How to Treat a Drywood Termite Infestation Yourself. A MUST see if you have Drywood termites.
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- Опубликовано: 2 фев 2022
- If you cannot afford to have your entire home tented and fumigated, then you MUST watch this video. This is the most comprehensive explanation on how to treat drywood termites yourself. It covers everything from how to find them to how to eliminate them. No other video even comes close to providing all the information that you will get in this video. It's a lot longer than the others, but this is the one that will produce the results that you want.
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.
Now that you have gotten rid of your drywood termites, would you like to know how to keep them away for good? If so, then check out my video on how to do just that.
How to Prevent Drywood Termites video: • How to Prevent Drywood...
I do not receive any sort of compensation for recommending any of the products or suppliers mentioned in my videos or that are listed below. I just try to select the least expensive supplier at the time the video is posted. If you wish to substitute products, just ask me for advice and I will let you know if the product you want to use will work.
Ryobi Tek4 Inspection Scope: smile.amazon.com/Ryobi-Tek4-D...
Stud finder (The one in the video is no longer available, but this one is really good): smile.amazon.com/ProSensor-71...
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro...
Paint mixer drill attachment: smile.amazon.com/Edward-Tools...
Garden sprayer: smile.amazon.com/Flo-Master-H...
Bora-Care: www.solutionsstores.com/bora-...
Taurus SC: www.solutionsstores.com/tauru...
Talstar P: www.solutionsstores.com/talst...
Dye: smile.amazon.com/Monterey-LG1...
Thank you so much for being unselfish and sharing your knowledge. These are hard times and everyone is trying to save every penny they have. Best of health to you in your retirement and God bless you always
Thank you very much Guy, you educated me well with this video. I can't wait to apply everything I just learned from you this weekend. Really appreciate your knowledge sharing.
Keep in mind that you should only do this treatment if you cannot afford to fumigate. Fumigation is the only sure way to eliminate a drywood termite infestation. If you cannot afford to fumigate, then this is probably your best option, but it is not a sure thing. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
You are certainly thorough. Thank you for being so clear and breaking all this down .. i appreciate ur time .. i subbed due to ur awesome character nd ur humbleness. Thank u for being a genuine very unique man. Have a wonderful weekend. Again thank you for the help
Thank you so much for those kind words. It is always my pleasure to help in any way possible. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Be well my friend
Can I apply the foam for existing termites and apply the granules without repairing damage.
@@cconnell8298 Are you targeting drywood termites or subterranean termites? The granules only work for subterranean termites. For subterranean termites, you should use both the granules and the foam. Damage only needs to be repaired if it is either structural or is causing unacceptable aesthetic concerns. I never recommend repairing damaged wood until the infestation has been treated. That is because you can treat the infested wood with the foam, thereby contaminating the food supply. After the infestation is gone, then you can use you judgement about doing repairs.
Keep in mind that for drywood termites the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. My video on how to treat them yourself is only for people who cannot afford fumigation. Any treatment is better than no treatment, but it is unlikely that you will find all the galleries.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Just want to say.. Love your YT channel and the amount of detail given in your videos.
Thank you so much for those very kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
❤️ love your videos! thank you so much for your time:)
It's always my pleasure. Thank you for those kind words. I enjoy your questions. Ge well my friend.
It is a long video, but It is a GREAT and Detailed Video. Thank you so much
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks for the info. Actually Guy, a few months back I commented in one of your videos to which you graciously responded to a question I had and offered advice. In return you asked that I let you know how it went. I am sorry to say that I couldn’t find my original message as I had watched several of your videos and didn’t know where to look. Anyway, I had taken your advice and haven’t seen any further infestations. However, I am sure after watching this video and the fact that I have not seen any subterranean termite tunnels on the 3 foot brick facade that what I had seeing in the craw space joist was dry wood termites; so I am going to try your method of the garden spraying on the floor joist in my crawl space to prevent future problems. Thanks again!
If you are talking about treating the floor joists with Bora-Care, then that is a very good idea. You should do the attic as well. Thanks for watching my videos and for your kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Liked, subbed, and watched the entire video. Thanks Guy
Thank you so much. Greatly appreciated. You made my day. Be well my friend.
I found your channel tonight and have been watching for hours. I'm sure I'm not the only one. You are great at what you do. I'm in Mobile and the red zone for drywood termites. I'm getting holes at the top of my drywall in the bathroom and hall. Do both termites eat holes at the top of the walls?
First of all, I am so sorry that it took so long to get back to you. I usually get back a lot quicker than this, but I ran into a few personal issues over the last few days that really slowed me up with answering questions.
Thank you so much for watching my videos. I am happy to hear that they've been helpful to you.
All termites will create exit holes, and they are often in the drywall. The key to determining if these are dry wood termites is to look for frass. If there is frass under the hole, that is deposited on whatever flat surface is under the hole, then you have drywood termites. If you are not seeing frass, then you are most likely looking at either Formosan termites or a less destructive species of subterranean termites. If there is no frass, then you should inspect the house for mud tubes, and keep an eye out for swarmers. If you find mud tubes, then break them open and try to find a specimen with a red head. You can identify the species by watching my video on how to identify termite species. If you see a swarmer, then take note of the color. If it is all black, then it is a common species of subterranean termites that is easily treated. If it is anything other than black, then it has to be either Formosan or drywood. Formosan termites do not produce frass. Drywood termites do not make mud tubes. The video will explain what all of this looks like and where to look for it.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
I am so glad I found your RUclips page. You have so much great information. Quick question, I saw a swarm of termites outside by our brick wall. It was probably 5 to 8 feet away from the house. I had a pest company come out, but he said the house is fine from termites because of the location of the swarm. Is that true? There was some dead ones in a bucket of water and he identified them as dry wood termites. Should I be worried? I’m not sure where to look for them in my house. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for reaching out to me. I am so sorry to have to tell you that I totally disagree with the pest controller that came out to your house. While I cannot say for sure that you have a drywood termite infestation, I do think you certainly have cause for concern. Finding drywood termite swarmers 8 feet from your house is a huge red flag. If the pest controller did not look inside your house, then he was totally incompetent. It is very common for drywood termites to enter your house through the eaves and establish residence in your attic. Then they will eventually swarm in your attic and move to other areas of your home, including inside your walls. It is also common for them to enter around doors and windows. Therefore, a competent pest controller would have inspected both outside and inside your home, around windows and doors and definitely in the attic. You can do this yourself, but you are not going to have the same level of experience that a professional would have. If I were you, I would get at least another couple of pest controllers in to inspect your home to see if you have an infestation. If you would like to do this yourself, then go in the attic and look for frass and kick out holes. Frass looks a little like sawdust and you will typically find it just below tiny kickout holes in the wood. Also look for frass inside the house as well. We typically see it near baseboards, but you can also find it in and below your cabinets as well. Many people do not know this, but termites also eat drywall. So, look for areas of the walls and ceilings that appear to be discolored, sagging, or have tiny holes. Even if you do not see any of this sort of thing, it doesn't mean that you're off you are okay. Drywood termites can be very difficult to find and even the best professionals can miss them. That is because these guys can enter around your windows and doors and may have their kickout holes in the sides of the studs that are inside the walls. Therefore, they could be eating away at your home and you would never know that you have them. That means, even if you have a couple of professionals inspect your home, they may not find anything, even though you are infested. So, after you get a couple of inspections done, even if they don't find anything, you ought to keep an eye out for the signs of an infestation that I already spoke about. If you have an inspector that does find drywood termites, then please do not sign a contract. You never want to take the first offer that is put on the table. The only way to eliminate a drywood termite infestation entirely is to fumigate. Some pest controllers will tell you they can spot treat for it, but that will end up costing you more money in the long run, so don't fall for it. If you have drywood termites, then the smart move is to fumigate and I can tell you that prices in this industry can vary quite a bit. I have seen prices for fumigation vary as much as $2000 for the same job. So, it definitely pays to shop. Always get at least three estimates and preferably even more. The more estimates you can get the better.
One thing you know for certain now is that you do have drywood termites in the area. That means you are vulnerable to attack at any time. Therefore, you should immediately begin a preventive treatment program. Unfortunately, this is something that most pest control is will not do. Therefore, this is something that you must do yourself, every three months. I have a video on how to do it and I will place a link below. Don't worry though. It is not that hard to do and it is perfectly safe.
I am so sorry that I had to be the one to give you all this bad news, but at least now you know the truth about drywood termites. Please feel free to ask me all the questions you like. I am always here to help.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Hi Guy, I'm so glad to find your videos. I've found kickout holes... and would love to use FiPro to spot treat those areas. However, I'm located in NY - there is shipping restriction! Is there any other foam/indoor product(s) for termites you'd recommend? I've tried to drill & treat some spots in my basement (where the wood started to shred into pieces) with Termidor foam - however, my weekend treatment did not seem to work - the wood spots keep on shredding! Should I apply the Bora-Care solution direction to those infected areas? Many thanks for your responses!
The first thing you should know is that you do not have drywood termites. I know this because drywood termite are not in New York. If these guys are termites, then they are subterranean termites. New York has the most restrictive pesticide laws in the United States, so you can't buy pesticide or get them shipped to you. However, you can drive to New Jersey and buy termite granules from Home Depot. You need to be careful though. There are two kinds of granules. You need the one that has an active ingredient of imidacloprid. I am providing a link below to Amazon. They will not ship it to you, but this will let you see what the product looks like. So, select a Home Depot store that is in New Jersey, and call ahead to see if they have the correct product. If so, then just go get it. I have a video on how to use it and I will give you a link to that video. If you know somebody that lives in New Jersey, then you can have the product shipped there, and you can just pick it up. Also, if you know somebody that lives in New Jersey, you can get Taurus SC shipped there, and you can use that to trench around the outside of your house. That would also allow you to buy a very effective foam that you can use to spot treat as well. Another option is to rent a UPS box, so that you would have a New Jersey address to ship to. Let me know if you want to go that route or if you have a friend in New Jersey, and I will provide you with the information you need to do the trenching and the spot treatment, and to purchase the correct products. 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/BIOADVANCED-700350A-Perimeter-Treatment-Granules/dp/B000RUIJYM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1DK8U0I9R4XMX&keywords=termite+killer&qid=1679562436&sprefix=termite%2Caps%2C280&sr=8-6
thank you for this amazing video,and you taking the time to respond to my question that really means a lot. See I just recently found them and they are only on one spot on my home , so I was wondering if I can exterminate them all before they become more and to other areas of my home. You think if I spray that Taurus sc or the bora-care will kill them without me having to get the home tented? Thank you for your time.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that the termites are not limited to just one area, so treating just one area is not going to get it done. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I know that's not what you were hoping to hear, but it's the truth.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat your yard. You only need to treat the exterior of the house for drywood termites): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Hey there, Guy!
Thank you for this video on DIY drywood termite control. What perfect timing because the foamer I purchased several weeks ago finally shipped because of a big backorder and is coming very soon. I am so ready to go at the drywood termites already.
So anyway I just saw this upload on my RUclips feed tonight. It's getting rather late where I am, so I'm going to have to watch the whole video soon tomorrow. Thank you, Guy! I really appreciate you, sir. I know I am going to learn a lot from this video and several of your other new drywood termite control videos.
You got a thumbs up! 👍
Thank you so much for those kind words. You made my day. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am always here to help.
@@GuysPestSolutions ✌️Absolutely!
So I finally got a chance to watch the entire video and it is very helpful when you show us how to do things that are explained visually with examples. I really appreciate the great advice too.
Thanks, Guy.
@@willitine Thank you for those kind words. A lot of people crank out videos every week, but they just talk. It takes a long time to produce a video with examples and detailed explanations, but I think it's worth taking the time to make in depth videos and it's worth the time to watch them as well. The problem is that many people will not take the time to watch a video that is more than a few minutes long. So, a lot of RUclipsrs will brush over information that you need in order to keep the video short. My philosophy is different. I am not in it for the money. I do get some revenue from ads that RUclips places on my videos, but it's not much because most people won't watch a long video. I don't care though. My only motivation is to provide the best information possible. So, I always tell people to watch the other videos first and, if they don't work, then come back to me. I do not know how to explain years of training and experience in five minutes, but I promise that, if you do what I describe in my videos, it will work as promised. I just wish more people would take the time to learn how to do it right. So, you should be proud of yourself that you did take the time to learn about how to get it done correctly. You were my target audience and I am honored that you took the time to watch. If you are happy with my content, then please click on that share button and pass me along to others. My goal is to help as many people as I can and most of my traffic comes from referrals and not searches for me. Most folks that search, see the length of my videos, and they go elsewhere. So, most of the views come from folks who learned about me from friends and family members. So, please share me. Thanks.
Hi Guy! Thanks for the great videos.
On my search for products besides Fipronil I'm seeing more Bifenthrim is this as an effective a product as the Fipronil or something totally different?
Bifenthrin is a great pesticide and I use it all the time, but you cannot use it to treat drywood termites. However, you can use it to prevent drywood termites. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that works for a lot of pests, including the prevention of drywood termites, but you do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites, so just ignore that part of the video. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well Ann.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Hello Guy! Your videos and knowledge are awesome! We're in SoCal have drywood and subter termites. We have somewhat of a unique building design. There is a crawl space adjacent to the garage that is slab. The crawl space has sand at the base and perimeter cinder block with wood above it. I understand the bora care is great for the exposed wood and cinder block. However what's the best treatment for the sand below? Never gets wet or rain. Thanks a bunch bud! We will be doing preventative care on exterior of building with taurus sc. and granules around the outside perimeter.
Keep in mind that boric acid does not work if it gets wet. Also, use it only on dry areas that cannot be disturbed by people, pets, weather, or air currents. Here's the thing about crawlspaces and termites. If they are subterranean and you do not see any mud tubes coming from the ground up, then there is no need to treat under there. If there are mud tubes on the walls, coming from the ground, then you need to trench under the crawlspace. I have a video on the proper way to trench and I will give you a link for it.
If you treated the perimeter with the granules, then that should do a good job on the subterranean termites, but you may want to give that process a boost. If you find mud tubes anywhere, then break open about two inches of each tube and shoot some fipronil foam into each side of the tube and on the surface where you removed it. This will really get the process going. I will give you a link to it. Let me know if they will not ship to California and I will recommend a different product or different supplier. Also, be sure that you used the correct granules. Most Home Depot and Lowes stores are not selling the right ones anymore. They are now selling the 700370 version, but only the 700350A version will work. You know that you have the wrong one if the label says that you need to treat every 30 days. I will give you a link to the correct product, just in case. They look very similar.
As for the drywood termites, I have to tell you that the only thing that can ensure total elimination of these guys is fumigation. Subterranean termites are easy, but drywood termites are not. The problem with drywood termites is finding them. If you can find them, then you can kill them, but it is not easy to find them. So, you may want to think about fumigation. If you do, then always get several estimates. Price can vary wildly in this industry, so it pays to shop.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to trench for termites: ruclips.net/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/видео.html
Fipronil foam: smile.amazon.com/BASF-805571-Termidor-Termiticide-Insecticide/dp/B07QWMJ7JM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=PW594N2DTY21&keywords=fipronil+foaming+aerosol&qid=1656054769&sprefix=fipronil+foam%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-6
BioAdvanced Termite Killer 700350A: 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=5bb938ce-d9c6-450a-8d38-d6cc8e3bcbab&pd_rd_w=uiK07&pd_rd_wg=dzc0I&pf_rd_p=14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34&pf_rd_r=4XEGY3RJN19MHRQQ3NKK&psc=1&qid=1656021167&sr=1-1-f0029781-b79b-4b60-9cb0-eeda4dea34d6
Very informative and valuable video!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thank you for the information! I do have a question. When doing the attic after spraying can I put the insulation back right after or do I have to wait for the Boracare mix to dry? Thank you and have a nice day!
You can replace the insulation immediately. Be well my friend.
THANK YOU so much, I am about to treat our entire cabin now I know what I am doing. I hear the poisons today are crap anyhow do more damage than good. God bless you mate for sharing your time & expertise. What a great guy you are Guy ! God bless. Cheers from a Canadian in Australia.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. I will give you a link to a company that ships to Australia. Be well my friend.
www.desertcart.com.au/search/pesticide
Thank you this has been educational.. I had add a fumigation done and sprayed the attic but I'm not satisfied not satisfied. So so do I do the board acid and use the granules or do I I'm confused Taurus SC?
I'm sorry. I know this stuff can be very confusing. Let me see if I can unpack some of this for you. You see, termites come in two basic flavors. There are subterranean termites and there are drywood termites. As the name implies, subterranean termites live underground, and they never colonize in your house. They just go there to eat because your house is their favorite restaurant. They always return home to the colony to obtain the moisture that they need to survive and to feed the other termites in the colony. So, subterranean termites always attack from the ground up. That is why we can simply use the granules around the perimeter of the house to wipe out the colony in most cases. Drywood termites are much different. They are not subterranean at all. These guys do not live in the ground. They colonize inside your home. Therefore, treating the perimeter of your house with the granules would be ineffective against them. Unlike their subterranean cousins, drywood termites literally fly to your house and enter through cracks and crevices around the windows and doors or around the eaves of the house. The only guaranteed way to get rid of them is to fumigate. The problem is though that the gas they use to fumigate has no residual action, and so you can get reinfested the same day that the tent comes down. If you have drywood termites, then it's a sure bet that your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm for several months every year, it is almost a certainty that you will get reinfested within a year after the fumigation has been done. Somehow, it always seems to slip the mind of the company doing the fumigation to mention this to you. The thing is though that you can prevent this from happening by doing a preventive treatment every two months. Even though you do not have subterranean termites, you should still treat with the granules every year around the perimeter of the hose to prevent subterranean termites. I will provide a link to that video.
Now, let's talk about how all of this relates to you personally. If you had a fumigation done, then you had a drywood termite infestation, because they only do fumigations for drywood termites and never for subterranean termites. So, the question becomes, "How long ago did you have the fumigation done?" If it was within the last week or so, then you may get lucky if you start doing the preventive treatment right now. If the fumigation was done a few months ago, then it is likely that you are already reinfested. You may not know that you were reinvested because it can take years before you notice the damage or see new swarmers. That is because it can take between four to seven years before a gallery is mature enough to produce swarmers. Also, galleries start with just a king and a queen, so it takes a while before there are enough termites for you to start seeing the damage. I always hate being the bearer of bad news, but the truth is, if that fumigation was done more than a few weeks ago, then you are probably going to need to do fumigate again. You may not be seeing any evidence of termites right now, but you will. It's just a matter of time.
If I were you, I would begin doing the preventive treatment immediately, to stop even more termites from entering the building. I will place a link below for my video on how to do that. In the video, I recommend doing the treatment every three months, but I am rethinking that, and now I think it is best to do it every two months. That is because the pesticide is going to lose effectiveness over time, and it will not be as effective in the third month as it is in the first two months. Therefore, I started treating my house every two months, because it really doesn't make sense to take chances with drywood termites.
If you wish to treat the attic, then you should do it with Bora-Care, mixed one to one with water. The label will tell you that you can mix it one to five, but that will not work as well. If you watched my video on how to treat drywood termites yourself, then you know that I have a procedure for that in the video. If you have an unfinished basement or crawl space, then it is a good idea to treat that with Bora-Care as well.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem and I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to ask all the questions you like. I am always here to help.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Video on how to prevent subterranean termites with granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Hi Guy, I have been watching all of your videos recently and want to say thank you for all the tips and help you're providing. I am looking at purchasing my first home. However, the home has a crawl space with limited access underneath. It is approximately 17" from the grade to the bottom of the floor joists. My question is, would this be enough space for a termite company to come in and do a good job to treat the floor joists under the house? I appreciate all your help and hope to hear back from you.
A pest control company will almost never treat under the house. There are exceptions, but most of the time subterranean termites can be treated simply by digging a trench around the outside of the house and pouring in a termiticide. If you have drywood termites, then the only way to get rid of them is to fumigate. The only reason they would need to go under the house is to inspect. If there are mud tubes under there that are coming from the ground, then they would need to trench under the house, but this is rarely the case. They never treat the joists. If you are buying this house, then you should get a termite inspection done by a pest control company and not a home inspector. Home inspectors often miss termite problems. If there are termites, then the seller should pay to fix the problem. If they find drywood termites, then insist on a fumigation and not a spot treatment. Spot treatments never work.
You should also inspect yourself. Don't just trust the pest control company. Have a look at my video on how to identify termite species. Don't worry. It's not that hard. In fact, it is quite easy. If you see mud tubes, then you have subterranean termites. If you have kick out holes and frass, you have drywood termites. No mud tubes, no kick out holes, and no frass, then you most likely have no termites. This is not always the case, and that is why you want a pro to look at it, but this is usually the case. I will give you a link to that video. Very important. Pest controllers can be a lazy lot. Most of them will not inspect in the attic, so you need to do it yourself. Most drywood termite infestations start in the attic and that is why many pest controllers will miss it. There may also be Formosan termites up there as well that are creating mud tubes. I strongly recommend watching my video and inspecting yourself. You should also have a look under the house for the same signs of an infestation. If the house is that close to the ground, then they may not go under there to inspect.
After you buy the house, you can prevent subterranean termites for about $50 a year, and it only takes an hour to do. If you live in the red or orange areas on the map in my video, then you can also prevent drywood termites for about $10 a month. Let me know if you are interested in that and I will tell you how.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/mY4FMvAHrMA/видео.html
Thank you so much for this valuable information. I was planning to do a Bora-Care treatment in my attic and crawlspace and the Tarus SC outside. But I'm in California and recently found out these products are not available to ship to CA. Can you recommend any replacements?
There is no need to use alternative products. Domyown.com will ship to California. I will give you the links to all the products below. Keep in mind that your initial treatment should be done with Taurus SC, but you need to continue doing treatments every three months and those can be done with either Talstar P or Bifen IT. The Talstar P and the Bifen IT are the same product, except that the Bifen IT is just a little bit cheaper. You can also alternate between the Taurus SC and the Bifen IT every three months. If you have carpenter ants, then most likely, you only have a satellite colony inside your house. The main colony is someplace outside in a dead tree stump or something. That is the reason you need to treat every three months. If you don't do that, then you are probably going to get reinvested.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Bora-Care: www.domyown.com/boracare-p-100.html?sub_id=554
Taurus SC: www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-termiticide-p-1816.html
Talstar P: www.domyown.com/talstar-professional-insecticide-p-97.html
Bifen IT: www.domyown.com/bifen-it-p-226.html?sub_id=11662
Thank you for the information, I'll like to know if you know of any similar product that I can buy in CA
All the products are available from domyown.com. They will ship to California. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a new video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard for drywood termites. Just the house): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Hi Guy - I came across your videos on RUclips. I have seen a few of them. I admire you for the amount of content and its usefulness, in the videos I have seen. I have a Q about what looks like Frass, but I am not sure. Can I attach pictures to show you what I am talking about? Thank you. Sumesh
Frass is actually fairly easy to identify because there is always a kick out hole just above where you see it, and it always looks like little pellets. With other wood destroying insects that produce frass, it looks more like a fine powder. So, if they look like tiny pellets, then they are drywood termites. If you like, you can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. The problem I usually run into with photos though is that most people are not very good at taking them. Most of the time, they are out of focus and lack the detail that I need to figure out what's going on. You need to pretty much fill the frame with the pile of frass, and make sure that it is perfectly in focus. If you can get me a good photo, that I can tell you immediately if you are looking at drywood termite frass. I am more than happy to have a go at it. Please remind me of the problem when you send the e-mail and give me your RUclips name.
Be well my friend.
Ty for the detailed info. I have quite a bit of liquid termidor left. Can I make the holes in wall and apply or do I really need to use the foam? Ty
You really do need the foam. The difference is that the foam expands to several times it's original size, so it gets into the deepest parts of the galleries. The liquid just won't get it done. Sorry about that. Be well my friend.
Thank you for sharing your knowlege.
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Well worth it. Thank you !
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Love the video’s…. THANK YOU!!!!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Greatly appreciated. Be well my friend.
First off this is exactly what I've been searching for the last week. I want to thank you for the time that you spent to make this video. I am about halfway through with the video and I have a quick question. What if you have that old cotton candy style insulation in between the wall boards wouldn't the frass get stuck in there and not fall to the bottom? Also if you did see frass on the bottom and you only treated the two wall studs what about the crossmember at the very top shouldn't that be treated? I'm referring to the cross member at the very top where the wall meets the ceiling
Let me start by saying that you are a very smart man. You are absolutely correct regarding both points. It is very common for exterior walls to be insulated and, yes, that may prevent the frass from falling to the bottom of the wall void. Also, the horizontal 2 X 4’s on the top of those exterior walls, and the interior walls as well, should also be treated. The problem is, how do you get to them? About the best you can do is to treat your attic with Bora-Care, which is explained later in the video. The points you are making are just some of the reasons why I always tell people that spot treating for termites is far from a sure thing. The truth is that the only sure way, that I am aware of, to totally eliminate a drywood termite infestation is to fumigate. The only reason I did the video was because I understand that fumigation is expensive and there are people who simply cannot afford to get it done. For anybody that can afford to get fumigation done, then they should totally forget about this video and go get it treated correctly. However, if you simply do not have the resources to get your home fumigated, then this video is about the best treatment option that you are going to find anywhere on the Internet. It is certainly not a perfect solution because of the exact reasons you mentioned, and some other reasons as well, but it's better than doing nothing. Still, I do not wish to misrepresent the effectiveness of this procedure. I can almost guarantee that you are not going to find all the galleries in your home. Spot treating for drywood termites is kind of like playing whack a mole. It is very predictable that you are going to continue to see galleries cropping up and the worst part is that you may not see those galleries until there is structural damage. That is the absolute, honest truth.
While I do appreciate your very kind comments, at the same time, I want you to understand that you did not strike gold here. I like to think that this is the best video on the Internet if you must treat for drywood termites yourself, but this is not even close to being the best solution.
I would urge you to also check out two of my other videos that are very important for you to watch. Please watch my video on drywood termite treatment options. I think you are going to find it very educational and worthwhile watching, if you need to treat for drywood termites. Also, you should know that, if you have drywood termites, then I can guarantee you that your neighbors have them as well. That means, even if you fumigate and kill all the drywood termites in your home, you are going to get re-infested within the first year after the tent comes down. That is because fumigation provides no residual action. If you do not fumigate, then you are going to continuously get more and more drywood termites in your home because they will still keep coming from the neighbors, on and on without end. Therefore, I recommend that you watch my video on how to prevent a drywood termite infestation. This treatment will do nothing to treat an existing infestation, but it will prevent anymore drywood termites from entering your home. I will provide a link for both videos.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Drywood termite treatment options video: ruclips.net/video/iD6NTU16-XQ/видео.html
How to prevent a drywood termite infestation video: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you for the detailed response. The way I look at it is if I can get rid of most of the drywoods and a couple galleries remain at least I stop the damage on those specific pieces of wood and I can get "practice" at finding these termites. I first have to determine if they are drywoods and not subs....
Quick question....on a mobile home where termites can easily get under the home and build mud tunnels up...would they be nesting right under the home or would they be nesting outside the perimeter of the home? Reason I ask is because I obviously would just trench the perimeter to eradicate the problem rather than crawling underneath but I wouldn't want to waste my time trenching the perimeter if it didn't kill all the termites...
Other quick question is about the use of a stethoscope to help locate termites in the walls/floors/ceiling joists....would that potentially work? I wanted to buy that termatrac but they want 5 grand for it! 3 grand for the radar only version! I wish they made one of those for home owners...I bet they would make more profit selling to the DIYers than selling the high price to the pest controllers
@@macknumber9 You make a good point about reducing the amount of damage by reducing the number of galleries. This is certainly true and it is also true that you will get better at finding galleries over time. So, while you most likely will not stop the carnage, you can slow it down and that is the reason I did this video. If you cannot afford to kill all the termites, then do your best to kill as many as possible.
Most of the time a subterranean colony is located within 300 feet of the center of the home. In the case of a mobile home, it is certainly possible that the colony could be under the structure, but most likely it is not. In the case of subterranean termites, they must build mud tubes from the ground up and cannot just fly into your home the way drywood termites do. So, we treat the ground. In the case of any structure that uses piers for support, the ideal way to treat is to trench around each pier. That way it does not matter where the infestation is located. The problem is when the home is too close to the ground and you cannot access the piers to trench. Then the best you can do is to trench the piers you can access and also trench around the perimeter of the home. Additionally, you can treat the underside of the home and the piers you cannot reach with a pesticide. There is an easy way to do that, but I cannot discuss it in an open forum. There are reasons for that. If you want more information on how to do it, then please email me at guyspestsolutions@gmail.com.
Drywood termites do make noise when they eat, but I don't know if you would be able to hear them by using a stethoscope. It's possible, if the colony is close enough to the surface and is large enough. So, it may help to find some of them, but would not be a solution for finding all the galleries. You may not find any that way. I don't know of anyone who has had success with it, but I always keep an open mind. Please let me know if it works for you and I will share that information with others.
I hope that helps.
Thanks for the informative video, I got a question. Once I find the stud I will drill holes spaced about 4 inches from top to bottom but is actually on the stud and not the void space between studs, correct? I want to make sure Im drilling holes 1.5 inches into the stud. (that is including the drywall) I hope it make sense what Im asking.
Yes. You drill into the studs and not the voids. The termites do not live in the voids. Just the wood. You can drill up to 3 inches into the stud and they should be every 4 inches apart. Keep in mind that this treatment is kind of a Hail Mary Pass. Let me explain.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below.
If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself, like I explain in the video you watched. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
My attic space is tight, what type of sprayer is best to lug around for the bora-care? 0:01
Also, does the bora-care treatment kill any existing termites in attic or is it just a preventative measure; if so, should I fumigate or use some other product after the bora-care dries? Thank you so much for the information it is very educational.
I always use the cheapest one gallon garden sprayer that I can find. You can get them on Amazon for around $12. The Bora-Care will clog up a sprayer really fast, so I just throw it away at the end of the job.
Any wood that you treat with Bora-Care will kill all the termites in the wood and it will render that word permanently terminate proof.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Treating the attic with Bora-Care is still a good idea, but that will not treat the walls. Prices for fumigation can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
I live in Florida and thank you!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Hello, the products you mentioned are not shipped/sold to my state. I have wood termites in my old home just purchased. Is there something like a gas bomb I can throw into the attic to kill termites? What other generic products do you recommend? I have recently remodeled my home too and did not realize termites were a problem I should’ve treated before drywall/painting. I see a lot of wood shavings from termites all around the exteriors of my house. And I found 3 flying termites within my house the other day. I watched your whole video and really enjoyed your thorough explanation I wish I could follow the steps with the products. I am in CA. We have considered just fumigating but after purchasing the home we are just trying to save as much money as possible. Thank you for your time
You can purchase all the products from domyown.com. They will ship to California. That being said, it is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. Since you renovated, if you didn't see any frass in the wall voids, then you may not have termites in the walls that were exposed, but since you are seeing swarmers, you clearly do have an infestation somewhere, and they will eventually find their way into the walls. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in several locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. I understand that money is tight right now, so if you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. The only good thing about drywood termites is that they are slow eaters, so you do have some time to save up for the fumigation. Don't wait too long though because they will eventually cause structural damage. This usually takes a few years, but who knows how long they have been eating already?
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard, just the exterior of the house): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Hello Guy. I’ve watched your videos on Drywood Termites a couple times now along with some from other RUclips channels. Thank you very much for the detail and depth of knowledge you provide as it is not something I have found anywhere else.
I live in Florida and recently started a remodel of the second floor of my house. After pulling the carpet I found frass and then noticed a whole bunch of discarded wings on one of the windowsills. I’ve opened up three of the walls and found a lot of frass and two colonies in the 20 foot wall under the window sill. I have also signs of activity (frass and very slight wood damage) in the two other walls I’ve opened as well as in the 3/4 inch plywood floor under 2 walls. I can see how they travel through the holes for the electrical wiring for sure. Nothing in the attic. Nothing in the two attics downstairs either. (The upstairs just goes over the middle of the house).
I plan on pulling up the two floorboards that have slight damage tomorrow to take a look at what’s what underneath. I’ve pulled the wood baseboards off every wall in each room upstairs and besides the areas I’ve mentioned, I see no frass nor have I encountered any soft spots in the walls and no kick out holes. Also no wings on any other sills. I did identify two holes in the stucco just outside the sill where I did see the wings. I am not done inspecting downstairs yet and for the next two weeks will be focusing on the upstairs.
I wanted to get your opinion on my plan of action for the upstairs and ask a couple questions. I am not going to fumigate at this time.
I have Bora Care, Termidor SC and Termidor foam. I’ll be drilling holes 4 inches apart into the beams that have the colonies and damage I’ve identified, and using the foam.
I was thinking that since I have the drywall partly off these walls and can access all the wood inside that I’d also treat all the wood with the Termidor SC and then with BoraCare. From what I’ve read the Termidor SC is for outdoor use or wall voids.
Obviously I will be treating all attics with BoraCare as well as all eaves.
I plan to treat the remaining walls upstairs with BoraCare. There is insulation in each void.
Questions:
1. Do you think spraying the Termidor SC into the areas I opened up is overkill because I’m also hitting the studs with the foam and all wood with BoraCare?
2. In the remaining walls I’d planned to drill three holes for each void. One next to each stud at the top of each wall/Void and one in the middle. Then applying BoraCare through either a foamer or mister so that it covers each stud. From the middle hole (actually from all 3 holes) I believe I can get the sprayer behind the insulation and foam/mist down the entire panel of wood. Is this a reasonable way to approach this? Do you think that a coating of Termidor SC would also be reasonable in the voids?
3. Assuming I do not find significant damage under the floorboards that I do pull up, do you think drilling holes in the others and foaming/misting BoraCare into the voids in there is the right approach? Again, would a coating of Termidor SC also be reasonable?
4. Your opinion on whether using a foamer or mister is better?
I’ll be spraying into the holes in the stucco of course and then sealing them. I still have more work to do to see if there are any other penetrations they’re getting through also with a more thorough inspection of the first floor.
Thanks Guy. I think that’s enough for now. I value your opinion and am grateful for the gift of your time and knowledge. It’s really great material and I appreciate the thoroughness that stems from your desire to get it right, convey it right, point out pitfalls and help others get it right.
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. If you are certain that these are drywood termites, then I must tell you that fumigation is the only sure way to get rid of them. That being said, any wood that you treat with Bora-Care will be rendered permanently termite proof, but you must do it correctly. Always mix it one to one with water. Do not believe the label when they tell you to mix it one to five. Applying Taurus SC on top of the wood will not be effective. For fipronil to be effective you really need to inject it into the galleries. The best way to do that is with a foam.
Insulation in the voids is not a good thing. It is always a good idea to remove the insulation and treat under it. If that is not practical, then make sure that you treat all sides of the wood framing. A foamer does a good job with this type of application.
If you are going to treat studs with Bora-Care and the wall has drywall over it, then you must use a foamer. Simply spraying a liquid in there is probably not going to get it done. If you are buying a foamer, do not cheap out on it. Cheap foamers do not always work all that well and can be very time-consuming to use. If you are going to do a lot of studs, then I recommend getting an electric B&G. I will give you a link to it. The best way to use the foamer is to drill a hole at the top of the wall a couple of inches from the stud and you want that whole angled so that the foamer tip can come in contact with the stud. The problem with this method is that you cannot see what is going on behind the wall, so it's kind of a hit and miss proposition. You could make another hole halfway down the wall to do a better job.
If you do everything right, then you should have pretty good results. The problem is always that it's hard to treat all the wood. When you are spraying in the attic, make sure that you catch the roof underlayment as well. Keep in mind that the termites can get into anything that is made out of wood. So, make sure that you treat inside the eaves as well. After you finish the job, make sure that you continuously inspect for drywood termites. Mostly, look for frass, kick out holes, and exit holes. Keep in mind that you may have these guys in your cabinets and furniture too.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
B&G foamer: www.domyown.com/bg-versafoamer-4000-p-1912.html
@@GuysPestSolutions
Thanks Guy. I just checked on the B&G foamer and it says “May take 6 weeks before shipping”. Is there perhaps another one you’d recommend?
As for fumigation, yes I do understand it is the only way to be sure to kill all termites and I may go this route in the future but it would be too disruptive at this point in time. I also want to get as much future protection as I can with BoraCare.
I have a friend who is a General Contractor with a lot of experience building houses helping me on this project therefore I am not concerned with the size of the holes or the pieces of drywall we cut out to make sure we have access to the studs as well as the wood behind the insulation between the studs. It seems to me that if we cut in the top of each void, whether it be a large enough hole or a 1 inch strip across the top of each void, and ensure the foamer tip is hitting the wood behind the insulation, that the foam will then flow down the wood panel. Perhaps with a one inch strip the foamer tip can be moved side to side to ensure better coverage. I think we will test a couple voids first by also cutting a 1 inch strip at the bottom of the void and seeing how well the foam flows down and hits the horizontal stud. That may give us a better idea of how much foam to use.
@@Turnthepage3700 The only good news about drywood termites is that they are very slow eaters. You do have the time to wait 6 weeks to get the foamer. You can buy one that you hand pump, but it just goes so much faster with the electric one. I thought you would faint when you saw the price on the electric one. Lol. It's insane what they get for them, but that is the one you want if you are doing an entire house. The pump up one is in stock and will ship within a day. Remember that with foamers you get what you pay for. B&G is the only foamer I would use.
Your solution for cutting open the wall should work well, but that's a lot of repairs. It's a lot easier to repair a small hole. Maybe just do one that way to get an idea of how to do it and how much foam to use. You could also consider having someone watch the stud with a borescope while you are applying the foam. If you do that, get one that comes with it's own screen. Don't buy one that connects to your phone. They do not offer enough light.
I hope it goes well for you. Be well my friend.
B&G pump up foamer: www.domyown.com/bg-versafoamer-hh-gallon-foamer-p-1696.html
Guy good afternoon I am building a new home in Wichita ks, I have built a few before and during those builds i was able to use Chlordane by pouring around the basement foundation and it worked great. Fast forward you can't find it anymore the EPA say it was bad but it sure did work. I am looking to treat my home before framing starts and need some advice. I have not backfilled the basement yet will do in about 10 days so I have the perfect opportunity to do a diy termite treatment. I am looking to spray the foundation after waterproofing is done. I have a 120 gallon spray tank in my gator so I think I have a great rig to use. I have watch many of you videos and still need a bit of help on the concentration to use, and how much to apply by sprain application. I like the fipronil which has a few trade names. I can spray the entire foundation basement if needed, I don't belive permits are a great issue around here and I will have a minimum clearance of 10" between any ground and the James Hardie siding. I would like to ask for your suggestions, And Your videos are great as an engineering I really do appreciate your detail. Thanks John Sutherland Is you would rather call my cell is 720-320-6678
I am so glad that you reached out to me before you started framing. Chlordane certainly was an effective product. The only problem with it was that it was also highly toxic. So, the EPA banned its use in the late 1990s. Not to worry though. I can tell you how to make your entire home 100% termite proof and the treatment is going to last virtually forever. This is not the cheapest way to do it, but did I mention that it's permanent? We could certainly go with the ground method of using fipronil, but that is only going to last a maximum of about 10 years. So, instead of treating the ground, we can treat the wood because you are going to have it all exposed. After, hearing my suggestion on how to treat the wood, if you still want to treat the ground instead, then I have a video on how to properly trench around your house and I will share a link to that video.
My recommendation is to treat the wood and some other materials in the structure with Bora-Care. I do not happen to have a video on how to do that, but there are other videos on the web that are pretty good and I will share a couple of links for you. I do it a little bit different than most people and, of course, I think that my way is better. Most people are going to mix the Bora-Care at a ratio of one part product to five parts water. I think that is a mistake. The label does tell you that you can do this, but you would be much better served to spend the money and mix the product one part Bora-Care to one part water. The reason for this is that concentration is important. Mixing the product one to one is going to kill termites much faster than mixing it one to five. In other words, this will make the product way more effective. Since you are only doing this one time, you may as well do it the most effective way possible. This is not a cheap product, so it is going to cost a lot more money to do it my way. So, you can decide for yourself. Either way though, whether you mix it one to five or one to one, it will still do the job. It's just that by mixing the product one to five the termites are going to be eating for a little while longer before the entire colony is wiped out. It will still get them, just a bit slower. A couple of other things that I do differently than most people is I treat the entire foundation, both inside and outside, because this product can be applied to almost any surface, including concrete. I also apply it on the entire subfloor, both the top and the bottom, and all the floor joists as well. I also apply the product on all the plumbing and wiring in the entire shell that is below a two or three-foot mark from the floor up. That is to say, I treat everything from the footing up to about a two to three-foot mark from the subfloor up the walls, both inside and outside, before the finished siding, insulation, or drywall are installed. This way, the termites will have no choice but to encounter this material when they reach your home. You can apply this product with a very cheap garden sprayer that you can throw away at the end of the process. I recommend doing the entire treatment in one day because the sprayer can clog very easily if it is not thoroughly cleaned. If you use a cheap $10 garden sprayer, then all you need to do is just throw it away at the end. Other than those recommendations, just follow the directions on the videos and you should be good to go. Again, if you decide not to use the Bora-Care, then you can watch my video on how to properly trench the house.
The cheapest place to buy Bora-Care is Solutions Pest and Lawn. I will give you a link to it. You can buy the product with mold prevention as well, but it costs a lot more.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Bora-Care videos:
ruclips.net/video/Rmr_aEodyhg/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/OawAzkZZx20/видео.html
Where to buy Bora-Care: www.solutionsstores.com/bora-care
Video on how to trench for drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/видео.html
Thanks mate
Salute from Australia
You are very welcome. Be well mate.
Hi Guy. Your thorough well planned explanations are really helpful. I have a unique situation where the upstairs floor joists (2x12's) are exposed on the first floor- the "loft look". A few have signs of termites. What can I treat these with safely as they are truly inside the house. I've started using Boracare on them but I'm not sure this will solve the problem.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated.
If the floor joists are not sealed with anything, then the Bora-Care will do an excellent job killing all the termites, but you must mix it at a ratio of 1 to 1. That being said, if you have drywood termites in those floor joists, then there is a very high probability that you have them elsewhere in the building as well. I always say that anything is possible in pest control, but as a general rule, you are not going to see drywood termites fly into the house and infest floor joists that way. That certainly is possible, but it is far more likely that there are galleries located elsewhere in the building that you may not be aware of. Termite galleries are very hard to find and may be inside your walls, where you cannot see any evidence of them. It is also very common for them to enter through the eaves and get into the attic. From there, they make their way into other areas of the building, such as your floor joists. The only good news about drywood termites is that they are very slow eaters. It can take years for them to do structural damage. So, if you want, you can do the Bora-Care treatment on the floor joists and then wait to see if they appear somewhere else. I think it is a pretty safe bet that they will, but you could take that course of action. Should you find them in another area of the building, then the only way to really get rid of them is to fumigate. Keep in mind that these guys had to come from someplace. That someplace was most likely one of your neighbors’ homes or maybe an infested stump somewhere. In any event, the point is that they have probably been swarming for years now, and that means they have been attacking your house for years now too. It is almost a certainty that they have established colonies elsewhere in the building that could be in the attic, around windows or doors, or other penetrations in the building. The only way to prevent this from happening is to do a preventive treatment and I'm kind of guessing that you have not been doing that. Whether or not you have galleries in other areas of the building, you should begin doing a preventive treatment right now to stop even more of these guys from entering your home. I have a video on how to do that and I will provide a link below for you.
I am so sorry that I had to share that bad news with you, but I'm pretty sure that you came to me to get the facts and I always give it to you straight.
If you decide to hire a pest controller to fumigate, then I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. Prices can vary wildly in this industry, and you can save a lot of money by watching this video.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to do a preventive treatment for drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks much for the informative response. The house is 22 years old now and has been fumigated twice. I'm pretty sure I know where the most recent termites came from. We had wood French doors facing the outside nearby and they got terribly infested. I've recently replaced them with Aluminum- it looks more modern and there are some very nice Aluminum doors these days. 4 pairs of French doors with little shelter from the elements was a maintenance nightmare. I'll take your advice and complete the 1:1 Boracare treatment- I roll on a small batch every few days on several joists at a time. Then in a few years I'll fumigate again and do maintenance treatments from the outside.
@@michaelzwang3678 Sounds like a plan. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Be well my friend.
Thanks for all this info. I have a horrible case of termites in my home. Lots of damage found and no telling how much more. I don’t have money to tent the house. I have some termidor SC and am going to follow your directions on digging a trench around the house and adding the termidor with water. Should I also get the foam cans and treat as many of the wall studs as I can? Do I only spot treat the ones that show signs of damage or just start treating them all? I’ve been tapping the walls and have found some hollow sounding spots to start at. Thanks for your videos and all this great information.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that these guys are drywood termites. Trenching will do nothing to help with drywood termites because they fly to your house, so they will never encounter the pesticide in the trench. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. If you are sure that these guys are drywood termites, then the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. If you cannot afford to do that, then the next best thing is to follow the directions in this video exactly as shown. You will never find all the galleries, but you can slow them down. Also, since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that more and more of these guys are entering you home every year. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. I wish I had a quick and easy solution for drywood termites, but I don't. You may want to start with the spot treatment and start saving up for a fumigation. If you are spot treating, try to find as many galleries as you can and treat them with a fipronil foam. Inspect for galleries every month. You will most likely find new ones all the time.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Had the guy come. He confirmed it’s Formosan termites. Found a huge tunnel that was about 1” deep by 4 to 5” wide. Said he had never seen any that big before. Said 900 bucks and would guarantee the removal of all termites.
@@JugzJohnson Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have been fighting covid for the past few days and I was really out of it. I'm much better now.
Please watch my video on Formosan termites. I would be very skeptical about a $900 treatment. I would want to know exactly what you are getting for that money. Does that include trenching and the removal of cartons? I seriously doubt it. You may want to have a go at this yourself.
By the way, I will be out of town for a couple of weeks, so I may not be able to answer additional questions until after I get back. Don't worry though. If you have follow-up questions, I will answer them upon my return. I'm sure I'll have a good deal of questions waiting for me, so please be patient. I will work through them one at a time. Hopefully it will only take me a week to get caught up. I promise that I will get back to you if you have additional questions, albeit a little slower than usual. We have not been on a vacation for over 13 years and my wife has explained in her unique way that the time has come. So, go I must, and we won't be back until around June 11.
Be well my friend.
Video on Formosan termites: ruclips.net/video/xDtGUWxMrRw/видео.html
Is there a way you can use Boracare effectively applied into the kickout holes instead of Fipronil? Will fumigating still be effective over a Boracare treatment in the attic? Thanks.
The reason I use fipronil for the kick out holes is because it expands to several times it's size. You can foam Bora-Care, but using a foamer does not work anywhere near as well in that situation. You can foam Bora-Care into wall voids though to treat both sides of the studs. Bora-Care used in the attic will have no effect on fumigation. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
How do you treat you second story subfloor preventatively? Ours is carpeted. Love your video!!!! Sooooo helpful. We are going to systematically treat all of our wall studs, over time. We've already done the attic with Boracare.
If you have a two-story home, and you have a ceiling above the first floor, then I don't know anyway to do a preventive treatment on the floor joists or the second story subfloor that exists between the first floor and the second floor. That would literally require that you either rip down the ceilings from the first floor or remove the flooring underlayment on the second floor. Neither of those things are good options, so that is just an area that is not easy to do a preventive treatment. If it were me, I would do a preventive treatment on the entire exterior of the house every 60 days. This is done from the outside and you can probably treat the house in under an hour. Since you have a two-story home, I would do it with a hose and sprayer. You are not supposed to do it that way because it exceeds label recommendations for the amount of pesticide being applied, but I can tell you that it will not harm you or the environment. Doing it this way will make it a lot easier and faster. I will give you a link to my video on how to do that. You do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites. You just need to treat the exterior of the house. Keep in mind that if you have drywood termites already, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. If you do fumigate, make sure that you start the preventive treatment outside before the tent goes up. The gas they use to do the treatment has no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down.
I hope that helps. You will my friend.
Video on how to prevent dry wood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you so VERY much for your detailed response. We are in a difficult situation because we live in a townhouse development. We currently are waiting to see if the HOA and our neighbors in our building would agree to tenting the entire building. If they don't agree to fumigation, do you know if heat treatment of an individual unit is effective enough? I have read mixed reviews on that so I'm not confident it would be worth doing.
@@SG4e It sounds like you have done your homework. Good for you. Learning all you can about this sort of thing is probably the smartest thing you can possibly do. I can tell you that it is almost impossible to get all the other owners to agree to fumigate because some of them might not realize or believe that they have drywood termites. That is because you cannot always tell that they are there. However, if you have an HOA, it is often possible to convince them that this treatment needs to be done. Here's the problem though. The gas that they use to fumigate has no residual action, so the entire complex can become reinfested the moment the tent comes down. That is because, even if you treat every town home in the complex, there will be other buildings in the area that also have drywood termites. Since they swarm every year, they will be attacking again within a year, and maybe even immediately, depending upon the time of year that you do the treatment. The only way to prevent this from happening would be if you do a preventive treatment. This treatment would need to be done on all of the units. This is also problematic because you will not find a pest controller that will do it. Therefore, each of the homeowners would need to do it themselves, and it is very unlikely that this will happen. If your neighbor fails to do it, then the drywood termites are going to find a way into your unit through pipe penetrations, holes created for the wiring, and cracks and crevices between the separation walls of the units. I am so sorry that I am not doing much to encourage you here, but I know you want the truth about it.
With regard to heat treatments, the reason you are getting mixed reviews is because sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. In order for a heat treatment to work, you need to heat the inside of all the wood in the entire structure to a temperature between 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, you are really going for the 140 degrees. This temperature must be maintained for at least 30 minutes after it has been reached in all the wood members. The problem is that it is difficult to know if you have heated throughout each piece of wood in the entire building to that temperature. Wood is a natural insulator and is difficult to heat. This is further compounded by the problem that you often have insulation around it, not to mention the fact that a lot of it is covered by drywall. Therefore, while it is possible to heat the entire structure to the required temperature in every single piece of wood, you can see how it would be very easy for some of the galleries to escape this treatment.
I feel so bad to be explaining all of this to you, because I know it sounds so hopeless. Drywood termites and German cockroaches are too big reasons why I generally recommend that people not by townhomes or condominiums. It is almost impossible to get everybody to agree to do the required treatments and to stick with a program that they would need to do themselves.
The only good news I have for you is that drywood termites are very slow eaters. It takes a long time for them to do significant damage. Therefore, you do have some time to consider your options. It seems to me that the most logical options in your case would be to start spot treating the problem yourself, and start thinking about ways to purchase a single-family home and sell your townhome. I know that single family homes are a lot more expensive, but they have the advantage that you have complete control over these sorts of things. If there is no way you can afford a single-family home, then about the only viable option you have is to just keep doing the spot treatments and be as thorough as you can possibly be. Be sure to treat the attic with Bora-Care, if it all possible.
Finally, I hate to deliver even more bad news, but you should keep in mind that even if you kill all the drywood termites in your unit, if any adjoining units fail to do this, at some point in the future, they may experience a structural failure that will cause your unit to be red tagged. That means you may need to vacate until the structure is repaired. For example, if their roof structure starts to fail, and it is in close proximity to your root structure, that could render your home unsafe. This can also happen with shared walls as well. I do not think this is common, but you cannot rule out the possibility that it may occur at some point. A lot of it will depend on how the construction was done. Of course, this would definitely get the attention of the HOA.
I am so sorry that I have probably totally ruined your day, but I can tell that you are the sort of folks that wish to be informed about your situation. I really wish I had better news for you, but living in a townhome situation makes drywood termites a daunting problem. I just don't have any magic bullets for that one. I am so very sorry.
Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Again, thank you so VERY much for your detailed response and explanation. Yes, it's certainly not what I would like to hear, but, it is what I was expecting after reading about this topic extensively. You are correct, I would rather know the hard truth and deal with it as proactively as possible.
I now realize we will eventually need to find a SFH in order to be able to protect it properly from drywood termites, even if we do succed with getting our building fumigated. Since we can't move immediately (we live in a very expensive area), I am glad that I have some time to plan and prepare for our eventual move. In the meantime, I will hope for fumigation, and if that isn't approved by the homeowners/HOA, I will do extensive spot treatment and exterior protection (to the degree possible) until we are able to move. Thankfully, we did apply boracare extensively to our attic already.
Fingers crossed we do not end up in a red tag situation before we are able to move.
Again, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help me! My best to you.
@@SG4e You are very welcome. I hope it all works out well for you. Be well my friend.
I'm learning so much from your videos, Guy...... your RUclips channel is a godsend. Questions about Boracare and injecting fipronil into infested wood. By drilling holes every 4 inches, I gather that's to locate termite galleries only? And you inject only into the holes that hit a gallery? If after injecting into the first hole, you see foam coming out of other drilled holes (4 inches apart), is it still necessary to inject more foam into those holes or can you move on to the holes where nothing came out? If you don't need to use a whole can of fipronil, do you have to discard what's left or can you store it for later use? If you can still keep the rest for later, what's the shelf-life of an opened can? How does Boracare work to kill termites compared to fipronil? Could one spray Boracare on active infested wall studs from within the wall voids instead of drilling every 4 inches to inject foam? In what situation do you need to inject fipronil foam to the sides of a wall stud and let it slide down? If spraying Boracare is an option, it might be more cost effective than buying several cans of fipronil foam? I don't know that's why I'm asking.... :)
Thank you so much for those kind words. We don't drill the holes every 4 inches to find the termite galleries, but rather to treat them. The problem with drywood termites is that it is very difficult to find the galleries. In fact, I think it is virtually impossible to find them all. That is why I always recommend fumigating for drywood termites. It is the only sure way to get rid of all of them. The reason you drill the holes every 4 inches, is because you don't know how many galleries are in a particular stud, how deep they are in the stud, and how large they are. A gallery can be smaller than a walnut. Also you could have more than one in the same stud. If you get lucky enough to find one, you can't just treat the one that you found. You need to assume that there may be more in the same stud that you have not found. Therefore you drill the holes every 4 inches and shoot foam into each hole that you drilled. If the foam comes right back out at you, then you did not hit a gallery. However, if you can shoot the foam in for a few seconds, then you are spraying into a gallery, or you missed the stud with the drill and your spraying into the wall void. That is why you do not want to spray for any more than 5 seconds. If you see foam coming out of the other holes that you drilled, then you know for sure that you hit a gallery. If there is foam coming out of a hole, then you do not need to shoot foam into it. You should have foam either going into or coming out of every hole. A can of foam can last a long time, so you can save the excess for use later on. If you are spot treating, then there is a very good chance that you are going to need it again. Spot treating drywood termites is like playing whack-a-mole. Every time you think you've got all the galleries treated, new ones crop up.
Bora-Care works much differently than fipronil. Bora-Care penetrates deep into the wood and is a permanent solution for termites. Unlike fipronil, Bora-Care lasts forever. It is possible to treat studs that are behind the drywall with Bora-Care. It is kind of a hit and miss process though. What you need to do is buy a foamer and a foaming agent, and then drill a hole near the ceiling and try to get the foam to run down the side of the studs on each side. To do this you need a fairly good foamer and they run a couple of hundred dollars. Please let me know if you would like to try that, and I will guide you further. You cannot do this type of a treatment with a fipronil foam, because it does not penetrate the wood the same way that Bora-Care will. Also, if you are going to foam, then why not use a product that is permanent?
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
As I already mentioned, the only sure way to get rid of drywood termites is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. Again, it is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for all the info! I know I have drywood termites in at least one location (more to follow for sure). Found frass behind the cover plate for light switch. This switch cover plate is at the edge of the wall where the patio sliding door opens, and there's an exterior electrical outlet on the opposite side (stucco wall). I'm not looking forward to drilling here. Have to cut power and be careful where I drill. I think there are double studs at the wall/door edge. I' plan on getting a better stud finder and borescope to see what's going on in there. Any words of advice for this situation? I've 2 new cans of Termidor foam waiting to be used.
@@rover8783 You are correct that drilling into wiring is always a risk. If the drill goes in too easy or too hard, then stop drilling and move the drill up or down about two inches. If the drilling gets hard, then you may be drilling into wiring or a pipe. If the drill goes in too easy, then you may have drilled into a wall void or a hole in the stud where the wiring is running. You may also have drilled into a gallery, so no need to go deeper. So, stop drilling. The wiring is usually located a few inches above or below the outlets, so be careful when drilling in these locations. Save your money and fumigate as soon as you can afford it. I will give you a link to the stud finder that I use now. It works great.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Stud finder: www.amazon.com/Franklin-Sensors-FS710PROProSensor-Professional-Finder/dp/B0195K8OT4/ref=sr_1_14?crid=1PY81CCU5QA4O&keywords=stud%2Bfinder&qid=1694711754&sprefix=stud%2Bfi%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-14&th=1
Do you have any suggestions if I have icynene insulation in my attic? I would like to spray bora care up there but that foam insulation covers a lot of the wood.
Every once in a while, somebody throws me a curveball that I have a hard time hitting. I have to admit, that is exactly what you just did. This is the kind of insulation that sticks to the wood and you cannot remove it. Therefore, I don't know of any way that you can treat the area of the wood that is covered by the insulation. If you do not have an existing infestation, then the good news is that the swarmers are not going to be able to get past the insulation and into the wood. So, all you need to do is treat the exposed wood with the Bora-Care and that should give you full protection. However, if you have an active drywood termite infestation, then there could be galleries in that wood that the Bora-Care is not going to reach. I would still treat it anyway, but again, you may not reach an active gallery that is already in the wood. That leaves you with doing a very careful inspection to see if you can find kick out holes and frass. If you find the kickout holes, then you can drill a hole into them and treat the gallery with a fipronil foam. Of course, as I tell people all the time, the only sure way to eliminate a drywood termite infestation is to fumigate. The problem with fumigation though is that it has no residual action whatsoever. That means you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. So, treating the attic with Bora-Care is a very good idea. You should also begin treating the outside of your house every three months to prevent any more drywood termites from entering the building. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below for you.
I hope that helps. Be well Mary.
Video on how to prevent a drywood termite infestation: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Hello Guy, what happens when there is insulation in the walls between the studs? In my case the exterior walls (concrete block) have what looks like blown cellulose and the wall between the garage and the house (the only wall with wooden studs) has fiber-glass insulation. I guess it is not posible to use the foam in this case.
You are not trying to get the foam into the wall voids. You want to foam to go directly into the studs. Most concrete block structures have studs or furring strips attached to the blocks to allow for the electrical wiring to be run, the drywall to be hung, and insulation. You want to drill into those studs or furring strips. So, it doesn't matter what type of insulation there is because you do not want to treat the insulation. The termites are only in the wood. The idea is that you need to locate the center of the studs and drill holes every 4 inches, so that you can inject the foam directly into the studs.
That being said, it is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. Keep in mind though that it is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. If you decide to fumigate, the you must begin the preventive treatment before the tent goes up.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard for drywood termites. Just treat the outside of the house every 60 days): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
first love your videos. I have an RV that was in storage for about 10 months in FL. I noticed in a 4ft section small pin holes in the ceiling only with fras (dust) on the floor below it. I immediate thought termites. I did not find any wings and I did a complete inspection (visible) and it only appears to be in this one section. Most of the rv is aluimium structure but it appears there must have been some activity here. My thought was to just drill holes every 4 inches in the ceiling where the pin holes are and foam it. Your thoughts?
RV's are always somewhat challenging. To address the problem, the first thing that you need to understand is that termites do not eat wood. I know, I know, you are probably thinking right now, “What did he just say?” It's true though. What termites actually eat is cellulose. It just so happens that wood contain cellulose and so that's why they eat it, but they will also eat anything else that contains cellulose, such as paper. That means, any materials that were used in the construction of the RV, that contains cellulose, is a target for termite activity. In addition to any wood that was used, they may attack other things, such as pressboard or coverings that are used to go over the framework of the walls and ceilings on the interior of the RV. If it contains cellulose, then the termites are happy to eat it. Now, without actually inspecting your RV, I cannot tell you for certain if you have drywood termites, and if you do, there is certainly no guarantee that you do not have activity in other areas of the RV. These things do like to stay hidden and can be hiding in places where you are not going to see any evidence of frass or kick out holes. All of that being said, I think you have a reasonable plan to address the situation. Still, if I were you, I would be inspecting that RV at least every month for further activity. Do not forget to look underneath the RV, because the flooring is most likely some sort of wood substance. You may also find these guys in the cabinetry and storage areas that are typically built into RV's. Drywood termites must make kickout holes and they always produce frass, so at some point, you may find more evidence of infestations if you keep inspecting. If you do not find further evidence, over a period of time, then I think you are probably safe. However, should you spot further activity, then you would probably be well advised to fumigate the entire RV. For now though, I would just go with the treatment plan that you have already figured out. You may also want to do a preventive treatment on the RV every three months, just to make sure you have no further problems. I have a video on how to do that and I will give you a link for it. Drywood termites are all over Florida and so it's a good idea for everybody to do a preventive treatment on their homes and RV's.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for your input. I have been doing the preventive treatment on the house never thought of the RV.
@@gurudiy Always happy to help. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, what do you think about using wood preservative (copper naphthenate) to treat exposed wood joists or studs instead of bora-care?
I have never used it because it is a lot more dangerous than Bora-Care. I believe it has a signal word of Danger while Bora-Care has a signal word of Caution. Caution is the least hazardous and Danger is the most hazardous. Warning is kind of in the middle. Copper naphthenate is flammable and way more toxic if swallowed. I am not an expert with it, but it seems to me that I would not want to apply a flammable material to bare wood in my home, if there is another way to do it. That could make the wood burn faster and easier. I have not used it, so I don't know this for sure, but I'm guessing that it gives off vapors when you use it, so I suspect that you would want a lot of ventilation. None of this is an issue with Bora-Care. Also, I don't know how long copper naphthenate lasts after treatment. Bora-Care is permanent. Copper naphthenate may be permanent as well, but I don't know. All of that being said, it may be an effective alternative, but I would have some issues with the safety aspect of it. Anyway, that's the way it seems to me. Be well my friend.
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Thank you for all of the great advice and the time you take to explain things. I purchased the Bioadvanced termite treatement like you suggested, also purchased Boracare. But I am not sure if bioadvanced is the right choice for my situation. We are replacing our 3 ft high deck, without the boards in the way, we have the chance to dig the trench and treat. The deck spans a good 35 ft on one side of the house, this is where termites where found 20 years ago, treated twice, last in 2002. Once the deck goes back on, it would be hard to sprinkle the Bioadvanced every year, because the deck is so low. We dug the trench but are now wondering if Termidor would be a better choice, once the deck is back on, there is no way we can do this properly again.
Also we found many new allow oak flooring, same side of the house. Could you make a video on how to go to treat your floorings. We still don't understand if the colony is in the floors. We have so busy and have yet to inspect for tubes, but we will once we complete the perimetral treatement.
I am so sorry that you're having this problem. Since you have already trenched, then I think it would be wise to go ahead and use the Taurus SC. Just follow the directions in my video on the proper way to trench for termites. I noticed that you commented on my video regarding drywood termites. Those guys get treated much differently and trenching will not work for them. Since you indicated that your house was trenched in the past, then I suspect you are dealing with subterranean termites. If that is the case, then using the Taurus SC would definitely be the way to go. If you do the treatment properly, it will last at least 5 to 10 years. Of course, after that, you are going to need to figure out another way to treat. You may want to consider a design change to the deck that would allow for some board decking to be removed that runs parallel to the house. It would only need to be about 6 inches wide. This would allow you to remove the boards and treat with the granules every year after the Taurus SC is no longer effective. The good thing about the granules is that you do not need to trench. You just sprinkle them along the edge of the house and water them in. Be sure when you build the deck that you have no wood touching the ground. I know that there are deck posts that are rated for ground contact, but it is still a very good idea to have those posts placed on concrete supports. After the deck is built, you may also want to consider placing RedEye stations around the house, spaced at 8-foot intervals. These stations do not contain any pesticide. They are basically a monitoring station that has a wooden dowel inside and a red dot on top, that is viewable through a clear plastic window. When the termites eat the dowel, it drops down into the station, and the red dot disappears. At that point, you know that you are being attacked by termites. All you need to do then is inject a fipronil foam into the station and that will kill off the colony. There is only one place you can buy these, and I will give you a link to it.
With regard to the wood flooring, subterranean termites never colonize in your house. They always colonize in the ground. The only reason they come to your house is because it is their favorite restaurant. The thing is though that they must return to the colony fairly often to obtain the moisture they need to survive and to feed the other termites in the colony. Therefore, if you treat the perimeter of the house, there is no need to treat the floor. This is not the case for drywood termites. The only way to get rid of drywood termites is to fumigate. So, even in that case, there is no need to treat the floor. That being said, in the case of subterranean termites, you can give the process a boost if you do treat the floor with a fipronil foam. If you know that you have termites eating your floor, then let me know and I will give you the procedure for it. This can cut the treatment time in half. It normally takes between two to twelve weeks to kill off an entire colony. I do have a video planned on this type of procedure and I will get it done just as soon as I can. In the meantime, I would be more than happy to give it to you in writing.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to properly trench for subterranean termites: ruclips.net/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/видео.html
RedEye stations: www.solutionsstores.com/red-eye-termite-monitor
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you Guy so much for the extensive explanation! I truly appreciate the time you take to type your responses, and I am grateful for your recommendations. The idea of removing a few deck boards to treat is brilliant! And luckily our boards are perpendicular to the wall house, so this can be done on the next treatement. We are on hold on placing the boards on the deck frame and am thankful you replied so quickly as the temperature is about to drop next week. You are most likely correct that these are subterranean, the wood has long channels and not the round pellet like holes, in addition we live in KC missouri where I doubt dry wood termites exist. I appreciate you taking the time to provide me the in writing instructions. Is there a way I could send you my email address in a more private setting, or do you have a web site where I can contact you? Also, can I purchase the Taurus product through your affiliate link if you have one? You are investing a lot if your time to help, and I rather know you are getting something back. Thanks!
@@baba-sm1fm Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. You can write to me at my e-mail, which is guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Just remind me who you are because I get a lot of e-mail and it is easy to get people confused. Just tell me that you are the person with the deck, and you want the treatment for the wood floors. I always make it a point not to accept any compensation from pesticide manufacturers or suppliers. A lot of people tell me that I should, but I feel that it would damage my credibility if I were earning a commission for recommending products. I only recommend products because I know they work. If there is a product that I have not used before, I always note that in my response. The truth is that I do not do this for the money. I know this may sound a bit corny, but my only motivation is the joy I receive from helping others. It is my personal policy to spend as much time as necessary with each person to ensure that they have a successful outcome. If I can achieve that, then it is reward enough. In your case, the least expensive place that I know of to obtain the Taurus SC is Solutions Pest and Lawn. You may also be able to get Navigator SC from domyown.com for the same price or maybe a little less. Both products work equally well, so just order the one that is the least expensive. I have never used Navigator SC, but it is the exact same formulation.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Taurus SC: www.solutionsstores.com/taurus-sc-termiticide
Navigator SC: www.domyown.com/navigator-sc-termiticide-p-19237.html?sub_id=19238
Your videos have been very helpful. I just had an inspection and they determined I have drywall termites. I am in a townhome with 4 other units that are attached. The spot treatment is not cheap so I’d rather avoid the bandaid and just move forward with tenting. Do you have any suggestions on how to approach my neighbors? I feel like if they comply, I’ll be in a worse place spending money on constant spot treatment but never really resolving the issue. Thanks in advance for your time!
If you have dry wood termites in a townhome, that is a definite problem. It is very difficult to convince everyone in the structure to go along with fumigating the entire building. If even one person disagrees, then you cannot do the tenting. Unfortunately, many people are in denial when you tell them they have drywood termites. A lot of people don't even know what that is. In a way, you can't always blame them because they may not be seeing any evidence of an infestation. Oftentimes, the frass that is produced by the termites is inside the walls, where the residents cannot see it. Since there's no evidence of an infestation, they think it is only affecting your unit. The truth is though, that if your unit is infested, then they all are. You should also know that it's not as easy as you may think to eliminate the problem. It is not just a question of fumigating the entire building. If you have drywood termites, then all the buildings surrounding you have them as well. Since they swarm every year, you are going to get reinfested sometime within a year after the tent comes down. You may even get infested the same day it comes down, if you fumigate during swarming season. The gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action, so it will not prevent future infestations. Therefore, it is pretty much a total certainty that you will be reinfested. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment every 60 to 90 days on the entire building. I have a video on how to do that, and I will give you a link to it. This is certainly going to complicate the problem because, not only do you have to convince everybody to do the fumigation, now you need to convince everybody to do the preventive treatment as well. To make matters worse, this is a treatment that most pest controllers will not do. That means everybody needs to do this themselves. If anybody fails to do the treatment correctly, or in a timely manner, then the entire building can become infested again. I know that I'm not being very encouraging right now, but I do want you to know all the facts when you go talk to your neighbors.
When dealing with the neighbors, I always think that food helps. I recommend visiting each of them. You should be armed with two things. The first thing you want to be armed with is all the information that you can possibly gather about dry wood termites. You can feel free to share my channel with everybody and tell them that I would be more than happy to answer any questions that they may have. The other thing you need to be armed with is a plate full of homemade cookies. If you are not good at making cookies, then go get the freshly baked ones at the supermarket. I always figure, if you feed them, they will talk. The best way to approach it is to sit down with them in their home and calmly explain what is going on, and the fact that they are most likely infested with drywood termites. If the problem is left to continue, there will be structural damage at some point. Drywood termites are slow eaters, so this can take several years before it becomes a problem. That being said, you need to explain to them that it is not something they should ignore. Several years goes by very quickly, and you don't want to come home one day to see your roof sagging in. If they say no, then you should not get angry, and just thank them for their time. You don't need a neighbor dispute on top of everything else. If you are nice to them, they may sleep on it and reconsider it in the morning. If you make them mad, then they may dig their heels in deeper and put up even more resistance. If you have a homeowners association, you should bring this to their attention. They can often require homeowners to comply and pay for the treatment.
If you cannot get the neighbors to agree to the fumigation, you can spot treat it yourself. You won't find all the galleries, but it's better than doing nothing. I will give you a link to my video on how to do that. You should also begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you don't get anymore of these guys paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well Carli.
Video on how to prevent dry wood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Video on how to spot treat drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/U7ck7zhS0Xo/видео.html
I'm very knowledgable on this subject as well. If your neighbor's not willing to agree to treat the problem with fumigation, then you need a lawyer Or a realtor to just sell it. Sorry to say.
@@lighthouse6120 Point well taken. I don't know if you can legally force someone to treat for termites. I never went down that road. It would be an interesting case. Selling would be knowingly passing the problem off to an unsuspecting buyer. I don't know if I could do that myself. The termites may get caught on the termite inspection, but you could probably get away with a cheap spot treatment to satisfy the lender. Still, as tempting as that would be, I wouldn't do that to someone. That's just me. I would fix the problem and then sell. Drywood termites are just one of several reasons why you should never buy a condo or a townhome. They seem cheaper up front, but they can end up costing you a lot more money and heartache in the end. I should probably do a video on that. Be well my friend.
thanks
COOP
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You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Yes so I have termites that are coming in my windowsill exterminator coming out however I know you mentioned having the house covered in a tent but that's not affordable for me at this time so what I've been doing for the last couple of days is spraying the windowsill with some Clorox in it I've seen one or two in the last couple of days but I am not a person to live with bugs and hopefully the Clorox will help me until the exterminator gets here what is your thought on
Unfortunately, the Clorox is not going to be of any assistance at all for drywood termites. If you cannot afford to get the house fumigated then the next best thing is to follow the advice in this video. You should also start a preventive treatment immediately. I will give you a link to that video. This will not fix the existing problem, but it will prevent more termites from entering the house from the outside, thereby slowing the progress of the infestation somewhat. I recommend starting a savings account for the fumigation. Try to get it done as soon as you have the money saved up.
Be well Rosemary.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Thanks for good info
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Instead of Bora-care, is it the same to buy boric acid powder and mix it with water ? They do not sell this product in Japan but they do sell the powder. I thought the final substance is exactly the same (and even cheaper then) or am I missing something ?
Unfortunately, Bora-Care and boric acid are not exactly the same thing. While they are both borates, boric acid is a powder that will not penetrate the wood, while Bora-Care is a liquid that will penetrate deep into the wood. There are a couple of possible other options that you can use, but they are not going to be as good. I checked, and I think Amazon Japan will ship Timbor to you. This is a similar product to Bora-Care but it is a powder, and so it does not penetrate anywhere near as deep into the wood. So, this will not eliminate an existing infestation of termites, but it will prevent new ones from entering the wood. Now, I don't know if this will work, because I've never tried it, but some people claim that you can mix 20 Mule Team Borax with water and it will penetrate the wood much the same way as Bora-Care. I came across a video that shows how to do it, and I will give you a link to it. 20 Mule Team Borax should also be available at Amazon Japan. So, you may want to try mixing the 20 Mule Team Borax in a garden sprayer and treat all the wood with that first, and then maybe follow up with a treatment of Timbor. I would not take it to the bank that this will kill an existing infestation, but it should prevent new dry wood termites from taking up residence in the wood. You should still understand though that the only way to get rid of a drywood termite infestation is to fumigate.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
As I already mentioned, the only way to get rid of them is to fumigate. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Pest controllers may not be willing to do this, so it is something that you may need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. Unfortunately, Japan restricts the sale of most pesticides, so you may have difficulty finding the products you need.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
20 Mule Team Borax video: ruclips.net/video/yZFXPLG_Uy0/видео.html
Hi Guy, I live in a condo in Southern California. I have found termite swarm 09/01 inside of my condo. Termites came in from a vent in a bathroom (no window in this bathroom). I have not seen signs of infestation prior. I have had two Pest Companies came out for inspection. They found dry rot on a window frame and on the out door staircase. My condo is on the top 3rd floor not the ground level. Would you advise what I should look for when hire for termite treatment?
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. You did not tell me everything that I need to know, but it sounds like you have two units below you and I'm guessing that the building is constructed of wood. Also, you did not tell me if the pest control folks identified these guys as drywood termites, but it sure does sound like that's what they are. If all of this is the case, you should know that the only surefire way to get rid of drywood termites is to put a tent around the entire building and fumigate it. That means you need or the owners in the entire building to agree to this. If you have a condo association, then you should bring it to their attention. Drywood termites often enter the attic from openings in the eaves around the roof. There is a good chance that you have multiple galleries in the attic. From there, they often find their way into the walls. These guys may affect the top floors first, but this is a huge problem with the bottom floors as well. They will also enter through windows and doors, so the bottom floors may have them as well. Even if they don't, this is definitely going to affect the bottom floors, if there is a failure in the roof structure. Drywood termites are slow eaters, but eventually, the roof structure is going to be compromised. This may render the entire building uninhabitable at some point, so it is everybody's problem. The fact that you have seen swarmers means that this problem has been going on for some time. A new gallery cannot produce swarmers for four to seven years. So, this should be a call to action for the entire building. To make matters worse, even after you fumigate, the gas they use has no residual properties. That means you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. There is a way to prevent this, but it is not practical for building that tall. I know this is going to sound crazy, but you may want to consider selling and moving into a single-family home. The only alternative is to fumigate the building about every seven years.
To answer to your specific question on how to hire a pest controller, I just happen to have a video on that exact topic, and I will place a link below for you. Prices can vary wildly in this industry, so you would be wise to check out my video. This is particularly true if the entire building is going to be fumigated. Whoever is responsible for hiring the company you should also watch this video. You can save thousands of dollars if you know how to do this correctly.
Again, I am so sorry that you are having this problem and I am sorry then I had to give you this sort of bad news. I know this is not what you wanted to hear.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest control without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
I live in the coastal area of southern calif. We have drywood termites especially in the fascia boards. I've treated my attic and garage rafters with Bora Care 5 years ago. Most of the termite companies all want to tent house. (It's over 50 years old, never been tented). I've replaced or tore out the damaged fascia board with bondo. I also spray with bora care if I can get to raw wood. (It doesn't recommend using it on painted surfaces. ) My question is if I have the house tented, the termite companies only guarantee it for 2 years. After which time they want 600 to 1000 a year to inspect on a monthly basis. Would I be better, as one guy suggested , to just have the house tented every 6 or 7 years?
It is true that the only sure way to get rid of drywood termites is to fumigate. Since you treated the attic with Bora-Care, then you should not be having a problem with dry wood termites in that area, if you did the treatment correctly. However, you probably still have dry wood termites in your walls as well. If that is the case, then you have no alternative but to fumigate. I responded to another one of your comments that was attached to a different video, but I will give you a link to my video again on how to hire a pest control without getting ripped off.
Now, let me be clear, the two-year guarantee that the pest controllers are going to give you is totally worthless. You see, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since the gas they use to fumigate has no residual action, then you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. The problem is that you will never know it because it takes four to seven years before drywood termites mature to the point where they can swarm. Therefore, you must do a preventive treatment on the exterior of your home at least every three months to prevent another infestation. A lot of people just treat every six or seven years because they think that is how long it takes to get reinfested, but the truth is that your house is getting eaten for those six and seven years. The pest control companies understand that it takes four to seven years before you were going to realize that you are infested again and if you are paying them $600 a year, then they are going to make almost $5000 before they have to tent your home again. So, what you are really doing is prepaying them more money than necessary to do a job that you could simply just hire them to do when it needs to be done. So, those extended guarantees are a total waste of money. I will give you a link to my video on how to do a preventive treatment on your home every three months. However, I would recommend that you do this treatment every two months. That is only an extra two treatments a year and it's a good idea because the effectiveness of pesticide is greatly diminished in that third month. You should begin doing this treatment immediately. That is because there are drywood termites still flying over from other houses that are continuing to infest your house in additional areas. So, you would be wise to put a stop to that immediately. At a minimum, you should begin doing the preventive treatment before the house is fumigated. Again, that is because the fumigation gas has no residual action and you need to get the protection in place before the tent comes down.
The products that you need to do the preventive treatment on your house can probably be obtained from domyown.com. Since you are fumigating, you can probably just treat your house every two months Bifen IT. I will give you a link to the product.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Bifen IT: www.domyown.com/bifen-it-p-226.html?sub_id=553
I have also seen this video and can only confirm these signs. But this is here in South America actually the normal case even if many craftsmen, carpenters, etc. are not aware of this or suppress this because they want to sell their work or goods from these woods. Again, thank you for the information.
You are very welcome. Thanks for watching. Be well my friend.
oy and the house frame structure. Thanks. Newman
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Idea for the covered furniture. Big bag with Ozone machine.
That could work. Thanks for the comment. Be well my friend.
I have seen a few coming out from underneath my bathroom vanity. I did put a bifen granular around my home I also sprayed underneath the vanity. Will that be enough or do I need to remove the vanity?
First, make sure that these are actually drywood termites. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. Don't worry. It is a lot easier than you may imagine.
If you confirm that these are drywood termites, then the treatment you did is not going to be near enough to eliminate the problem. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
I live in SW Florida do you recommend tenting for dry wood termites.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the the answer to your question is yes. The only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well Charlotte.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites. Just the exterior of the house.): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Lowes has a fipronil foam for 8 or 9 dollars a can and it has the same amount of fipronil.
Lowes only sells two brands of termite foam. Neither of them contain fipronil. These are both quick kill products that should never be used for termites. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, thank you for these videos. I have discovered termites and have huge problems with carpenter bees around my house. The termites have eaten the rail wood ties I put down to mark a walkway and have started eating the posts on the deck and the stairs. This area is always damp due to trees and lack of sunlight. I haven't seen any mud dobber paths but will check closer on my next trip over. Its a rental house so I can't tent due to tenants being in the house. We have done a lot of extensive renovation on the house over the last year and have not found any evidence of termites inside. It seems to be isolated to the exterior deck and railway ties. Is it possible these are dry termites or subterranean? Any help is appreciated.
You talked about two different issues, carpenter bees and termites. Let's start with the termites. You are correct that species matters. So, the first thing we need to find out is if these guys are drywood or subterranean. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. I will give you a link to that video. There is a map in that video that will show you where drywood termites are a problem. If you are not in the red area, then these are subterranean. The limited amount of damage would suggest that they are NOT Formosan, so even if you live in the orange area on the map, you are still most likely looking at a common species of subterranean termites. If that is the case, you are in luck, because these guys are very easy to get rid of. If you live in the red area, then watch the rest of the video and let me know if you are seeing kick out holes and frass. Just get back to me and let me know what you find out. I am certain that I can provide the answers you need.
Now, let's talk about those carpenter bees. They are very easy to get rid of, but keeping them away is the ultimate goal. There are two ways to do that, so I need a bit more information. Please tell me where these guys are located. I usually see them in the fascia boards, but not always. Also, is the location finished in any way? Is it painted, stained, or sealed in any way? I need to know this to recommend the best way to prevent them. To treat the existing problem, you need to shoot fipronil foam into each hole for about seven seconds or until the foam is coming back out at you. Then just seal the hole with Bondo or caulking. It's really that easy. I will give you a link to the product I like to use. Let me know if they will not ship to you and I will recommend something else. Some states restrict this stuff, like California. Always wear rubber gloves when using the foam. While the bees are creating the holes you see, it is the larvae that are doing the real damage to the wood. The bees bore into the wood and lay their eggs. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat the wood. So, you need to get into where the larvae are located. The foam expands to many times its original size and will get into all the nesting areas.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/mY4FMvAHrMA/видео.html
Fipronil foam: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
are there any recommended pesticides we can find at the big box stores like home depot/lowes?
There used to be, but not anymore. I recommend that you just order what you need from solutionsstores.com and if they will not ship to your state, then try domyown.com. Solutions is a bit less expensive, but they do not ship to every state. Shipping is free with both companies.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Yet another question! Surprising how many things one has to consider when trying to eliminate drywood termites. Never knew it was so complex. In my continual quest to prevent swarmers from starting new colonies, I was going to seal all receptacle cover plates and ceiling fixtures too. There is a material called butyl tape which would do the trick. Before sealing all these electrical and air vent openings with butyl tape, are there any tricks you may know which may work better? Thanks for sharing your amazing knowledge and experience.
I don't know that you need to seal around outlets, switches, ceiling fans and so forth. I'm not saying that drywood termites could never enter that way, but I have never seen it. That being said, I have learned to never say never. I do sometimes seal outlets for other pests though and what I use is plumbers' putty. You just roll it into a cylindrical shape and put it under the outlet cover and press it into place. Unlike butyl tape, the plumbers' putty will compress, so that the cover will be totally tight to the wall. Any squeeze out can be easily wiped off, so the outlet looks like normal. You would never know that it was sealed in any way.
@@GuysPestSolutions Good to know and good tip. Thanks.
If I use boracare in my attic and crawlspace, does it have to be topcoated with a paint or sealer?
No. You only need to seal it if you are using it outside. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@guyspestsolutions one company said they would spray my attic with Boracare and another said they would spray with Premise. Which is better against drywood termites? Thanks.
Also dont worry about all the people saying your videos are long. I appreciate your thoughtful thoroughness. Those people can just watch your videos at a faster speed if they want to. Thanks Guy!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Hands down, go with the Bora-Care. It lasts forever and penetrates into the wood almost to the center. Premise will only last a few months, it will not penetrate deep into the wood, and it is not intended to be used this way. Premise is best used for trenching and that does not work for drywood termites.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Hello Guy, I emailed you some follow up questions. Hope to hear from you soon! Thanks!
@@jnlin8569 Okay. If I have not responded yet, I will soon. As you might imagine, I get a lot of email. Mostly regarding termites this time of year because it is swarming season. I can get as many as 60 emails a day, so please be patient. I do manage to get through them all, but I am running a little behind at the moment. Hopefully, I will get to it sometime today. Be well my friend.
How about trying to locate termites by sound? Maybe some really high powered stethoscope where you don't even need to drill into the wall to check for frass you can just find the beam or stud and put that stethoscope up to it? Do termites make a clicking sound when feeding? This could really work well especially if you get a really good stethoscope that can pick up sound good and you would avoid all the little holes....would be faster as well as you wouldn't need to drill through and look through the bare scope each time
Termites do make some noise when they eat. The thing is though that it is not terribly loud. I suppose, if you had a really good stethoscope and if you had a pretty good size gallery, then you may be able to hear that activity. So, this could be another arrow in your quiver that you can use to locate some of the galleries. Still, I would not hang my hat on finding them all simply by listening for them. The other problem that you may run into is that there may be other noises in the walls as well. So, it's one of those things where it couldn't do any harm to give it a try and see how it goes. At the same time, I think it is highly unlikely that you would be able to locate all the termite galleries simply by using a stethoscope. If only it was that easy.
Thank you so much for the comment. Be well my friend.
Hey Guy thanks for everything you do, your depth of knowledge is information I cannot find anywhere else and very useful. Some question. I have a wooden fence that surrounds most of my home, about five feet away from it on 3 sides. It's probably 9 years old. I found at least 4 different locations with frass on it on one of the 3 sides of the fence and I recently have had a pest control company spot treat three different spots of drywood activity in my crawl space. Should I completely replace this old infested fence if I have the money (it probably has a few more years left)? Or if I can't pay for new fence should I treat the fence with 1:1 dilution boracare then seal it and replace damaged wood? What is the best way to prevent termites on wooden fences, old and new? How often do you have to reapply preventative treatment to a fence, will boracare and sealant once last the life of the fence? Based on what you've said, I probably have drywood's everywhere in my house, just haven't seen signs of it yet (except one area that was spot treated where frass was in living room through wood floor). The wooden siding on my house is rotting in a few areas and not covered with paint so I am sure they entered those areas already near the infested fence. I am guessing your going to recommend tenting the home? then 60 day recurring preventive spraying? Should I take care of the fence issue first before tenting?
Also, my home is pier and beam, with a fourth of piers on one side resting on concrete slab, the rest on the soil, how would you prevent subterraneans? My pest control guy recently sprayed the whoe crawl space sublfoor with a coat of termidor and also sprayed a thick coat of termidor on the soil but didn't trench, he told me it would bind the soil and provide 10 years of protection. Do I need to trench each individual pier and along the whole concrete slab edge? I live in Houston, Heights neighborhood. I would love to use the granules you mention as they seem simple but not sure if they would work here, our soil is described as "are well-developed, clayey soils with high shrink-swell properties."
Thank you so much Guy
I do not think I would replace the fence just because of termites. If the fence is not sealed in any way, then Bora-Care should work fine. This will kill any termites that are in the fence now and it will prevent new ones from infesting the fence as well. The only thing is though, you need to put some sort of sealer on the fence about 48 hours after you apply theBora-Care. I will give you a link to a video on how to do this. The Bora-Care will last forever, or until the sealer starts to degrade and allows the weather to deteriorate the boricare. So, you may need to reseal the fence periodically. Mixing bore care at a ratio of one to one with water is always desirable, but if you have a lot of fence, you may want to mix it a bit weaker than that. You can mix it one to five if you like, but the higher the concentration of boricare, the better it's going to work.
I can see that you have been paying attention to my recommendations. You're absolutely correct that I am going to recommend that you have your house fumigated. It is the only way to totally eliminate drywood termites. You're also correct that I'm going to recommend treating the exterior of the house every 60 days. I'm not sure which of my videos you watched, but if you want to know the cheapest and most effective way to do this, I have a new video out that will show you how to do it with a hose and sprayer. You are not supposed to do it this way, because it will exceed label recommendations on the amount of pesticide that you are supposed to use, but I can tell you that I do it all the time. It will not harm you or the environment. The great thing about treating with a hose end sprayer is that it is very fast. I cannot tell you how much time this saves. Also, the sprayer has a stream setting that allows you to reach high places, without using a ladder. The beginning of the video shows you how to treat with a tank sprayer, but later in the video it will show you how to use the hose end sprayer. The video also recommends treating your yard, but that will not apply to you, because treating your yard will do nothing for drywood termites.
The the fence and the house are standalone issues. If you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. That means your house is going to get swarmed every time it's warming season, whether you treat the fence or not. It makes little difference if you get swarmed from the fence or swarmed from your neighbors' houses. The reason you would want to treat the fence is to save it from further damage. As long as you do the treatment on the house every 60 days, that should provide adequate protection from further infestations.
If your house is on piers, then it would be a good idea to treat all the wood under there with Bora-Care, and you would definitely want to mix that one to one with water.
The pest control person that you hired didn't really do the job correctly. You cannot simply spray the top of the soil with Termidor to stop termites. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Termites travel a few inches under the ground and the spray that was applied on top of the ground will not penetrate the ground deep enough to be effective. This treatment may help prevent the termites from creating a colony under the house, but that is not a sure thing either. It is also unclear how long Termidor will last on the ground when used as a surface spray. I think it is highly unlikely that you would get 10 years out of it. Depending upon your soil conditions and how much product to used, you may get as little as 3 months protection, but certainly no more than 5 years. My guess is that the longevity will be measured in months and not years. There is a good chance that it will not last for a full year. Again, treating the ground only prevents subterranean swarmers from creating a colony under the house. It does little to prevent them from heading up to Piers. I mean, it may help a little, but I certainly wouldn't bet the ranch on it. If you spray all the piers every 60 days, while you are treating the outside of the house, this will probably help prevent subterranean termites, but you are probably better served by applying termite granules around each of the peers. Keep in mind that for the granules to work you need to have dirt around the pier and the dirt needs to be porous enough to allow water to soak into it fairly easily. To find out if the granules would be a good choice for you, just dig a shallow hole that is about 4 inches deep and maybe 8 inches long, and the width of the shovel. Then, fill up with water. If the water drains down fairly quickly, then the granules would be a good choice. Otherwise, the granules would not work well for you. Naturally, you cannot do this if the piers are on top of concrete. For those peers, the best you can do is to spray them every 60 days while you are doing the outside of the house. I do not think I would trench, unless you have an existing infestation. I would probably just inspect the house every 60 days while I was doing the exterior treatment. You can also install monitoring stations if you like. I'll give you a link to my video on how to make them. I live in Florida, and I use the granules, the monitoring stations, and I inspect every 60 days while I am treating the outside of the house.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat the exterior of your house: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Bora-Care video: ruclips.net/video/Rmr_aEodyhg/видео.html
Video on how to make monitoring stations: ruclips.net/video/gye27aXHRsY/видео.html
Thanks so much for your response Guy. Some follow up questions.
-my home is pier and beam with easy access to crawl space. When I treat the subfloor with boracare does it need to be sealed since it’s technically not exposed to rain or sunshine, maybe just wind?
-I watched your drywood prevention method. Seems like your home is some form of stucco and you only sprayed bottom and top of your home. My whole home is made of wood siding on the outside, there’s definitely some open crevices between a lot of the wood siding in between the areas I noticed you didn’t spray. In my case does the entire surface area of the outside need to be sprayed? I want to do this right, tenting isn’t cheap and don’t want to get reinfected.
-what sealant do you recommend for fence after boracare? How often to reapply, every 5 years? Lots of rain and sunshine in Houston.
-you mentioned I can use granules if the water drains in hole I dig fairly quickly. Can you please be more specific: 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 5 min?
-if the granules don’t work for me due to soil penetration issues, how can I prevent subterraneans? Trench around every beam under home? And spray beams on concrete during 60 day prevention sprays?
Thanks again Guy. Can’t emphasize how helpful this is for my family
@@mikeandrews5787 Those are great questions. Let me see if I can unpack some of that for you.
To the best of my knowledge, there is no need to seal under the house when using Bora-Care. It is my understanding that only wood that is exposed to the weather needs to be sealed. That is how I understand the directions and how I have always done it.
Drywood termites colonize inside wood, so if the siding on your house is made of wood, then I would recommend treating all of it. I would definitely do this with a hose end sprayer. It would take forever to do this with the tank sprayer. That means you do need to treat with Bifen XTS. This is not going to take as much pesticide as you might imagine.
With regard to sealing the fence, that is a little bit outside my wheelhouse. I do know for sure that you are better off using an oil-based sealer rather than a water-based sealer. I think it's a pretty safe bet that you're going to get what you pay for, so I would ask someone in the paint department at Lowe's or Home Depot what the best choice would be. Just tell them what you are doing and that you want something that is going to last the longest amount of time. I don't know if anybody can predict exactly how long it will last, but I'm kind of guessing that it will need to be done about every 5 years. It's the sort of thing that I would inspect every year, and I would reseal when I start to see that the sealer is starting to weather.
I get that question a lot about how fast the water should drain in the test hole. I don't think there's a hard fast rule on it. Obviously, the faster of the water drains, the better the granules are going to work. I don't think you would want the water sitting in the hole for anything more than 60 seconds. Of course, that depends on how deep you dug the hole. It's kind of hard to get a hole exactly 4 in deep, so a hole a little deeper may drain a little slower. I guess the thing is that you should be able to stand there and watch the water sink into the ground. If it is slowly sinking into the ground while you are standing there, then you are probably okay. However, if it's just kind of sitting there and not doing anything, then the granules are probably not a good idea.
Preventing subterranean termites is an interesting topic. If the granules are not a good option, you could trench around each pier, but I generally do not do that as a preventive measure. If you are going to spray the outside of your house with Bifen XTS every 2 months, then I would just go ahead and spray the piers as well. There is a stream setting on the hose end sprayer that will make this quick and easy. I would also install monitoring stations around the house at 4 ft intervals. If you have easy access to the piers, you may want to install one on each side of each pier as well. I make these out of used water bottles. They are very easy to make and feature an orange dot at the top of the station. If the orange not disappears, then you simply pull up the entire station and check to see if there are termites in it. If there are, then you simply reinstall it back into the ground, and then you install a bait station right next to it. I will give you a link to my video on how to make the monitoring stations and the bait stations. The bait stations can only be used if you are actually seeing termites. The monitoring stations are used to detect termites. I think if you spray the piers every 2 months and you install monitoring stations, you should be good to go.
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 make bait stations: ruclips.net/video/r05Z-aUJehw/видео.html
Thanks for the details. Makes sense. As far as drywood prevention I see you recommended products with active ingredient Bifenthrin. Talstar P and Bifen I/T both have 7.9% Bifenthrin, while Bifen XTS has 25.1% Bifenthrin. The price is significantly more for Bifen XTS as expected. Do I need Bifen XTS for prevention sprayed all over my wood siding or can I use the cheaper Bifen I/T 7.9%?
@@mikeandrews5787 Keep in mind that the Bifen XTS only gets mixed at 1/3 of an ounce per gallon instead of the 1 oz per gallon that the Bifen IT gets mixed at. So, if you do the math, you will find that the price per finished gallon is actually cheaper with the Bifen XTS then it is with the Bifen IT. The finished dilution rate coming out of the sprayer is pretty much the same. So, you actually save money by using the Bifen XTS. Just divide the price of the Bifen XTS by 3 and you get the same price as a gallon of Bifen IT. Another way to say that is that 1 gallon of Bifen XTS is actually 3 gallons of Bifen IT. So a gallon of Bifen XTS lasts a lot longer.
If you have wood siding, then you should spray all of it. There is no way in the world that I would do this with the tank springer because it would be way too slow. Therefore, it makes a lot more sense to me to use the hose and sprayer and the Bifen XTS. Just make sure that you dilute it 1 part Bifen XTS to 14 parts of water in the hose end sprayer and set the sprayer to 5 ounces per gallon. This will give you a finished dilution rate of 1 ounce per gallon of water out of the end of the hose end sprayer.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Is there a way to upload a picture to help you identify the type of pest; termite or carpenter ant?
They are very easy to tell apart. Please watch my video on the subject. You will not have any trouble with it. Still, get back to me if you do and I will sort it out for you. Be well my friend.
Termites vs carpenter ants video: ruclips.net/video/enJPS-h70Bs/видео.html
Thanks very much!!!!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Omg my friend had these in her wood floors. Very scary., but she has had concern about her ceiling also. We live in mobile, Al. Her lot has lots of shade from beautiful old oaks. I’m moving and I had no idea about the signs of termites in the old houses that I gravitate to. Can you have formidable and dry wood termites and is tenting the only way to kill them both? Thank you!
Tenting and fumigating are the only way to eliminate drywood termites. I hope that helps. Be well Tina.
If I just have it under some some floor boards in an isolated what would you suggest to treat
The first thing you need to do is make sure that these guys are actually drywood termites and not a species of subterranean termites. 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
Hello Guy!
1) Can you please compare the chemicals of your choice to the Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 (bought before I saw your video)?
2) I drilled 3"-deep, 1/8" diam holes spaced 4" into the studs through the drywall and will inject the foam tomorrow - can I apply the spackle compound to the hole immediately to seal the foam in or should I wait a specified time?
Thanks!!
The Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 is a repellent pesticide that should never be used for termites. The fipronil foam that I recommend is a non-repellent pesticide. The Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 will kill the termites immediately, but that is not what you want. You want to kill them slowly, so that they have time to spread the poison to the other termites, thereby killing the entire gallery and not just part of it. The Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 can actually make the problem worse.
You can patch the holes immediately after treatment.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks, Guy!
1) I searched about and it looks like fipronil (under it's brand names - Termidor, or Taurus SC ) is restricted in California to outside only... tried to buy on Amazon and got the message "cannot be shipped to your address". Do you know if it's allowed to professionals only? Any alternative suggestions?
2) I gave up on positively confirming frass with an inspection camera -(too much fiberglass insulation in the walls) and defaulted to drilling 4" spaced holes in studs spanning the suspected wall. That's a lot of holes to drill and it would be helpful to find them when periodically re-treating in the future. I came up with this idea - before patching with spackle plug each hole with a 1/2" nail, push to recess its head to about 1mm below wall surface and then patch over it and repaint. It's easily located in the future with a stud finder and small magnets that simply stick to it in place and mark where to dig.
Your thoughts?
Best Regards, Abe
@@abrahamshrekenhamer1973 Domyown.com will ship the Termidor foam to California, even though it is restricted to licensed applicators. I won't tell if you won't. California is an extremely restrictive state for just about everything. When it comes to overkill, they definitely get the award for it. Restricting a fipronil foam to outside use is totally stupid. This product was designed to be used indoors. I often wonder if the California legislature does any research whatsoever before they pass a law. Anyway, I will provide a link to the product below.
As you are discovering, spot treating for drywood termites it's more than just a little problematic. That is why I always recommend fumigating, if at all possible. I understand where you were going with pushing nails in the wall where you drilled the holes, but I think there are some problems with it. The holes you are drilling are very tiny and can be very easily repaired. The head of a nail is going to be much larger and more difficult to repair. When you go to retreat the wall, then you need to pull the nails out and that is going to cause additional damage. Also, you don't know if you are going to need to retreat that wall. From a strictly pest control point of view, putting the nails in the wall will make no difference. The only issue is the ease of repair.
Using borescopes to locate frass in a wall is very difficult. It works best on interior walls, but even then, you need a very good borescope for it to work well. This is yet another reason why it is so hard to locate the galleries. Even with the most sophisticated equipment available, it is still unlikely that even the best pest controller we'll find all the galleries. That is why trying to spot treat drywood termites is pretty much and exercise in futility. I only recommend it to people who absolutely cannot afford to pay for a fumigation. Spot treating will slow down the termites, but it is unlikely to solve the problem.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Termidor foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
I live in a Mobile Home and have termites. They were found in my home, Pest control came out and drilled holes, sprayed foam, they went away. Now on the opposite side of home, found another infestation. Can't afford to bring them out again, Tenting is costly and from what I read, they return! I'm going to use Bia Advanced, like you suggested in another video, around home but what can I spray on Drywood termites, without drilling holes?
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. I know this stuff is expensive, but hopefully you came to me for the truth. So, let me break it down for you.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your home at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your home every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
The termite granules will not help with drywood termites, but they should protect you from subterranean termites.
I hope that helps. Be well Pearl.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard for termites. Just the outside of the mobile home): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Just found this, thanks.
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Hello Guy, I have termites inside an exterior wall with a 10X10 ft. concrete patio on the outside. I drilled holes on the inside drywall and then spray canned termite killer but the insulation, I think, is keeping the poison from reaching all of the termites. What do you suggest I do?
The first thing you need to do this to identify the species. Please have a look at my video on how to identify termites species. There is a map in that video that will show you where drywood and Formosan termites are a problem. If you live inside the red for orange areas on the map, then you need to dig a little deeper to find out the species. The video will explain exactly how to do that, but let me know if you run into any problems with it. Please get back to me if you live in the red or orange areas. Hopefully, you live outside of the red and orange areas, which means you are dealing with a common species of subterranean termites. If that is the case, then you have a fairly easy problem to solve. If you purchased something like Spectracide termite foam, then that probably made the problem worse. It will kill a few termites, but it is a repellent pesticide, and it will cause the termites move to another area and actually spread the infestation. If these guys turn out to be subterranean, then you need to attack them from the ground, because subterranean termites always colonize in the ground and never your house. Your house just happens to be their favorite restaurant. You can still do a spot treatment, which will give the process a boost, but you also need to treat the soil around your house. I'm going to give you links to a couple of videos that will show you how to treat the soil around your house. One video we'll show you how to treat using termite granules, and the other video we'll show you how to trench your house. If you have fairly porous soil, then the granules should work fine. Just dig a small hole that is about four inches deep and fill it with water. If the water drains into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules would be a good choice. Otherwise, you need to trench. I will also give you the procedure for doing a proper spot treatment below. So, just to recap. Watch my video on how to determine the species you have. If they are subterranean termites, then choose one of the treatment methods that are in the other videos. If you determine that these guys are not a common species of subterranean termites, then you need to get back to me so that I can guide you further. Please note that if you use the granules, you need to get the ones that use imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell them. You can still get them from Amazon and I will give you a link for that as well.
How to spot treat subterranean termites
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 this process 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 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 identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
Video on how to use termite granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Video on how to trench for termites: ruclips.net/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/видео.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k1_1_7&=&crid=22GC8P8885EWJ&=&sprefix=termite
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
Does the gas used in fumigation for dry wood termites affect clothing and food in the cabinets? Does it leave a residue that be transferred to the hands or the body?
It should not affect clothing, but food should be placed in sealed containers or removed before the fumigation. It will not leave a residue that will be transferred to people or pets. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
HELLO GUY, I WENT DOWN THRU THE COMMENTS AND DIDN'T SEE MY ? , SO, IF I USE BORE-CARE 1:1 WHAT IS THE SQ FT I CAN TREAT? THANKS, LOVE THE VID'S!
That depends on a variety of factors, such as the sprayer used, how porous the wood is, how heavy you apply it, and so forth. I think a good place to start would be to assume that you will get about 400 to 600 square feet out of two gallons of mixed solution. I just treated a plywood deck that was 77 SF and it took about 1/4 gallon that was mixed one to one. At that rate, I was getting about 308 SF per gallon of mixed solution. However, I was applying it with a paint brush, so it goes further that way.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Of all, the videos yours are by far the best. Ok big question a week ago around 9pm Flying Termites (swarmers) went for my light shade in the living room, Used my vacuum suck them up, maybe 75 then last two nights 50 then 25 last night. I live in a two-story house and I scored the perimeter with no signs of any termites, I can only assume they are nesting somewhere inside. Ok, do I assume per your video if I lay the pellets out like you did this should resolve my problem, what I do NOT understand is: do the termites have to leave my house to get to the pellets then come back in to poison the colony? Is that correct?
Really appreciate your thoughts...oh and I do have the green stations from Massey. I will call them tomorrow regardless I want to do what you did with the pellets
Thank you very much aL like button done
How you handle this 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.
The termite granules only work for subterranean termites, so we need to make sure that is what you have before using them. The reason the granules work for subterranean termites is because the termites must return to their colony fairly often to bring food back to the other termites, and the colony is always located under the ground and not in your house. This is not the case for other species, and that is why the first step is to figure out which species you were dealing with.
Those green stations around your house are bait stations that are only used for subterranean termites. They work pretty well, and that is yet another reason why we need to figure out the species.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
We get the same problem every year
@@theone77033 That is why I always tell people that spot treating drywood termites doesn't work. It is virtually impossible to find all the galleries. The only way to get rid of all the galleries is to fumigate. Keep in mind though that the gas they use has no residual action whatsoever. Therefore, you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. If you have drywood termites, then I can assure you that your neighbors have them as well. Since they swarm every year, it is a safe bet that you will be reinfested within a year. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment. You need to begin this treatment before the tent goes up, so that you are protected the moment the tent comes down. I will give you a link to my video I have to do that. Prices for fumigation can vary wildly for this service, so I would urge you to watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. If you are not sure if these are drywood termites, then watch my video on how to identify termite species.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
what is you opinion of Harris Termite Powder solution?
It doesn't work the way you may think. It is a borate product. If you spray it on wood, then it may prevent termites from attacking the surface upon which it was applied, but it will not stop an existing termite infestation. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy! I have dry wood termites in my subfloor on about 3 boards it looks like. Should I replace the boards and would I do this before or after treating like you said in the video? Thanks!
Whether or not to replace infested wood before the termites have been eliminated is somewhat controversial. My view is that it is always best to leave the infested wood alone until the infestation has been completely eliminated. The reason for that is leaving the wood in place allows us to apply a pesticide directly where the termites are eating and, since they will not know that this is a poison, they will not only consume it, but they will share with the other termites in the gallery and wipe that entire gallery out completely. This is important because some of the gallery may extend past the area where you are seeing the damage. If you just remove the damaged wood, then you may be leaving behind some termites that can continue eating. If you treat that gallery with a pesticide, then the termites will spread it around and the entire colony will die out. That being said, should you decide to fumigate the house instead of spot treating, then it would really make no difference one way or the other. Of course, after the infestation is eliminated, then you can go ahead and replace whatever wood you wish.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you so much for your time and effort! I appreciate the advice👍🏻👍🏻
@@josh_reagan You are very welcome. Anytime my friend. Be well.
Hi Guy, I'm very grateful of your very helpful videos. A question.. I was told that every house has termites and it's a matter of how much. I've shown a pest-control inspector of small amount of frass in a closet. Based on it, he said that my house needs to be tented. Is he right?
If that is drywood termite frass, then the inspector is correct, but make sure that it is actually drywood termite frass before tenting the house. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
The only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
Look at that frass with a magnifying glass. If it looks like little pellets, then you have drywood termites. If it looks more like sand or sawdust, then you may be looking at something different.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions The frass was cleaned away. I took some pictures. Can I email them to you to be examined? I did see a dead drywood termite.
@@TheBostonFern You can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Please watch my video on how to take the photos correctly. They need to be done a certain way for them to be useful. The short video will explain how to do it. I need them to be very well focused and up close. I will do my very best to identify what you have. Be well my friend.
Video on how to take the photos correctly: ruclips.net/video/I8qd63hX6y8/видео.html
I have Orkin that has been treating my mobile home for dry wood termites for more than five years. I have not seen activity for some time and carried a bond. Now I am seeing lots of activity from both subs and dry wood. I can’t afford fumigating. This is quite frustrating considering I had a company. Thanks for the info.
I am so sorry you are having this problem. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. I know it's expensive, but if you don't do it the termites will keep on eating your biggest investment... your home. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. The thing is though that it is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Spot treating is all Orkin was doing, and they most likely were not doing it correctly anyway. So, the problem is going to get worse over time if you do not fumigate. It's like your house has a slow growing cancer. If you do not fumigate, then eventually you will most likely experience structural damage. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
By the way, I am on vacation, and I only get internet some of the time. I will be back after June 11, and I will be able to answer follow up questions then.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Hi Guy! Thanks for the great videos. We recently discovered dry wood termites in a kitchen cabinet. We have removed the cabinet from the kitchen and are looking to treat it. While you said Fipronil foam works great, i also have a bottle of Taurus. Could i use that instead of the Fipro? We discovered the termites in the side panel when there was signs of frass and we replaced that piece of wood. There are signs they still may be in the back piece of untreated, bare wood. If we can treat it with Taurus so we do not have to purchase Fipronil foam that would be great. If you think the foam is the better option, i will use that. Just trying to save a few bucks :) Thank you!
Unfortunately, you cannot use Taurus SC for that purpose. You need to use the foam because it expands to several times its size when you apply it. That way it gets into all the areas of the gallery. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that, in addition to that one cabinet, you have these guys in many locations in your home. While it is possible that you got lucky and just that one cabinet is affected, there is very little chance that this is the case.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions I also have drywood termites in my kitchen cabinets. Taking them out will be expensive and it puts the countertop at the risk of breaking. Tenting is a terrible option for me as I am in a townhome. Spot treatments with foam have been proven ineffective. Is there anything else you could suggest? These pests showed up after 8 years of the kitchen installation and, I was told, they probably came inside the wood from the factory. Much appreciated!
@@alansoftbr I'm so sorry that you are having this problem. I always hate to be the one to deliver bad news, but the truth is that there is no effective way to treat drywood termites in a townhome. That is just the reality of the situation. It is possible that the drywood termites came in with the cabinets, but it is far more likely that you have an infestation of drywood termites in the rest of the home as well, and they just found their way to the cabinets. If they were already in the cabinets when you purchased them, then you would have started to see the frass almost immediately after the installation was complete. The fact that it took eight years to see the activity would suggest that the termites were not in the cabinets when you purchased them.
Since you cannot fumigate the townhome, then the only options you have are to use Bora-Care on any untreated wood, in the attic, or crawl space if you have one. Then you need to spot treat with a fipronil foam wherever you can locate activity. Make sure that you are using the correct foam. You cannot use the products that you buy locally in the big box stores. Those foams do not use fipronil as the active ingredient. Also, the foam must be applied correctly for it to work. I go over all of this sort of information in the video. To treat the cabinets, you should just shoot the foam into the exit holes and kick out holes for at least 5 seconds, or until the foam is coming back out of you. This should take out the gallery within a few weeks. Keep in mind that this is not a quick help product. It is designed for the termites to spread it around the colony. That way you take out all the termites, including the queen.
I can assure you that the problem is probably not limited to the cabinets. So, the only thing you can do in your situation is to follow all the recommendations in the video. You are never going to get rid of all the galleries and they are going to continue to keep cropping up. Therefore, you should do an inspection every 6 months and treat any galleries that you find.
Keep in mind that if you have drywood termites, then the other units have them as well. Many times people will refuse to believe that they have them, and so they will do nothing to treat them. Therefore, it is possible, at some point, that the adjoining units may experience a structural failure in an adjoining wall or the roof structure of their unit. If that happens very near your unit, it is possible that your unit may be declared structurally unsound as well. The only good news about drywood termites is that they are very slow eaters, so it usually takes a very long time for this sort of thing to happen. Still, you don't know how long they have been eating your townhome. Therefore, I recommend that you make plans to sell the townhome and try to purchase a single family dwelling. I know this is a lot more expensive, but you are dealing with a situation that you are most likely not going to be able to correct. Over time, this may result in serious damage to your unit that can be quite expensive to repair.
Again, I am so sorry that I have to be the one to explain this to you, and I know it is not something that you want to hear. However, it is the reality of owning a townhouse in an area where drywood termites exist. Since these guys are slow eaters, you do have some time to try to figure out how to purchase a single family dwelling and sell the townhome. The important thing is to start working on it. I know this may sound like drastic advice, but I'm sure you contacted me because you wanted an honest evaluation and advice, and what I am telling you is all true. Your best bet would be to get out of Dodge as soon as you can manage it.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy! I am 68 years old, have an attic that's a crawlspace, and no one seems to want to go up there and crawl around, (yet I'm still trying to find someone). If i did fumigate & can't get anyone to use Boricare in the attic for me. What are the chances of getting drywood termites again if I just spray the outside of my aluminum soffits & facia (& doors & windows) with the alternating chemicals every 3 months like you suggested in your other video? And does screening the million holes in aluminum soffit stop termites???
The treatment that I recommend in my video on how to prevent drywood termites works every time, if you do it correctly. If you spray a pesticide on every possible entrance where a drywood termite can possibly enter, then they have no choice but to land on it, and that will kill them before they can establish a gallery. Even though I tell you to do it every 90 days in the video, I have decided to do it every 60 days instead. The pesticides are supposed to last 90 days, but the last 30 days are not going to be as effective as the first 30 days, so I have decided to do a little bit of overkill. Fumigating is expensive, so I decided it is better to treat six times a year rather than to treat four times a year. I'm not saying that treating every 90 days will not work. All I am saying is that I don't want to take chances.
The holes in most aluminum soffits are too small to allow drywood termites to get in. I would be more concerned with areas where the soffit meets the side of the house or the fascia boards. That is why I make sure I spray all of those areas really well.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
live in cinderblock home in florida 1960 ... no termite inspection.. dont know when it was last tented.
what should we do?
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. If you live in an area of the country where there are drywood termites, then you should always be doing a three-month preventive treatment on your house. I will give you a link to the video on how to do that. If you are not sure if you live in an area where drywood termites are a problem, then have a look at my video on how to determine termite species. There is a map in that video that will show you where drywood termites are problem. If you live in the red area of the map, then you should be doing the preventive treatment. I will give you a link to that video as well. All of that being said, you can figure out if you have a termite problem either by doing your own inspection or by calling a pest control company to do it for you. Most pest control companies will give you a free inspection. Naturally, they are going to want to give you an estimate to treat any problems that they find. So, if you decide on getting a professional inspection done, just be sure not to sign anything. Just tell the inspector that you plan on getting several estimates before you do anything. If you would like to inspect yourself, then look for frass, kick out holes, and mud tubes. There are examples of what these look like in my video on how to determine termite species. Drywood termites do not build mud tubes, so if you find mud tubes then you do not have drywood termites. You most likely have subterranean termites. Of course, it is possible to have both species. So, you also want to be looking for that frass and those kickout holes. The frass looks a little like sawdust and you will see piles of it that are typically next to the walls. Sometimes you have dry wood termites in your cabinets as well and you may see frass on your countertops or inside the cabinets themselves. If it turns out that you do have termites, then please get back to me and let me know the species that you have and I will do my best to assist you. That is to say, I need to know if you have dry wood termites, subterranean termites, or both. Dry wood termites get treated much differently than subterranean termites, so it is very important to identify which one you were dealing with.
I hope that helps. I look forward to hearing from you. Be well my friend.
Video on how to do a drywood termite preventive treatment: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Video on how to determine termite species: ruclips.net/video/mY4FMvAHrMA/видео.html
Thanks for the video! I have drywood termites in my condo. Spot treated 2 locations with termidor foam. The second location, the pest company didnt find the kick out hole, and the swarmers came back a weeks after it was treated. The pest company came back a second time and reapplied it to the kickout hole after looked again. The question is, how do I know it worked the second time? There is this buzzing sound that is constant, does that mean there is still an infestation? Does the foam just push the termites to another location? I hear that the "foam" is a repellant? Tenting is not an option since I live in a condo and my neighbors haven't seen any activity in their units. Thanks
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your condo at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your condo, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. Not only other units in the condo, but other buildings around you as well. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. This is a huge problem for a condo, for obvious reasons. Since drywood termites swarm every year, you and your neighbors will continue to get more and more of these guys attacking all the time. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your condo every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. For fumigation to work you need to do the entire building and then the entire building would need to do the preventive treatment going forward. This is not likely to happen, so the best you can hope for is to spot treat this yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. The foam is not a repellent if it was fipronil based. Obviously, the treatments you had done did not work, because they cannot work. You can kill a gallery, but you can't possibly find them all. Some can be as small as a peanut. You probably have dozens of galleries, and maybe even hundreds, that you know nothing about.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat your yard. Just the building): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Video on how to spot treat drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/U7ck7zhS0Xo/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for the reply. The only other option I have heard is the heat treatment but I was told it can miss areas and they recommended the foam over the heat. Is that what you think to? Are there other ways I can monitor aside from frass and swarmers? I saw your video about tapping the wall but I honestly I wouldn't be able to tell if I did it myself. Thanks
@@compassionmentor There are other options. None of them are perfect and it is difficult to find a company to do some of them, but you may want to explore these options. I have a video on the subject and I will give the the link. If you can find a company that will do the Bora-Care option, that may be the next best thing to fumigation. If you can't find someone, you can try calling Nisus, the company that makes Bora-Care, and ask them if they know of anyone that will do the treatment. You can try heat, and that can work, but it's not a sure thing. Still, the more galleries you eliminate the better. The good news is that drywood termites are very slow eaters and it can take years before you will see any structural damage. So, you do have some time to come up with a plan. Most people in your situation just spont treat.
Looking for drywood termites is hard and it is not easy finding a gallery until it is very well developed. All you can really do is look for kick out hole and frass. You can also tap on the walls every month and listen for frass falling or hollow sounds in the studs. So, a DIY monthly inspection is a good idea.
If you have a condo association, you may want to bring this to their attention and advise them that, even though a lot of folks are not aware of it, the termites are almost certainly attacking most, if not all, of the other units. You can also give them my email address and let them know that I would be happy to explain the problem to them. They may be able to require everyone to pay for a fumigation of the entire building. My email is guyspestsolutions@gmail.com.
I hope that helps. Be well my Adley.
Video on drywood termite treatment options: ruclips.net/video/iD6NTU16-XQ/видео.html
Is there a chance that it is subterranean termites in your walls and not dry wood? I get the names but found one or two bugs recently that kinda look like termites but they had wings and were black and fairly small. Looks different from the photos of dry wood termites on google.
If they are black and have wings, they could be subterranean termites. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. All species have swarmers that can be in the walls. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ruclips.net/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/видео.html
What if I just remove enough strip of drywall that I have access to get my Boracare sprayer in all the wall cavities and spray the studs. Will that work better than trying to drill holes and find all the individual galleries? Or if I find infested wood with galleries can I just spray the crap out of it with Boracare?
Actually, there is a way to treat your walls with Bora-Care, without removing any drywall, and it is more effective than trying to find the galleries and then treating them with a fipronil foam. The only thing is that you need to invest a couple of hundred dollars into equipment. You can literally turn the Bora-Care into a foam and you can fill the entire wall void with it, and it will soak into the adjoining studs. That means, all you need to do is drill a hole into every wall void and inject the foam. Now, there are some drawbacks to this procedure, but after it's finished, then all of the studs will be permanently treated. You can also use the foamer to treat ceiling joists as well. I will give you a link to a video that kind of demonstrates how this procedure is done. I will also give you a link to a good foamer and the foaming agent that you need. Be well my friend.
Video that shows how Bora-Care is foamed: ruclips.net/video/kXQTc9wwCfQ/видео.html
Foamer: www.domyown.com/bg-versafoamer-hh-gallon-foamer-p-1696.html
Foaming agent: www.domyown.com/outlast-pro-foaming-agent-p-13940.html?sub_id=13688
With all that said in the video is fumigating with a tent better than all you would do yourself or would we be wise to do both self-application and tent fumigate?
Fumigating is just about a sure thing and no other treatment is needed. It is the only way that I would do it. Keep in mind that the gas they use has no residual action, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. If you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. They swarm for several months a year, so they will attack your house again as soon as they start swarming, which could be while you are fumigating. To prevent this you must do a preventive treatment, starting before they fumigate. I will give you a link to my video on how to do it. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/видео.html
Hi Guy, thank you so much for your video. I have a question. I found a small hole in my dry wall with frass appearing stuff underneath. I asked professional to inspect my house. They didn't find any other evidence of termite in my house and also they didn't find anything in the attic or any outside walls. If you have only one hole like this without any other additional findings, can you still say this is caused by drywood termite? or could this be caused by other insects? I am a little hesitant to do expensive treatment like fumigation without sure confirmation. Is there any other way to confirm this pinhole is caused by drywood termite? or one pinhole with frass underneath is good enough finding to confirm drywood termite?
The first question that comes to my mind is if that was actually drywood termite frass that you were seeing. If it is, then you are going to be seeing some more of it because they will continue to push it out of the hole. When you see another pile of it, just take a close up photo that is very well in focus, and send it to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Drywood termite frass is generally well formed, elongated pellets, and not a dust, mud, or sawdust. Please take note of where you found the hole. Oftentimes you will see the first signs of drywood termites around windows and doors. Don't forget to check under your furniture for frass, particularly if you ever purchased used furniture. If the frass does not reappear and you cannot find any other areas that have it, then I would take a wait and see approach. The only good news about drywood termites is that they are very slow eaters and it takes them a long time to do any significant damage. If you send me a photo of the frass the next time you see it, then I can probably tell you if it is from drywood termites. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you so much for your time answering my question. I will continue to monitor closely and will send you the photo if I see another one.
@@drk2796 Sounds good. Be well my friend.
I am using delmatherin (by Terro) instead of fipronil. Are effectively the same?
Those products are not at all the same. Deltamethrin is not a good choice to kill termites because it works too fast. For termites, you need a slow kill to give them time to share it with the other termites. However, deltamethrin is a good choice for preventing drywood termites, if you apply it on the outside of your house. Terro products are expensive though, so you are better off ordering the correct products from domyown.com. The professional products are much more concentrated and just work better. Also, cheaper per finished gallon too, if you are obtaining the same product strength. Please watch my video on how to treat the outside of your house. This treatment will prevent drywood termites. I recommend that you do it every 60 days. If you don't prevent them, then they will keep coming in. You should also know that the only sure way to get rid of them completely is to fumigate. They are easy to treat if you can find the galleries, but finding the galleries is very hard. Even the best of the best pros can't do it. You always miss some. If you decide to fumigate, then please watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. It may save you a lot of money.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat the outside of your house: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
EXCELLENT INFORMATION I FIND IN 2024 HOPE YOU ALL AND WELL!!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Is it not a good idea to mix Bora-Care using a blender? Also, how hot is too hot for the water to mix with Bora-Care? Thank you in advance!
Gosh. I never thought about mixing Bora-Care in a blender, but I don't see why not. Just don't use the blender for preparing food after that. The truth is that you can mix Bora-Care with cold water. I do it all the time. I don't think it matters how hot the water is, but I wouldn't boil it or anything. Straight hot from the faucet is fine. It really is not that hard to mix. I needed a very small amount of it the other day and I mixed 1/2 cup of Bora-Care with 1/2 cup of water and I just stirred it with a paint mixing stick. It takes a little longer to mix it that way, but it wasn't all that much time. Even for that small amount, I took the water straight out of the garden hose. I didn't think of using an old blender, even though I do have one. So, that may be a great idea for mixing small amounts. By the way, you should always mix it one to one with water and not one to five, even though the directions say that you can do it that way.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you for your reply. It seem that when I mix it in a 5 gallon bucket and use a paint mixer on a drill it takes a bit to get it mixed.
Glad you told me to use 1:1 as I was only mixing 1:1 were I found termites and 1:4 for preventive spots.
Thanks again! You are a godsent!
@@celldata4john You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
I was reading a Boracare guide listing how to apply it for active infestations through wood injection (1:1 ratio). With your experience and knowledge of how Boracare and Termidor work to kill drywood termites and the length of time each remains effective, do you favor one over the other for spot treat/wood injection? Can you recommend equipment or tools setup needed to successfully inject a liquid? Where can I buy an injection tip that would work for termites. Is a small syringe feasible? Handheld pump sprayer with suitable tip? Foaming would be nice but B&G foamers are in the $300 range, but I gather this would be more cost effective than buying several cans of ready to use fipronil foam.
If you are going to hang your hat on spot treating, then fipronil foam is definitely the way I would go. The best way to do that is with the individual cans because the right equipment to create a foam is expensive. It's fine for the pros, but homeowners would find it more cost effective to just buy the cans. I think they work better too. Bora-Care is best left to treat bare wood. I would definitely treat the attic with it, but for spot treating, go with the fipronil foam. You cannot spot treat with a liquid. You must use a foam because it expands to several times its original volume. That allows it to get into the galleries where liquids cannot reach.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for the quick reply. With the foam cans, some user reviews say it sometimes leaks out all over the top of the can rather than go into the wood. Do you have any tips to prevent this from happening? At $30 a can, I’d hate to see some of it go to waste. Oh, and what size drill bit do you use?
@@rover8783 I have not run into that problem with the FiPro. I suggest that you buy just one can and see if it happens to you. If it does, then go ahead and switch to Termidor Foam. I will give you a link to it. The hole needs to be just wide enough for the applicator tip to get in. 1/8 inch should do it for FiPro, but that may vary, depending upon the product.
I hope that helps.
Termidor Foam: www.solutionsstores.com/termidor-foam-fipronil-spray
@@GuysPestSolutions does the FiPro work the same as termidor as it is non repellant and causes termites to pass it on to the whole colony?
@@macknumber9 Yes. The FiPro is the exact same thing as Termidor foam and it works the exact same way. I just like the FiPro better because it's a little cheaper and I like the applicator tip better. Other than that, there is no difference. Either product is fine to use.
I hope that helps.
I live in a cabin-style house with unstained wood paneling on all of my walls. There is no drywall to drill. How should I inspect behind my wood paneling? I dread the magnitude of the work involved in removing panels from my walls or ceiling.
Also, i suppose Bora-Care would not be applicable to these decorative, interior, unstained wood surfaces, right?
I found one little kick-out hole in my kitchen, and now I feel like I'm doomed.
You can apply Bora-Care to the unfinished wood. However, I can assure you that, if you have drywood termites, they are located in many places. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
By the way, I will be out of town for a couple of weeks, so I may not be able to answer additional questions until after I get back. Don't worry though. If you have follow-up questions, I will answer them upon my return. I'm sure I'll have a good deal of questions waiting for me, so please be patient. I will work through them one at a time. Hopefully it will only take me a week to get caught up. I promise that I will get back to you if you have additional questions, albeit a little slower than usual. We have not been on a vacation for over 13 years and my wife has explained in her unique way that the time has come. So, go I must, and we won't be back until around June 11.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Do drywood termites live inside the house? Or do they need to work their way outside?
I found a hole in the drywall ceiling with frass on the ground below. Can I just shoot some foam into the hole? Or is this not effective? Thanks
First, make sure that this is actually frass that you are seeing and not mud. If it really is frass, then you probably do have drywood termites. Even though I did a video on how to treat them yourself, I do not recommend doing it. The problem is finding all the galleries. As you can see from my video, finding all the galleries is almost impossible. Therefore, I always recommend fumigating for drywood termites. Since you cannot fumigate yourself, you need to hire a company to do this. Please watch my video on how to do it without getting ripped off. Prices vary wildly sometimes with this, so my video can save you a lot of money. Let the inspectors have a look at the frass and they should know immediately what they are looking at. Let me know if this turns out not to be frass and I will guide you further.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller: ruclips.net/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/видео.html
What kind of sprayer gun do you recommend? Is a sprayer gun different from 1 gallon pump sprayers?
Are you talking about the sprayer to apply the Bora-Care or something else?
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy! I'm looking for a sprayer to apply Bora-Care in my attic as well as a sprayer for Taurus SC around windows, doors, etc. Thanks!
@@al70127 Bora-Care clogs up sprayers very easily, so I always buy the cheapest sprayer that I can possibly find. I have seen them on Amazon for around $10. I always try to do all the spraying in one day, and then I just throw the sprayer away. If you are looking to spray the outside of your house you can use any battery operated sprayer you like. The more pressure the sprayer has, the faster it will get the job done, and the higher it will reach. Of course, you get what you pay for. Decent sprayers usually run over $100, and put out over 65 psi, but I am seeing more and more of them that are running under $100, but I have no idea how good they are or how much pressure they have. Let me know if you have areas of the house that are fairly high up. If you do, then I can tell you an easy way to treat these areas, without using a ladder. Just e-mail me if you want to know how to do it. My e-mail is guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. If you e-mail me, please remind me of your RUclips name, so I know who you are. Also tell me you are looking to learn the secret on how to treat high up place on your house quickly and easily, without using a tank sprayer. I have reasons for not talking about it here. Be well my friend.
Do you have a video on how to treat subterranean termites? Terminix treated my house about 3 years ago - it was very expensive and they were very unreliable. The termites are back and in the same area they were first discovered. I would like to find a handyman and buy the supplies and have him/them do it. Can you please do a video on how to treat them. Thank you, Guy.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. As it turns out, I have two videos on how to treat subterranean termites. I will provide you with links to both of them. Before you decide to treat this problem yourself though, you should know that, most of the time, companies that treat your subterranean termites will usually offer you a five-year guarantee on their work. That guarantee usually states that they will return and retreat if you get termites within that five-year period. So, the first thing I would do is read that contract, if you still have it. If there is a guarantee like that in the contract, then I would call that company back and ask them to retreat. If you cannot find the contract, then I would call the company, explain the problem, and ask them if they will treat it at no cost to you because their initial treatment failed. If you cannot get the issue resolved that way, then this is certainly something that you can do yourself. The thing that you do NOT want to do is repair any of the damaged areas at this time. We can use those damaged areas against the termites. I will get to that in just a minute, but first let me talk a little bit about your treatment options if you do this yourself.
I told you that I have two videos on how to treat for subterranean termites and that is because there are two different ways to go about it. There is the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is to simply sprinkle termite granules around your entire home and then water them in with a garden hose. This entire process takes about an hour to do and it is very easy and inexpensive. It works about 95% of the time and, if you do a spot treatment as well, the entire process is going to cost you under $100. I have been using this process for many years now and it has never failed me. So, this would be the first approach that I would take because it is way easier than the second method. In the unlikely event that the granules do not work, then you have no choice but to dig a trench around your entire home and treat it with Taurus SC. This is most likely what the termite company did when they treated your house. Please note that there are two different versions of the granules. Only one of these versions actually works and so it is important to get the correct one. The correct granules are no longer being sold at many of the Home Depot and Lowe's stores. However, they are available from Amazon and I will give you a link to the product. Always make sure that you are using the 700350A and not the 700370. The granules should be applied every year to ensure that you do not get reinvested. Trenching will last between 5 to 10 years.
If you go with the granules, then you can give the process a bit of a boost by doing a spot treatment. This is why I said not to repair any of the damaged areas. It is usually not necessary to do that spot treatment, but it will speed up the process and increase that 95% success rate quite a bit. However, 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. 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. 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. 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 this process 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. The entire process usually takes between 2 to 12 weeks to fully be effective. 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 know this is a lot of information, but the problem is treatable yourself. It actually gets a lot easier after you start doing it. Just to recap though, I would find out if the company that did the original treatment will come back for free to retreat. If that does not work, then I would go with the granules and the spot treatment first before resorting to trenching. If you cannot spot treat for any reason, then the granules alone should still do the job. If the granules and spot treating fail you, then trenching your house is definitely going to work.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat for subterranean termites using granules: ruclips.net/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/видео.html
Video on how to trench your house for subterranean termites: ruclips.net/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/видео.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k9_1_3&&crid=6RLTJBXBF92J&&sprefix=bio
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam (Do not buy this if you can get the FiPro. They are the same thing): www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
I have a shipping restriction in my state on FiPro Foaming Aerosol, alternatives? Thx.
Please tell me where you live and I will see what I can figure out. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Southern California
@@treehauschalet1628 You can use Termidor Foam. Same thing as FiPro. I will give you a link to it. Be well my friend.
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
How do you treat rafter (exterior of house near fascia board) that is partially eaten by termites? Thanks
That depends. If the rafter is bare wood that has not been painted, stained, or sealed in any way, then use Bora-Care. Mix it one to one with water using a drill and paint mixer attachment. It can be applied with a pump-up garden sprayer. If the rafter has been painted or sealed in any way, then drill holes halfway through the wood at 4 inch intervals, everywhere you see or suspect damage. Shoot a fipronil foam into each hole until it is either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. The holes only need to be wide enough for the tip of the foam can to enter. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Bora-Care video: ruclips.net/video/Rmr_aEodyhg/видео.html
Bora-Care: www.domyown.com/boracare-p-100.html?pdpv=2
Fipronil foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html?pdpv=2
@@GuysPestSolutions Does Bora-Care or fipronil foam kill the termites inside these holes? Afterward, do I use putty pr caulking to fill these holes and then paint? Thanks
@@jimwong8056 Yes. These products will kill the termites that come in contact with these materials and in the case of fipronil, the termites will share it with other termites. After you treat, you can go ahead and repair the holes. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Can I spray boracare or Taurus SC through the roof/eve vent holes into the inner roofing that is also part of my family room ceiling? I do see a kick out hole in my ceiling with frass on the floor for about over a week now. Thanks!
I'm sorry, but Bora-Care and Taurus SC do not work that way. If you are seeing frass on the floor and there is a kick out hole in the ceiling, then you most likely do have drywood termites. I recommend that you get a pest controller to confirm this. Estimates are usually free. Just don't sign anything. Drywood termites are slow eaters, so you can take some time to get the best price.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself, like I showed in the video you already watched. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
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
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard to prevent drywood termites. You just need to treat the exterior of the house.): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
@@GuysPestSolutions is it too late to use spot foam treatment through the kickhole and spray over and through the roof vents with Taurus SC?
It is not too late to do a spot treatment with a fipronil foam, but you need to understand that treating one gallery is not going to end the infestation. If you found one gallery, then there are probably many more that you have not found. Trying to spot treat drywood termites is kind of like playing whack-a-mole. No sooner do you think that you treated all the galleries, when another one pops up. That is because some of these galleries can be the size of a peanut, and they are virtually impossible to detect. Those small galleries will continue to grow though until they are large galleries. You will undoubtedly have galleries in the attic and in bearing walls that will eventually result in structural damage. Granted, it can take a long time for drywood termites to cause structural damage, but if you don't kill off all the galleries, then structural damage is probably inevitable. Keep in mind that you don't know how long you have been infested.
Spraying Taurus SC in the roof vents will help to prevent new infestations, but it will do nothing to eliminate the infestation you already have. I think it is a very good idea to begin a preventive treatment right now to stop additional termites from entering your home, but it will have no effect whatsoever on the termites that are already in your home.
I know this is not the news you wish to hear, but I can tell you that the only way to eliminate drywood termites is to fumigate. Also, the only way to prevent them from coming back is to do the preventive treatment. I recommend that you start getting estimates for the fumigation. Get as many estimates as you can because prices can vary quite a bit. Even though drywood termites are slow eaters, you should try to make arrangements to do the fumigation sooner rather than later. There's no real rush, so take your time and get the best price. In most cases it would not hurt to take a few months to get the estimates together and arrange whatever financing you may need, but this is not the sort of thing I would put off for years.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Is Taurus dry a good application for drywood termites??
@@roygonzales273 The answer to that question is both yes and no. Taurus Dry will kill drywood termites, but it is not as effective as using Termidor Foam. Also, you still have the problem of finding them. It is almost impossible to find all the galleries because some of them can be as small as the size of a peanut. There is a very good chance that you have multiple galleries throughout your entire home, so the only reliable way to treat a drywood termite infestation is to fumigate. You can do a spot treatment, but it's kind of like playing whack-a-mole. Every time you find and treat a gallery, another one is going to crop up somewhere. Drywood termites fly to your house, so if you have them, then the neighbors have them too. They swarm for several months out of the year, so you have most likely had them for quite some time now and they are continuing to swarm your house every year. So, you should begin a preventive treatment program immediately on the outside of your home. I will give you a link to my video on how to do that. If you decide to fumigate, you must begin this preventive treatment before the tent goes up. If you do not fumigate, then you should begin the preventive treatment immediately to prevent additional termites from attacking your home.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent dry wood termites. (You do not need to treat your yard. You only need to treat the exterior of the building for drywood termites.): ruclips.net/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/видео.html
Fipro cannot be shipped to where I live in CA. Given that, is there another foam spray at Home Depot or Lowes that you recommend?
I'm sorry. I know that California has some very restrictive laws with regard to pesticides. I can recommend two other products, but you cannot purchase them locally at a big box store. I understand from some other California residents that Amazon will ship these products to you. The one I like the best is Termidor Foam, but if Amazon won’t ship that one to you, then try the Premise Foam. If Amazon will not ship either of these products to you, then give ePestSupply a try. I have never ordered from these folks, but I am given to understand that they may ship to California. The only thing is that they are a little more expensive. I will place links below in the order that they need to be in. So, start with the top link first and work your way down until you find a product that can be shipped to you. If all of this fails, then please get back to me and I'll see what I can do.
AmazonSmile : BASF 805571 Termidor Foam Termiticide/Insecticide : Patio, Lawn & Garden
AmazonSmile : Bayer 03780574 Premise Foam Termiticide, White 18_ounce : Home Pest Repellents : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Termidor Foam Termiticide Insecticide (epestcontrol.com)
Premise Foam (epestcontrol.com)
I believe you can add a generic foaming agent to the Bora-Care product and apply with a foamer tool. Note that I'm not sure that foam can be applied through a cheap garden sprayer, you might need a proper foaming tool.
@@sourcecreator2222 You are correct that Bora-Care can be turned into a foam and it makes the application much easier and more versatile. I don't know if you can adapt a cheap garden sprayer to dispense foam. My guess is that it would not work well. However, you can get an okay foamer for under $100.
@@GuysPestSolutions Do you have any recommendations of such a foamer? I know of the B&G metal handheld foamer for a little over $200. Thanks for the clarity regarding foaming boracare. I will very likely have to invest in some kind of foamer to handle direct-beam internal application of boracare foam, which I will likely be using to some degree in my situation.
@@sourcecreator2222 Foamers often come with mixed reviews. I think B&G is the gold standard for most of this type of equipment, but less expensive foamers are available. I will provide a link below to one, but I have not used it myself. The truth is that I am kind of a B&G guy myself. I think they are worth the extra money, but it may not be worth the investment if you are only going to use it once. Also, if you have not done any foaming before, then I suggest that you watch some videos on the proper way to do it.
I hope that helps.
smile.amazon.com/Chapin-Industrial-1-Gallon-Janitorial-Sanitation/dp/B0009KM2QQ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=384TLF9J89TJR&keywords=Chapin+Poly+Foamer+1+Gallon&qid=1645784814&sprefix=chapin+poly+foamer+1+gallon%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-2