termites: true or false?

eelgrass

eelgrass

Long Time Member
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My sister was cleaning mom's house the other day and discovered some "sawdust looking" stuff in the lower kitchen cabinets. Now my mom is scheduled to have a termite inspection next week.

I scoffed at it. Her house is about 30 years old. It has a solid perimiter concrete foundation with concrete piers running underneath 4' on center. There is about 2 feet of crawl space clearance.

I've always believed that the ONLY way you can get termites is if there is wood touching the ground somewhere. I looked under the house with a flashlight and there is no wood on the ground that I can see.

So my question is, can termites invade a house with no direct wood/soil contact?

I hate to see her spend the money if she doesn't have to.

Eel
 
Termites are flying ants.
Wherever they fly to they will make a home and lay eggs. It's the larva that eat all the wood, regardless of any soil.
They destroyed my kitchen in an old house i had years ago.
It's DEFINATELY worth having an inspection.
Good luck to her!!







http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx290/slamdunk_04/E1x1BWINV1-2.jpg[/IMG]
 
Hand over the map to the honey hole and I'll tell you how to get rid of them for about $3.50 and a single match.
 
Hi Eel, don't sound like termites to me, maybe a little dry rot. I wish i knew more to tell you!

Termite inspection guys can get carried away so be careful. Not all but some of those guys are crooks IMO!

Joey
 
Eel, from the southern tip of the west coast rain forest we have 2 types of termites here. Subterrainian, and dry wood. Subs can actually build there own tubes up the foudation wall, but drywood will fly right in and make home in your house. They live in the wood and don't have a nest under ground, There nest is in the wood, They both will do damage to your house. What I would do is clean up the mess and see if more droppings fall out. If so you do probably have termites. Up here we had drywood in the main house and had it treated without total tent fumagation. It was a microwave kind of treatment, not the orange oil stuff. It's gaurenteed for three years so my landlord found it more feisible. Hope this helps Jim
 
Thanks guys. (except overton as usual:))

Not what I wanted to hear, but I guess we better check it out.

Joey, I will be careful, as I know what you're saying.

Eel
 
my great aunt used to say..."they can't eat the whole sumbitch before I die" and they didn't....but they got a good start.


JB
497fc2397b939f19.jpg
 
>my great aunt used to say..."they
>can't eat the whole sumbitch
>before I die" and they
>didn't....but they got a good
>start.
>
>
>JB
>
497fc2397b939f19.jpg



Even if they did eat the whole sumbitch, you would still have your door knobs, water pipes, nails, wiring, and glass windows.

Eel
 
Jingow is correct, but another problem that I've personally seen are the large carpenter ants! They will eat the shiet out of a house!
 
Jing +1. And whatever you do make sure you spray enough pesticide under/on/in and around the house to make everyone violently ill. Just saying..

HK
 
I'm being dead serious here eel.....find the hole that the chips are coming out of and stick the flex tube on a can of WD 40 in there and give them a thorough dose.....it works wonders on termites....it is obviously very localized but will rid that area of them




JB
497fc2397b939f19.jpg
 
Eel I've heard they fly also but don't have much knowledge on them either. Hopefully it's not termites and is something much easier to deal with...best of luck buddy!!

~Z~
 
Eel, I have a lot of experience with termites. I bought an old house a few years ago to renovate and two support walls were nothing but thin paper for 2 by 4?s. I could literally crush them with my hands. The only thing keeping the walls standing was the inside drywall and the outside siding. I got the whole house treated and since then I constantly look for them. We have a lot of those critters here in Arizona but the only ones I have seen are the type that make mud tubes up the sides of the foundation and they will make them on the inside of the foundations as well. That was an expensive lesson to learn, far more than the treatment cost. Id have it looked at if I were you. A sign of wood dust is not good.

GBA
 
Probably hitch hikers from the Saw Mill. Pine Beatles, wood ticks, porcupine, wood chuck, beaver or beavers. Grand kids with a Drill? Ever consider getting an Ant Eater? Any case good luck.

Rutnbuck
 
Jingow is spot on. The thing with termites is that they fly! You can have a home tented and then a few months later find evidence of termites. They're like some woman....you try to get rid of them but they always seem to come back.

Steve
 
GOOD NEWS! After work today I stopped at moms. I turned off the TV and made it nice and quiet in her house. I stuck my ear up against the sheetrock above where the problem was. I didn't hear any chewing or anything. I think we're OK!!

Thanks for the PM and the tip overton!

Eel
 
I really do have good news to report this time. The inspection revealed NO termites.

The "saw dust" turned out to be just that, saw dust. Evidentally, this last earthquake knocked some saw dust down from when the counter tops were installed 30 years ago? That's all we can figure.

Thanks for all your input. You too overton.:)

Eel
 
No Eel, You Did not take a shower when you went home from the mill and pigged out the house with saw dust. have a good one ,Jim.
 

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