G'day all, newbie re termite damage

[San]

Thanks Coptotermes,
The CSIRO information is great for anyone who wants to set up their own baits from scratch. The only thing with any baits, as was covered before, is to have it professionally treated. You may only get one window of opportunity, so do it right, and this does not mean you don't need your annual inspections....DO IT! You might find nothing for years, but then your inspector could come across something which is the beginning of a massive, expensive problem, if it were not to be found.

Well there you go Greg, probably more info on termites than you ever really wanted, but at least you know there are people out there who can help you make informed decisions without the fee....Cheers too Copto's, feedback on my own opinions are always good to hear.

San

[I_hate_termites]

Hi Coptotermes,
Thanks for the additional info and on the bait box. Ill be building one this weekend for sure.
Interesting that the termidore is not a barrier but sounds more similar to arsenic dust but a lot better. Glad you put me in the know. I think i needed the barrier that was put in and i may need future treatment with the termidor if the bait box shows up a new colony.
So how does one count 15000 termites ? to be sure he has enough to dust, very quickly i suppose before they all run away ?
I didnt get the bit about the lid on the bait box, if its made of clear plastic wont that allow light in when you look to see if termites are present. Or dont they mind light for a few seconds whilst you are looking.

Cheers
Greg

[I_hate_termites]

Hi Glen
Yes I think your right and i think the only way ill be able to afford to fix it is room by room. From your comments (and from my bulging plasterborads in a few places it sounds like I may have lots of mud hiding behind some of the now besies the pressure coming down from collapsed wood work.

Im planning on working from subfloor up, replacing bearers and joists room by room working up the walls after the floor is solid and finally in a few years doing the roof.

I think i do have cyprus floor boards. The thing that worries me most is how does one replace the eaten wood that is under the walls, can everythingbe jacked up enough to replace wood under walls ? . I dont think my floor boards go under the walls but there is certainly wood under there that the sirting boards are nailded to.

i dont suppose you would know of any good books or websites or information on how to do this would you ? it sounds like you know all about it.

I will post photos after i have started but i scared to start untill i have the knowledge i think i will need to finish what i start and not have the whole house come crashing down on top of me and ill be doing it out of my wage.

Cheers
Greg

[San]

Hi Coptotermes,
Thanks for the additional info and on the bait box. Ill be building one this weekend for sure.
Interesting that the termidore is not a barrier but sounds more similar to arsenic dust but a lot better. Glad you put me in the know. I think i needed the barrier that was put in and i may need future treatment with the termidor if the bait box shows up a new colony.
So how does one count 15000 termites ? to be sure he has enough to dust, very quickly i suppose before they all run away ?
I didnt get the bit about the lid on the bait box, if its made of clear plastic wont that allow light in when you look to see if termites are present. Or dont they mind light for a few seconds whilst you are looking.

Cheers
Greg

Hi Greg,
Don't get confused with Barriers, dust, Foam, liquid....
Termidor can be applied as a soil treatment, ie. "Barrier", and as I said before, is, in my opinion, the best form of barrier, as it is undetectable to foraging termites, where other products are repellent, such as Biflex, or Bifenthrin. They work in different ways.
Termidor is also available in a dust, or a liquid, and can be applied in different ways.
1-Barrier or soil treatment.
2-dust. For treatment of live specimens.
3-foam. Treatment of live specimens. Foaming helps the emulsion to spread into excavated workings.
4-low dose. Less concentrated liquid than used in soil treatmments, and is used to treat live specimens. The concentration of liquid is lower to prevent killing the termites before they are able to reach the nests.
5-As of late last year, Termidor has now been approved for some reticulation systems.

Versatile and effective.
As for the 1500 termites, this is excessive and in reality, is usually impractical.
Colony control can be achieved with less than 200 termites in a bait.
Once the transfer effect has taken place, 1500 termites will easily be "infected", and will be enough to spread throughout the nest.

Greg-Find yourself a Good Pest Controller who recommends Termidor, as they should be competent in its use. Then, when your baits are active, get them in for treatment.

...And start rebuilding your house!

Cheers
San

[luqiyi]

No problems for the info. Termites are my working life, sadly, I'm passionate about getting people the CORRECT information, as there are so many companies portraying the products which make the most money. Ane example: I went to a ladys house on tuesday because she wanted a second quote on a termite protection system for her home. A slab on ground house, I priced up a termidor barrier at around $2200. She immediately asked me if this was the best treatment so I gave her a Termidor DVD to watch which explains the process and the protection. She gave me the go ahead on the spot, and handed me a quote from another company which had a baiting system proposal of $3300, which is pretty standard. But what the proposal didn't have, was the estimated cost of servicing each year attached. So this poor old lady would have purchased a system which required an additional $1200 per year or more for servicing, without even being informed. And what's worse, is that the system she was quoted, still belonged to manufacturers, and if a service agreement was not extended to the following year, the installers had the right to remove it.

I do beleive that the best way to protect a property is with a Termidor Barrier. Sometimes construction methods make it impossible to do a Barrier, and then, I beleive baits come into their own. Baits are a great way to treat problem areas and eradicate termite colonies, but overall, a barrier is working for you 24-7 for up to 8-10 years.

Unfortunately, termidor is not available to the general public, and even if you could get some, I would have a pesty do the application for you, as it is easy to botch a treatment if you don't know what you're doing.

Keeping in mind that during tratment of a live bait, you must not apply too much dust or liquid as you will overdose the termites in the bait, and they will not survive long enough to get back to the nest. Alternatively, if you don't apply enough, there may be some decrease in colony numbers, but you won't be successful with a full kill.

Thank you San for the very very useful information!!

[San]

As new and more current information is available to me, I will be sure to post it for all to see. There have been some recent statistics released with regards to the amount of Termite Colonies throughout the country and I'll get a hold of them so you can actually see what you are up against.
I spoke to Stuart Patterson, who is one of the Termidor reps today because we have had a problem termite infestation which is being very difficult to control, and at the end of the conversation, he said to me..."I know you are frustrated, and it is understandable, but at the end of the day, you are trying to control nature, and with the restrictions placed on us as pest managers, with chemicals and contaminants, it's amazing how well we are now doing."

Cheers.

[Algester]

It seems that Termidor is the ants pants and bees knees of Termite treatment. However it seems it won't do any good in my situation. I have a sub floor, a part of which floods when we have prolonged extremely heavy rain. This happens about three of four times a year. I have a bilge pump to get out most of the water but most of it rises up out of the ground and what can't get pumped out sinks back into the dirt.
I've been told by two pest control companies that Termidor is no good in this situation as it will great weaken in all that water. Another two companies are prepared to go ahead and use it regardless, with the proviso of annual of two yearly top-ups of chemical, depending which company I go with.
Is there no chemical that does not dissolve away in water, what of Bifenthrin?