mind of what pavers look like, but that image may not be what actually exists. So, the answer really is that it depends. I would love to see a photo of it. If you like you can send one to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Without actually seeing it, I can tell you that, in most cases, you can simply trench next to the pavers. How well that works depends upon things like, how wide they are, how far they extend out from the house, and things like that. Also, are there mud tubes going up the side of the house? Is there a crawl space or unfinished basement? If so, are there mud tubes coming up from the ground under the house? Finally, location matters. Where do you live? Certain areas of the US and other countries have some species of termites that do not behave the same way as most species that are found in the US. For example, if you live in certain areas of Louisiana, some red flags are going up really fast for me. So, if you provide more information, I can give you a definite answer. You may want to email me, so that I can provide you with individualized attention. I will work with you to make sure that you get it done correctly. Don't worry. My service is totally free.
Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you for a quick answer. I live in Arizona. w am responding to this tread because many of my friends has similar problem. Photo will be sent in a couple hrs. It is still dark here.
@@arts1052 Okay. I will read your email and get back to you. Be well my friend.
Thanks for sharing all your knowledge for free and for being so thorough, so as to help the average person do it themselves and to save $$$.
If I have a basement, do I need to dig a trench deeper than 6"?
Does the TAURUS SC interefere with their moulting process or just kill them?
Does TERMIDOR interefere with their moulting process or just kill them?
Same question for FiPro foam and Termidor foam?
Thank you.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Let me start by saying that Termidor SC is the exact same thing as Taurus SC. The only thing is that Taurus SC is a bit less expensive. These products are not insect growth regulators, so they do not prevent the termites from reproducing. They are designed to work on the nervous system of the termites and kill them outright. However, these products are purposely designed to kill slowly because we want the termites to bring these materials back to the colony and share it with the other termites, including the queen. Subterranean termites must return to the colony fairly often to bring food back to the other termites and to obtain the moisture that they need to survive. Most species never colonize in your home. They always colonize in the ground. Your home just happens to be their favorite restaurant. Subterranean termites only travel a couple of inches below the ground and so you only need a 6-inch deep trench, regardless of how deep the foundation is. When the termites travel to and from your home they will pass through this barrier and they will carry the pesticide back to the colony. This should kill off the entire colony within about 12 weeks. No more colony, no more termites, no more infestation in your home.
Both FiPro add Termidor Foam are pretty much the exact same thing. They work exactly the same way as Taurus SC or Termidor SC. The only difference is that the foam expands to several times its original size, and this allows it to get into a lot of different nooks and crannies that liquids cannot penetrate.
You did not tell me where you live, and location matters. In some areas of the country you also have Formosan termites or Western subterranean termites. These guys are also subterranean, but unlike other species of subterranean termites, they do have the ability to colonize in your home. Therefore, if you're dealing with these guys, not only do you need to trench, but you may also need to do a treatment inside the house, which may require removing some of the drywall. As the name implies, Western subterranean termites only exist in western states. They are most active in California, but they are active in other states as well. Formosan termites are typically found in southern coastal states, California, and Hawaii. If you tell me where you live, then I can let you know if you need to check further for one of these species.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions I live in northeast Ohio but I'm thinking of my parents' house in western PA. Termites got into the concrete block foundation wall below ground and worked their way up into the sill plate at the top of the foundation wall and ate their way through it going 3 feet and making a 90 degree turn with the sill plate. There were no mud tunnels on the outside wall.
If termites got into the concrete block well below the 6" trench, would the Taurus SC poured in the trench run down the foundation wall and get to the termites? In 1997, they had Terminex put bait stations around the yard and termites NEVER once hit a station and for 10 years and they saw signs of termites every spring, especially swarmers. Then in 2007, they came out with the Termidor, drilled holes and sprayed and never saw signs of termites again. In their case, would pouring the Taurus SC in the 6" trench go all the way down to the foundation wall and be enough or would they have to dig deeper than 6" or pour more than the 4 gallons in the trench per 10 feet?
Also, if I don't have termites, it seems that putting bait stations every 4 feet around my house is like inviting termites to come and target my house. If they find food there, then they signal for more termites to come in the direction of my house. What do you feel about that thought?
Thank you :-)
@@keepitsimple8 Thank you for sharing that additional information. It is very helpful. Let me start by saying that both in Ohio and Pennsylvania, you only have subterranean termites that do not colonize in homes. So that makes it pretty easy. The Taurus SC that you pour into the trench is probably not going to run down to where the problem is, but the termites do not generally travel that deep anyway. So, they will still pass through the barrier even if it is only 6 in deep. Most of the time, when termites reach a foundation, they head up toward the surface and start building a mud tube. However, the termites do not always get the memo that this is how they are supposed to behave, so they sometimes go down, or even to the left or right. When they do that, then they look for openings in the foundation where they can get in, and they use that opening to find their way to a food source. Therefore, in this scenario, simply digging a 6-foot trench around the house is still going to work. However, in rare cases, the termites may have established a colony just outside the house, and that colony may be very deep in the ground. When this happens, it is possible that the termites are coming straight up from the ground to that opening in the foundation. In that scenario, trenching around the house would not work. The problem is that you have no way of knowing which one of these things is the case. That being said, I can tell you that it is very unusual for the colony to be that close to the house. It is almost always the case that the colony is somewhere within a 300 ft radius of the house and the termites are simply going in the wrong direction when they reach the foundation. It is not all that uncommon to see this happen. Therefore, my recommendation would be to trench around the house. There is probably around a 98% chance that this will solve the problem. However, it wouldn't hurt to spot treat any areas where there is either damage or mud tubes.
To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to buy a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. I like the FiPro the best because it's a little less expensive and I like the applicator tip better, but the Termidor Foam also works very well. The FiPro is not available everywhere. If you can get one of these foams, then drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. If you are seeing exit holes in the wall, then there is most likely a stud behind the exit hole. Get a stud finder and locate the stud where it meets the ceiling and drive a small nail into the stud a couple of inches below the ceiling. Attach a weighted string to the nail and that will show you where the stud is. Then drill the holes 4 inches apart along the entire length of the stud, about 3 inches deep. Do the same thing for woodwork, except only drill the holes halfway through the wood. If you think that there is a 2 x 4 behind the woodwork, then drill a 3-inch-deep hole every 8 inches. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
It typically takes several weeks for any termite treatment to be effective. That is because you are using slow kill products. If you were to kill the termites too quickly, then they would not have a chance to bring the poison back to the colony and share it with the other termites. If you don't kill off the entire colony, you will not end the infestation. Therefore, you must kill off subterranean termites very slowly. So, I would give this at least 12 weeks before I would decide that something went wrong, and the process didn't work. Hiring a professional to trench your house is pretty much going to take about the same amount of time to kill off the colony.
I never recommend putting bait stations around your house if you do not have an active infestation. In fact, I never recommend putting bait stations around your house even if you do have an active infestation because they kill way too slowly for my liking. However, I do think it is a good idea to put monitoring stations around the house. Monitoring stations are not the same thing as bait stations. What the professionals typically use are bait stations and that bait is designed to attract termites. I don't know that I want to put anything around my house that is going to attract termites. Monitoring stations do not work the same way as bait stations. The monitoring stations use wood and that wood does not give off the same sort of attractant that is used in commercial baits. If you are using wood in the station instead of a bait, then the termites need to get very close before they find it. When I say very close, I am talking about probably somewhere within 10 feet. So, if you place these things every 4 feet around your house, then there is a very high probability that the termites will find them, if they are in the area. They will not be attracted to them unless they are reasonably close to your house. If the termites are traveling reasonably close to your house, then that is the sort of thing you want to know about, because they could attack your house instead of the monitoring stations. Bait stations on the other hand may attract the termites from quite some distance away, and that is why I don't like to use them. If you use monitoring stations, and you check them at least once a month, then there is a good chance that you will catch the activity before the termites attack your house. There's no guarantee of this, but it sure beats not knowing at all. If the termites are attacking one of the stations, then you can simply place a bait station next to it. If the termites attack that bait station, then there is s a good chance it will take out the entire colony and your house will never see a termite. The professionals almost always install bait stations instead of monitoring stations. That is because they do not want to come out every month to check them. If they install bait stations, they figure the stations will just go on working all year, and so they only need to inspect once a year to replace the bait. If you make the monitoring stations yourself, they will have a little orange dot at the top. If that dot disappears, then you have termites. So it only takes a couple of minutes to walk around the house and look for the dots. It is very quick and easy to do. If you see a dot that is missing, then simply remove that station and check to make sure that there are termites in it. Occasionally one of the stations will go off by accident because the stick may not have been long enough to stay in place. If there are termites in the station, simply put it back where it was and then install a bait station next to it. If there are no termites in the station, then simply replace it with a new one. All monitoring stations have a problem with mold, and termites do not like mold. So always pull up one of the stations every year to check for mold. If the station does not have any mold, then you are good for another year. If the station does have mold, then check a few more of them around the house. If several of them have mold, then start to replace all of them. Mold is a problem for the commercial stations as well. Anything you put under the ground in a dark and damp environment is subject to mold. The good news is that the monitoring stations only cost about $0.50 to make and is very easy to make them as well. They literally install in seconds. So homemade monitoring stations are a quick and easy thing to do that will alert you to the presence of termites, and give you an opportunity to treat them before they start eating your house.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
Video on how to make monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
I love this, you are funny
Thank you so much for that comment. I don't usually have people telling me that I'm funny. I do make an effort to try to inject a little bit of humor now and then, but I think most people tend to miss it. It's always great when somebody gets my sense of humor. You definitely put a smile on my face and you made my day. Be well my friend.
You are just great. Where can I buy Taurus SC. Couldn’t find it on Amazon. Thanks for your wonderful videos.
DoMyOwn.com will ship to most states. Here's the link. Be well my friend.
www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-termiticide-p-1816.html?sub_id=1817
Another great video, Guy! Some of the area around my house and driveway are also covered with 3-4 inches of gravel or bark mulch, what are the suggestions to treat those area to create the barrier? Thanks.
There are two options for treating subterranean termites yourself. The easiest way is to use termite granules. It costs less than $60 to do and it only takes about an hour. The application is so easy that a child can do it. The other option is to trench around the entire building, including the driveway. You can remove the gravel or mulch and then trench or you can try the granules.
For the granules to work you need to have dirt around most of the house and that dirt needs to be porous enough to allow water to seep into the ground fairly quickly. To find out if the dirt around your house is porous enough, just dig a small hole next to the house that is about 4 inches deep, 8 inches long, and just the width of the shovel. Fill the hole with water and watch to see how fast it drains down into the ground. If it seeps into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules should work just fine. However, if it just kind of sits there, then the granules would not be a good choice, and you should consider trenching. Make sure that you buy the correct granules. You need the ones that have imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell the correct granules, but you can get them from Amazon. I will give you a link to them.
You can give any termite treatment a bit of a boost by doing a spot treatment. If at all possible, spot treating for subterranean termites should not be the only approach to eliminate an infestation. An additional exterior treatment should also be done with either granules or trenching, whenever possible. Spot treating alone may totally eliminate the infestation with no other treatments, but it's not a sure thing.
To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to buy a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. I like the FiPro the best because it's a little less expensive and I like the applicator tip better, but the Termidor Foam also works very well. The FiPro is not available everywhere. If you can get one of these foams, then drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. If you are seeing exit holes in the wall, then there is most likely a stud behind the exit hole. Get a stud finder and locate the stud where it meets the ceiling and drive a small nail into the stud a couple of inches below the ceiling. Attach a weighted string to the nail and that will show you where the stud is. Then drill the holes 4 inches apart along the entire length of the stud, about 3 inches deep. Do the same thing for woodwork, except only drill the holes halfway through the wood. If you think that there is a 2 x 4 behind the woodwork, then drill a 3-inch-deep hole every 8 inches. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you have a slab home, then you may find them going up the outside of the house on the slab and even the side of the house. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
It typically takes several weeks for any termite treatment to be effective. That is because you are using slow kill products. If you were to kill the termites too quickly, then they would not have a chance to bring the poison back to the colony and share it with the other termites. If you don't kill off the entire colony, you will not end the infestation. Therefore, you must kill off subterranean termites very slowly. So, I would give this at least 12 weeks before I would decide that something went wrong, and the process didn't work. Hiring a professional to trench your house is pretty much going to take about the same amount of time to kill off the colony.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to apply termite granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k0_1_7&=&crid=39LQH28BN6B0V&=&sprefix=termite
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Appreciated the detailed reply. Now I reember the pest control guy who did the trench around my house took short cuts by digging shallow and narrow trenches and diluted chemical less than the 0.8 oz (per gallon) ratio. So I am planning to retreat it by myself after watching the videos. Another question is that what should I do if I found termites under the bark mulch in the front yard?
@@dougs3866 Probably the best way to treat the mulch is to simply apply the granules over the top of it and just water it in. You know the termites are very close to the surface because they're eating the mulch, so treating that mulch with the granules will probably take out the entire colony.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
My first job out of high school was Pro Trench Digger.
That's what I call a tough row to hoe. No pun intended. That's a hard way to earn a living. I'm happy to hear that you went on to better things. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions I greatly appreciate the info you give. I worked for a company building swimming pools in the early 70's and once the hole was dug the rest was all manual.
@@allanmccullough8550 You sound like a hard worker. I hope life is a bit easier for you these days. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy. Love these informative videos.
Question: I recent had some trees taken down and I chose to keep some of the wood for firewood. I have found that the tree was thoroughly infested with termites and am unsure how best to deal with them.
Should I drill and treat the wood pile and stump with foam in addition to a granule treatment? Thanks again!
You know, I get quite a few questions about how to treat tree stumps for termites. I suppose I'm going to have to think about doing a video on that topic, but my problem is that I don't have any tree stumps to treat. I had the same problem when I did my fire ant video. I had already treated all my fire ants and so I had to find someone that had a fire ant problem so that I could treat it to do the video. Perhaps I will see if I can find somebody that has a tree stump that I can treat.
With regard to treating the firewood, I think the best way to do that is to simply get rid of it. However, there are ways that you can eliminate an entire subterranean termite colony by using that firewood. It's pretty simple really. Find an area that is as far away from the house as possible where you can now store the firewood safely. Before you move the firewood to that location go ahead and dig up (remove) about 6 inches of the dirt throughout the entire area where the firewood is going to be stacked. Next, soak that area really well with Taurus SC. You will need to estimate the amount that you will need because it’s not a straight 10-foot section. So, a bit of math will be needed. After you soak the hole really good, then backfill it with treated dirt, as shown in this video. Then, just stack the firewood on top of the area you treated. The termites will happily go right through it and they will take the fipronil back to the colony and that will kill them all. You could also simply treat all of that area with the BioAdvanced Termite Killer Granules 700350A. Just sprinkle it liberally across the area that needs to be treated and lightly water it in. Either method should get the job done. Do not use the BioAdvanced Termite Killer granules 700370 or the liquid version of the termite killer because they do not work. The correct product is available from Amazon, but most Home Depot and Lowe's stores no longer sell it.
Tree stumps are a bit more work. The granules do not work very well on tree stumps because, oftentimes, the termites can travel underneath the kill zone of the granules and attack the tree from underneath. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to give the granules a try, but I cannot guarantee their success. If they do not work, then what I do is I drill 1/2-inch holes into the top of the tree stump just as deep as I can get them. You can buy wood drills from Lowe's or Home Depot that are at least 12 inches long. The longer the better. Drill the holes about every four to six inches apart across the top of the stump. The more holes you drill the better. Next, mix up the Taurus SC at 0.8 oz per gallon of water in a bucket. Put a funnel in each hole and fill up the holes with the Taurus SC. If you get lucky, then you will drill right into an area where the termites are already eating. You can sometimes tell that you did this because you will see termites coming up with the wood carvings from the drill bit. Also, you may feel the drill just start to move really easily, which may indicate that you drilled right into an infested area. The idea is that you want to poison their food source in the tree stump, so they will carry the pesticide back to the colony and share it with the other termites. This treatment will work for both subterranean termites and drywood termites. That is not the case with the stacked firewood. If you have dry wood termites infesting the stacked drywood, then you must get rid of it.
Since you didn't mention where you live, there is a possibility that these could be drywood termites. Please have a look at the video I did on how to determine termite species and see if you can figure out if these are subterranean or drywood termites. I will give you a link below for that video. Don't worry. This is a lot easier than it sounds. If you are in doubt, then I would recommend that you get rid of that firewood.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/mY4FMvAHrMA/видео.html
BioAdvanced Termite Killer 700350A granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k0_1_5&&crid=2OBPHSSRZIQJG&&sprefix=bioad
@@GuysPestSolutions above and beyond the cal of duty, my friend. Thank you for the thorough reply. Looks like I’m moving some wood soon!!
@@shawnmorneau8761 Always my pleasure. Feel free to ask me any question about any pest and I will always give you a full and detailed answer. Never a charge. All I ask is that you pass me along to others, so that I can assist them too. My goal is to help as many people as possible.
Be well my friend.
Great video, thanks Guy! I’ve come across your channel a week after freaking my house with Termador. In case I made some mistakes, how soon before you can treat an area again?
You can retrench immediately. If you have already trenched once, then doing it again should be pretty easy digging. The biggest mistakes people make are not treating the backfill dirt and not treating both sides of the driveway and around patios. A lot of the time, you can get away with not treating the backfill, but it's not a sure thing. It depends on the ground conditions. I know pest controllers that never treat the backfill. So, I don't know that I would redo it if that is the problem. I would wait 12 weeks to see if it worked. It can take up to 12 weeks for trenching to be fully effective. If you still have termites after 12 weeks, then I would redo it. Otherwise, just make sure that you have treated around all the concrete, and you should be good to go. If you did something else incorrectly, then let me know, and I will advise you further.
Be well my friend.
Guy, you are best! Do you have a video on using non repellent once they are already in the house?
You can give any termite treatment a bit of a boost by doing a spot treatment. If at all possible, spot treating for subterranean termites should not be the only approach to eliminate an infestation. An additional exterior treatment should also be done with either granules or trenching, whenever possible. Spot treating alone may totally eliminate the infestation with no other treatments, but it's not a sure thing. That is because subterranean termites live in the ground and not in your house. They travel to and from the colony, that is most likely located within a 300 foot radius of your home. Trenching or the granules will provide a higher dose of the pesticide and ensure that you are not getting attacked from another side of the house as well.
To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to buy a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. I like the FiPro the best because it's a little less expensive and I like the applicator tip better, but the Termidor Foam also works very well. The FiPro is not available everywhere. If you can get one of these foams, then drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. If you are seeing exit holes in the wall, then there is most likely a stud behind the exit hole. Get a stud finder and locate the stud where it meets the ceiling and drive a small nail into the stud a couple of inches below the ceiling. Attach a weighted string to the nail and that will show you where the stud is. Then drill the holes 4 inches apart along the entire length of the stud, about 3 inches deep. Do the same thing for woodwork, except only drill the holes halfway through the wood. If you think that there is a 2 x 4 behind the woodwork, then drill a 3-inch-deep hole every 8 inches. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you have a slab home, then you may find them going up the outside of the house on the slab and even the side of the house. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
It typically takes several weeks for any termite treatment to be effective. That is because you are using slow kill products. If you were to kill the termites too quickly, then they would not have a chance to bring the poison back to the colony and share it with the other termites. If you don't kill off the entire colony, you will not end the infestation. Therefore, you must kill off subterranean termites very slowly. So, I would give this at least 12 weeks before I would decide that something went wrong, and the process didn't work. Hiring a professional to trench your house is pretty much going to take about the same amount of time to kill off the colony.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to apply termite granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k0_1_7&=&crid=39LQH28BN6B0V&=&sprefix=termite
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
@Guy's Pest Solutions Guy, thank you for sharing your experience with all of us. Thank you for your response, it's very much appreciated! You're the best!!
Thanks again
@@PaulB-iw4wg You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Great video thanks. If you have a deck with posts 10-15 ft away from foundation, should you trench both around the post AND the foundation, or just around one or the other?
When you are dealing with a wooden deck, the preferred method of treatment is to trench around each of the support posts. You should also treat along the side of the house, underneath the deck. I also recommend treating around the stairs where it meets the ground. Oftentimes this is not possible because the deck is too close to the ground to access the support posts or the side of the house. If this is the case, then the best you can do is to treat around the entire deck. This will usually get it done, but keep in mind that there is dirt under the deck, so it is possible that the termites could have established a colony directly under the deck. This is somewhat uncommon, but I do need to mention that it is a possibility. When that happens, trenching around the deck is not going to be effective. There are ways to go after them if they are colonizing under the deck, so let me know if this is the case, and we can talk about ways to treat it. Again, this is an unusual situation, so I would begin by using a standard treatment to see if it works. Keep in mind that it can take up to 12 weeks to eliminate a subterranean termite colony. It is the same amount of time if the pros to it as well.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
I'm sorry if you have already answered these types of questions. We have discovered a large amount of termite mud tubes coming from behind the drywall of our garage. On the other side of that wall is our bathroom and we have found a small portion of the baseboard of the bathroom to be hollowed out with mudtubes, but no signs of damage elsewhere in the bathroom. There were also some other empty, isolated mudtubes on some cardboard boxes on the opposite wall of the garage, but nothing attached to the wall studs. We have checked our basement all the way around and haven't seen any other activity elsewhere in the house.
We have had bait stations professionally installed since October of last year after finding some termites on some old wood outside. We have been told they are subterranean termites. We just had the pest control company back to look at this new activity, and they just added a bait station outside and placed two indoor bait stations in the garage and bathroom.
All that said, do you think these bait stations are going to be enough to clear the current infestation? Or should we opt to trench around the house? Any other advice you could give us based on the above information?
I have a video that talks about trenching vs bait stations. I will give you the link to it. I am not a big fan of using bait stations for an active infestation because they can take up to 2 years to work and sometimes they don't work at all. That is because the bait does not kill any termites. They use an insect growth regulator that simply prevents the termites from breeding. Termite workers can live up to 2 years. All of this is assuming that they actually find the bait. Sometimes they miss the bait entirely, which may have happened in your case. Pest control companies like it because it is fast and easy to do and they can charge big money for it. Then they can rip you off with an annual maintenance fee every year for the rest of your life. Trenching is way more effective and will kill off the entire colony in under 12 weeks. It only costs about $100 to do yourself and it is almost a sure thing if you do it correctly. So, my advice is to trench the house yourself and fire the pest control company as soon as the contract period ends. The trenching job will last 5 to 10 years, with 7 years being the average. It all depends on soil conditions and things like that. You do not need to dig the trench all at the same time. You can literally do 10 feet a day after work. I helped a single mom in NJ that did it herself with her two teenage daughters. They just did about 10 feet after work and school every day until it was finished. They were 100% successful. It's really not that hard and you can take your time with it. I'm turning 74 this month and I'm still doing this sort of thing. Of course, my wife keeps reminding me that my brain and my body may not be on the same page when it comes to the sorts of work that I should still be doing, but it's not bad if I take my time. Start on the wall that is closest to the infestation and then work your way around the rest of the house.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Trenching vs bait stations video: ruclips.net/video/jrPrr5DdB_g/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you so much for this comprehensive answer. It has been a nightmare trying to find consistent information on how to treat them when they have already entered the house, even on youtube. I brought up trenching to our pest control company and they brushed it off. I do get the sense they are stringing us along. They never mentioned how long the bait stations would take to eradicate the colony. I will take your advice and check out the video you mentioned.
Thanks again!
@@ouchydoom You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. If you read the contract for the baiting system you have, you will most likely find language in it that will tell you that it can take a long time for baiting to work. Some contracts will even tell you that it may not work at all. Even though the company will usually not explain this to you, is it almost always stated in the contract. If you have a damage warranty in the contract, it will most likely not cover previous damage. Most of the time, they will tell you that the damage you are seeing was caused before the baiting system was installed, so they don't pay. You can't even take them to court over it because the contract almost certainly contains an arbitration clause. I am planning to make a video on termite bonds and warranties sometime this year. A lot of people pay an annual fee so that they can be protected against termite damage, but it's a total waste of money. I am very happy that you now understand the truth. Be well my friend.
Thank you Guy, Very helpful appreciate your work, I am in Houston Texas, We had a Mediterranean termites swarm(Black) in my house , they were coming out of the front window by the kitchen, I want to do spray also and do granules outside what Chemica spray do you recement to do the attic. Also I am going to do foam , Thanks
It sounds like you do have an infestation, so trenching is a good idea because these guys are subterranean. You can treat the attic with bora-care if you like. Mix it one to one with water. You can also spot treat any areas where you are seeing activity with a fipronil foam.
To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to use a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. I like the FiPro the best because it's a little less expensive and I like the applicator tip better, but the Termidor Foam also works very well. The FiPro is not available everywhere. If you can get one of these foams, then drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. If you are seeing exit holes in the wall, then there is most likely a stud behind the exit hole. Get a stud finder and locate the stud where it meets the ceiling and drive a small nail into the stud a couple of inches below the ceiling. Attach a weighted string to the nail and that will show you where the stud is. Then drill the holes 4 inches apart along the entire length of the stud, about 3 inches deep. Do the same thing for woodwork, except only drill the holes halfway through the wood. If you think that there is a 2 x 4 behind the woodwork, then drill a 3-inch-deep hole every 8 inches. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you have a slab home, then you may find them going up the outside of the house on the slab and even the side of the house. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
After you use one of these methods, you may want to consider installing monitoring stations around the house. This is not necessary, but it is very easy to do, and you will know immediately if you have termites in the area. If one of the stations goes off, then you can treat the termites right at the station, before they try to attack your house. This way, you are protected by either the granules or the trenching, and you have the peace of mind knowing that there are no termites in the area. You can make these stations yourself out of used water bottles for about 50 cents each. I have a video on how to do that and I will give you a link to it. These stations have a little orange dot on the top of them. When the dock disappears you either have termites or the station has malfunctioned. Either way, you can check to see if there are active termites, and if there are, then you can treat them right there. Now, let's face it, we are making these things out of used water bottles, so it is possible that one of orange indicators can move to the side and disappear, even though there are no termites. That's not really a big deal though because these things are very fast and easy to make and install. So, just keep a few on hand should you need to replace one. After they are installed, just walk around the house every couple of months to see if there are orange dots missing. It couldn't be easier.
It typically takes several weeks for any termite treatment to be effective. That is because you are using slow kill products. If you were to kill the termites too quickly, then they would not have a chance to bring the poison back to the colony and share it with the other termites. If you don't kill off the entire colony, you will not end the infestation. Therefore, you must kill off subterranean termites very slowly. So, I would give this at least 12 weeks before I would decide that something went wrong, and the process didn't work. Hiring a professional to trench your house is pretty much going to take about the same amount of time to kill off the colony.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video and how to make termite monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
Video on how to use Bora-Care: ruclips.net/video/Rmr_aEodyhg/видео.html
Bora-Care: www.domyown.com/boracare-p-100.html
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
Hi Guy, Thanks again for these GREAT DIY videos!!
Does the Taurus SC kill both the Native SubT AND the Formosan termite?? We are about to purchase the Taurus to apply in the trenches, but I think we may have the Formosan and not the SubT termites.
The Taurus SC does kill Formosan termites, but additional other treatment may be required. Please watch my video on Formosan termites. Be well my friend.
Video on Formosan termites: ruclips.net/video/xDtGUWxMrRw/видео.html
Hello, and thank you for your willingness to help others by sharing your knowledge and experience. I will be treating my pier and beam home myself and this video is invaluable which brings me to my first question (hahaha). How would you trench a pier and beam foundation? I would assume you just trench a perimeter around the entire structure the same as you would a typical concrete slab foundation. But I have to ask the question because it is a different configuration. Trenching around 40 individual piers under the house would be a bit more labor intensive but it is what it is. Thank you again for your videos! UPDATE: I didn't think you would address pier & beam in this video and as soon as I post this and resume watching your video (you address it lol). It looks like I have some digging to do!!!!
One more thing! How long will a trenching treatment with Taurus SC last before a renewal treatment is required?
Unfortunately, the preferred method to treat a house that is on piers is to treat each individual pier as if it were its own foundation. If you are trenching, then you would trench around each pier. Of course, the problem with many pier homes is that they were built so close to the ground in some places that you cannot get under there to treat some of the piers. When you run into that situation, then you need to treat around the piers that you can reach, and then you need to treat around the perimeter of the entire building as well. It is important to understand that subterranean termites colonize in the ground and never in your house. If you have a pier home, then that usually means you have dirt under it. Therefore, it is possible for the termites to colonize directly under the house. That is why we like to treat around each pier. Subterranean termites always return to the colony fairly often to obtain the moisture they need to survive and to feed the other termites in the colony. If you treat around each pier, then it doesn't matter if the colony is directly under the house or not, because they will need to encounter the termiticide on their way to and from the food source. If you cannot treat around one or more of the piers, then that may present the termites with an opportunity to make their way into your house by exploiting the fact that a particular pier, or piers, we're not treated. So, the best you can do is treat the ones that you can treat and then treat around the perimeter as well, hoping that the colony is outside the footprint of the house. If you can see a pier, but you cannot access it, you can shoot a pesticide onto the pier by using a hose end sprayer. Please watch my video on how to treat your yard with a hose end sprayer. Just use the sprayer that I recommend in the video and mix the pesticide as I recommend in the video. Put the sprayer into stream mode and just shoot it onto the piers about every 60 days. This will not treat an existing infestation, but it will prevent new termites from taking that root of entry. While you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to spray the other piers as well, even if you treated them with granules or trenching.
If you have enough space under the house to work, then you can treat all the wood with Bora-Care. You should treat the floor joists on all sides, and the subflooring. That means you need to remove the insulation, treat the wood, and then replace the insulation. It's a lot of work, but this will render that wood termite proof forever. I will give you a video on how to use Bora-Care and a link to the product. Always mix it one to one with water. The label will tell you one to five is okay, but don't believe it. You should do this in addition to the trenching.
The Bora-Care lasts forever, but the Taurus SC only lasts 5 to 10 years for trenching. The Bifen XTS used for spraying with a hose end sprayer only lasts about 60 to 90 days, so I would do that every 60 days.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat your yard with a hose end sprayer: ruclips.net/video/wifoTU5dmp0/видео.html
Bora-Care video: ruclips.net/video/Rmr_aEodyhg/видео.html
Bora-Care: www.domyown.com/boracare-p-100.html?co_var=3
Good info Guy, thanks! How often should we reapply the Taurus SC? Also, my soil is heavy clay so digging a trench is much harder to do. How effective is just pouring the liquid at the soil surface and on the slab edge?
The Taurus SC breaks down within about three months when exposed to sunlight and weather. Also, the termites operate under the ground a few inches, so you need to get it where they travel. If the Taurus is applied in the trench and buried, then it lasts between five to ten years. Seven years is considered the actual lifespan. I hear what you are saying about the clay dirt being hard to dig and that is why I suggest doing it in ten-foot sections. The job does not need to be done in one day, so you could do just one side of the house at a time if you like. You could even do half a side. Also, you don't need to work on it every day. You could do a side of the house every weekend if you like or you could do a ten-foot section every afternoon after work. Do you see what I am saying? Subterranean termites are slow eaters, so Rome does not need to be built in a day. You don't want to make it your life's work, but if you get the whole house trenched in a month, that would be okay. If your home had 40-foot-long walls and you did just 10-feet a day, you would be finished in less than three weeks. I find that the easiest way to do any difficult job is to break it down into smaller parts and do it in baby steps. The longest journey begins with a first step, so start with 10 feet and see how you feel. If you are up for another 10 feet, then go for it. If not, take a break. Before you know it, your home will be treated for subterranean termites. If you have termite damage, then start with that wall first. Also, you may find that the dirt next to the house is easier to dig than in other places. That is because the dirt was probably excavated when the house was built. It depends upon how old the house is.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Thank you for your video. I live in Wake County in NC and had a termite inspector come out and give me a quote using Termidor®, the #1 liquid termite treatment. I was told that he would not drill my garage but put the treatment in(or near) the expansion joints and then on the write-up it states waiving the crawlspace and the garage. He said that waiver wasn't that important and that my entire home will still be covered. I don't know if I trust this contract with these waivers. Should I be concerned? Your answer is truly appreciated.
Let's start with the waiver. When you sign a waiver, you are waiving your rights to legal action. It's that simple. If you get termites in the garage or crawl space, then you cannot sue the company. Most likely he wants that in the contract because he is not certain about where the colony is. Most of the time, the colony is outside the footprint of the house, but every now and then the colony is so close to the house that part of it is actually under the house. When this happens the termites can bypass the pesticide barrier that is placed around the house. Also, if you have a dirt floor in the crawlspace, then a colony could have started under the house as well. So, if the inspector observed something like mud tubes under the crawlspace that are coming up from the ground, or inside a garage wall, then he probably does not want to take chances on getting it wrong. He is probably guessing that they are using the expansion joint as a highway to get in, but he may have doubts about that. My advice would be to get more than one estimate. Please watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. You may also want to inspect yourself. Just go under the crawlspace and look for mud tubes going up the walls from the ground. If you don't see any, then it is most likely that the colony is outside of the footprint of the house. Even if the termites are using the expansion joint, a proper trench treatment should take care of them. If you do see mud tubes in the crawlspace that are in contact with the ground, then they should be trenching under the crawlspace as well. Now, just because you do see these mud tubes under there, doesn't mean you definitely have a colony under the house, but you cannot rule it out either. For that reason, I would trench under the crawlspace. In any case, I don't think I would sign a waiver.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
I have decorative rock over soil. Do you move the rocks before applying the granules so will the granules get down between the spaces of the rock and work as it should? Always, thanks for your help!!!😊
You can apply the granules over the rock. If you have a weed barrier under the rock, it needs to allow water to soak through. Also, keep in mind that for the granules to work you need to have dirt around most of the house and that dirt needs to be porous enough to allow water to seep into the ground fairly quickly. To find out if the dirt around your house is porous enough, just dig a small hole next to the house that is about 4 inches deep, 8 inches long, and just the width of the shovel. Fill the hole with water and watch to see how fast it drains down into the ground. If it seeps into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules should work just fine. However, if it just kind of sits there, then the granules would not be a good choice, and you should consider trenching for an active infestation. If it turns out that you need to trench, then please watch my video on how to do that correctly. Trenching is a lot more work, but it only costs about $100 to do an average size home, and it lasts 5 to 10 years. Most people can trench an entire house in one day, but you can take up to a month to get it done, and you can literally do just 10 feet at a time.
Make sure that you buy the correct granules. You need the ones that have imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell the correct granules, but you can get them from Amazon. I will give you a link to them.
If you do not have an active infestation already, you may want to also consider using monitoring stations around your home. I use both the granules and the monitoring stations. I will give you a link to my video on how to make them for under 50 cents each. I put them around my entire house for less than $25.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k1_1_6&=&crid=157C3RV0MY0AK&=&sprefix=termit
Video on how to make monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks, I did start moving the rock and trenching around my home . I have 1 other Questions. Is it okay to use a non-repellent pesticide in ground when trenching for termites protection and also use a repellent pesticide on top of the soil for other critters? Or should you also use a non-repellent for all the other critters on the top soil and around the house so it doesn’t contaminate the non- repellent pesticide that was trenched an applied under the soil?
@@2romes945 If you routinely do exterior treatments with the repellent pesticide, then I recommend that you do that treatment prior to trenching. Normally we only do the exterior treatment every 60 to 90 days. You can go ahead and trench after treating the exterior of the home, then wait at least 30 days before applying more of the repellent pesticide over the trenched area. The repellent pesticide will not bother the trenching because it will not sink too deeply into the ground. The termites will most likely just go under it. All of that being said, I always use non-repellent pesticides for just about everything. My go-to products for treating the outside of the house are Bifen IT or Bifen XTS. I almost always use Bifen XTS in a hose end sprayer because it is incredibly fast that way. You are not supposed to do it that way because you will be exceeding the quantity of pesticide that you were supposed to reply, but it will not harm you with the environment. The Bifen products are non-repellent, very effective, and they will last 60 to 90 days. I usually apply them every 60 days here in Florida because we have a lot of bugs. Up north, they can be applied less often. I will give you a link to my video on how to treat the exterior of your home. In that video, I explain how to treat your house with a hose in sprayer, as well as the tank sprayer.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat the exterior of your home: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you so much. You are so awesome of a person and so knowledgeable I can’t believe than you help the everyday people for free to save money . Thank goodness that I was using Bifen products for a long time not knowing it was a non- repellent for killing other critters around the house. I’m so happy those products are non repellents. Those repellents seem to kill the critters quickly unlike the Taurus SC use for termites. Thanks again so very much and my God protect you and bless you.
@@2romes945 You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
I have a wet crawl space with active sub terranian termites in south Jersey. I’m in the middle of installing a French drain under there along with a full encapsulation and dehumidifier. I’m planning on spot treating the tubes with the foam than going to buy your red eye monitoring system to put around my yard. I was advised from pest companies not to do a termicide because I have a high water table and more importantly I have well water. And you don’t wanna pump that stuff near a well. I wanted to hear your input thank you
Are you installing the French drain under the crawlspace or on the outside of the building? It sounds like you were doing it under the building, which is okay, but if you do it on the outside of the building, then you don't want to get too close to the house, because that will prevent you from doing termite treatments. I do not necessarily agree with the pest control companies you spoke with about not treating the exterior of the building with a termiticide. I can't help but wonder if they dug any test holes to see if they were able to do a trenching treatment. It's pretty simple really. You just dig holes in several places around the building that are 6 inches deep. If you hit water, then do not trench. If you do not see water, then there is no reason not to trench. The termiticide will bond with soil, so it will not be going anywhere. If your well is not within about 8 feet of the house, then I would not be concerned about it at all. So, if I were you, I would get a shovel I just dig a couple of test holes on each side of the building. If your house fails the hole test, then I would be happy to give you the procedure to spot treat the termites. For spot treating to be effective, you must do it correctly.
Please note that the red eye stations should not be used for an existing infestation. They were designed as a preventive measure only. While they do a wonderful job preventing subterranean termites, they are not a good choice for treating an active infestation. That being said, if you spot treat for the termites, and if it is successful, then installing monitoring stations around the house would be a very good idea. As luck would have it, I am currently in the process of doing the postproduction on a video that will show you how to make your own monitoring stations out of disposable water bottles for under $0.50 each. The red eye stations cost about $15 each, so that is the savings of about $14.50 per station. If you make them yourself, which is super quick and easy to do, you can probably place them around your entire house for under $25, and you can locate them at 4-foot intervals, instead of the 8-foot intervals that you need to use with the red eye stations. That means the termites are way more likely to find them. I expect to have this video released sometime next week. If you subscribe to my channel and click on that little notification bell, then you will get notified when the video is posted.
I hope that helps. Please let me know if the test holes fail, and you need guidance on how to do the spot treatment.
Be well my friend.
If I have a basement which is like 6-8 feet below grade. Do I still use 4 gallons per 10 feet for Taurus Sc? I thought that instructions mention to consider depth…8’x4 = 32 gallons per 10 feet seems like too much. What do you recommend?
The directions on the Taurus SC bottle can be somewhat confusing. You do not need to worry about treating down 8 feet below grade. That does not apply in 99.9% of the cases. That would be for very specific types of problems. All you need to do is just trench 6 inches wide and 6 in deep and do the treatment as I outline in the video, and you should be good to go.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hello from Glendale Arizona.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I have found tunnels inside my house in the bottom of the walls, and, outside of my house in the bottom of the walls where the foundation is. We recently constructed a swimming pool in our back yard, Do you think that can be related with our termites problem?
What treatment do you recommend?
Granulate around the perimeters, like in the first video? Or, should I go to the trench method instead?
Thank you for watching and thank you for reaching out to me. I do not believe that the swimming pool had any effect on the termite situation. However, I must inform you that you live in an area of the country where there are Formosan termites. I'm not saying that this is the species you have, but you need to make sure before you do anything else. That is because Formosan termites cannot be treated with the granules, and they are such ferocious eaters that they can damage a house very quickly. If you have this species, then not only do you need to trench the house, but the entire interior of the building has to be inspected for what we call "cartons." These cartons are created by the termites, so that they can survive inside the building without returning to the ground. They are the only species of subterranean termites that have this ability. All other species of subterranean termites must return to the ground periodically to obtain the moisture they need to survive and to feed the other termites in the colony. When they do, they will pass through the termiticide from the granules or from trenching. They will carry this material back to the colony and share it with the other termites. Then it's lights out for that entire colony. However, since Formosan termites have the ability to colonize in your home, then you have to trench and find those cartons inside your home and remove them.
There are two ways you can find out the species. You can break open one of the mud tubes and collect a specimen with a red head and send me a photo or you can simply call a pest control company and they would be happy to do a free inspection and let you know which species you are dealing with. Pest control companies will always give you a free estimate. Just be sure that they list the exact species on the estimate. Just listing termites or subterranean termites is not good enough. You want them to say something like Eastern subterranean termites, Formosan termites, etc. Also, ask them for a written treatment plan. You want to know exactly how they plan to treat this and what chemicals they plan to use, both inside and outside of your home. All of this information will be helpful to determine if you have Formosan termites. If you do not have Formosan termties, then this is something you can probably treat yourself. If you do have Formosan termite, then this may be something where you want to call in the Calvary. You can certainly treat this yourself, but it is a lot more complex than simply treating plain vanilla subterranean termites.
Please get back to me with either a photo of the specimen, or the results of the inspection and I will be happy to guide you further. If you are taking a photo, make sure that you get a termite with a red head. Put the camera in macro mode and make sure that you focus in as clearly as possible. You want to photograph the termite with its feet down and it's back up. Photos can be sent to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com.
I hope that helps. Be well Damary.
Hi,
Thanks very much for this informative video.
I live in Australia and late spring here.
A week ago Saw thousands of flying termite come out from a tree in the backyard which is just 5M away from my garage.
Do you think most likely I have termite in the house? So far I have Not seen any sings in the house though.
Should I cut that tree down or I can treat it with Termidore HE?
Thanks in advance
Thank you so much for your question. When it comes to termites, Australia can be a bit tricky. That is because you have over 360 different species of termites there. The good news is only a few of them invade homes. Different species of termites behave differently, and you have some species there that behave much differently than the ones we have in America. For example, subterranean termites here only travel a couple of inches below the ground, but that may not be the case in Australia. So, while we only trench about 15 centimeters deep, you may have species that can go under that treatment depth. You may need to treat all the way to the footing. That makes things a lot easier for us that it does for you. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with many of the species that exist where you are. Therefore, I always recommend that people who live in Australia seek professional assistance. At a minimum, you should have somebody inspect your house for termites. I can tell you that one of the species you have are drywood termites. These guys will literally fly to your house and colonize in the wood. We do happen to have them in America, so I am familiar with that particular species. I'm not saying that's what you have, but they are an example of a species that would not leave behind mud tubes as evidence of their existence. Instead, they will typically leave piles of frass. Not always though, because they may be inside the walls, and the frass may be inside the walls as well. Therefore, it is entirely possible to have an infestation without any signs of having one. Again, I have no way of knowing if that is the case with you, but the point is that you need to have someone who knows what they are doing look at the situation.
As for the tree, you can treat that yourself, if you know the species. Any species of subterranean termites can be treated by drilling into the tree, and I will explain how to do that in a moment. Drywood termites would best be treated by removing the tree. If there are termites in the tree, then it is very possible that the tree is dead already. Most species of termites do not eat live wood. Sometimes, the tree is just diseased, and the termites are only eating the dead parts of the tree. However, there are some species that will leave live wood. I'm sorry, I know this is somewhat confusing. So, find out the species. If it's drywood, cut down the tree and remove it. If it's subterranean termites, then determine if the tree is alive or dead and if alive, do you want to save it. If the tree is dead or you don't want to save it, then do the treatment for a dead tree. If the tree is alive and you want to save it, then do the treatment for a live tree. I will explain both below.
TREES THAT ARE ALIVE:
This is something of a Hair Mary Pass, but you can try drilling holes that are about 30 centimeters apart around the base of the tree that are on a downward angle, so that the drill bit is aiming under and to the center of the tree. You want to use a drill bit that is at least 30 centimeters long and at least about 1.3 centimeters wide. The longer the better. After the holes are all drilled, then mix any fipronil product according to label directions and fill up the holes with it. You can mix it in a bucket and use a funnel to get it into the holes. You can also drill some holes down into the ground at a 90 degree angle, that are about 15 centimeters apart, and fill them up with the Taurus SC as well. This is far from a sure thing because you are not drilling into the wood. Drilling into the wood may result in damage to the tree and it may kill it. If you are okay with killing the tree, then use the treatment for dead trees.
DEAD TREES:
Drill holes that are about 30 centimeters apart around the base of the tree that are on a downward angle, so that the drill bit is aiming under and to the center of the tree. You want to use a drill bit that is at least 30 centimeters long and at least 1.3 centimeters wide. The longer the better. Also drill holes right into the tree, a couple of inches above the dirt. You want them about 15 centimeters apart around the entire tree. Drill these holes in a downward angle toward the center of the tree. After the holes are all drilled, then mix any fipronil product according to label directions and fill up the holes with it. You can mix it in a bucket and use a funnel to get it into the holes. You can also drill some holes down into the ground at a 90 degree angle, that are about 15 centimeters apart, and fill them up with the Taurus SC as well. There is a good chance that the termites will contact the Taurus SC and bring it back to the colony and share it with the other termites. This will kill the entire colony. If the colony is dead, then the termites will not be alive to attack you house. After the colony is dead, then remove the tree.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem and I wish I could be of more assistance.
Be well my friend.
Thank you for the very informative video I found mud tubes inside my house inside my closet I have a enclosed unit that my radiant heat valves are located and come up through the concrete slab floor. When taking off the cabinet door to inspect the valves there are active subterranean termites I quickly sprayed with pest killer although I know it only killed what was on the surface and not the colony it is best to use the product you recommended for the local treatment? Second question I had an estimate the estimator told me to drill in my concrete patios near the foundation as the chemical does not travel far due to my large patio the chemical would only go about 3 feet in not far enough as it is over a 10' patio and treating the outside of the patio is too far from the foundation. Any thoughts? The patio borders the lawn so trenching my lawn? Maybe an area I will have to avoid treatment on?
It is never a good idea to treat termites with pesticides that you can get at the big box stores. These are almost always repellent pesticides that will often result in the termites changing location. You may think you killed them, but the truth is that they just moved to another area of your home. You should always treat termites with a non-repellent termiticide.
Pest controllers are taught to drill concrete, so they honestly do not understand that you can just go around it with a trench. If you have a patio that is 10 feet wide from the house to the lawn, then you can trench around it. Think about it for a minute. If you put up four walls and a roof on top of that patio, the pest controller would trench around it. They would not attempt to drill holes through your carpeting or other flooring you had in there. Right? So, why can't you trench around it if there is no structure on it? The answer is that it makes no difference. The only time it would matter is if the termite colony was under the patio, and that is almost never the case.
My advice is to just follow the instructions in my video and make a continuous trench from the road, along the driveway, around the entire house, and then back along the other side of the driveway to the road again. If you do everything exactly as I explained it in the video, then you will have better protection than the professional will give you, and you will do it for about $100.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.