Termite Madness!

[Tapster]

Last night we had a home invasion by hundreds of flying termites.

 

Our back door was open and we didn't notice the little b******s until they were inside and most of them had shed their wings.

 

I sprayed the few that hadn't disappeared under/behind furniture, cupboards etc.

 

My question: do I need to worry?  Are the flying termites intent on eating all the wood inside the house? What do I need to do?

 

Many thanks for any advice.   

[Artisi]

are they termites?

we usually get them after some rain - I think they come out of the rice fields or similar - plus the little buggers can get thru' the fly-screen.

[Tanoshi]

Yes, fully grown flying termites, but they die within hours of shedding their wings.

 

Only very few survive in the right conditions and location to start a new colony.

Their an excellent source of protein and fat, which is why the Thais like to fry them up for dinner. 

[Tapster]

But, please can I have the advice I requested?

Will the termites that got into the house try to infest my wood?

 

[observer90210]

I wood (ok sorry) be on the safe side and get a pro and get a home treatment.

 

Have seen this company in Europe, they also have a branch in Thailand apparently.

 

https://www.rentokil.co.th/en/termites/termite-control/

 

 

[Lungstib]

A French friend of mine, married to a Thai, both of them mainly in France, reckons his wife left windows open before she returned to France. He is adamant that this led to alates flying into his house, setting up a new colony and then proceeding to consume his kitchen cabinets. Whether he properly researched this or not I dont know but maybe getting the professionals in to spray is cheaper than replacing eaten woodwork. 

[eyecatcher]

Tapster,  theres a few on here that read my endeavours after the little buggers ate my house.

Those flying termites are the kings and Queens of new colonies flying and trying to mate.

Millions of them fly out when the humidity rockets.

I am very conscious of them now.

At the first sign in future of them flying....get all your lights switched off, and they will go and disturb the neighbours.

Any you see on the floor sweep them up...ants and jigjoks will clean up a lot for you.

They can only fly for about 15 minutes before the wings fall off but generally cannot travel very far without them.

If you have wooden kitchen cupboards look inside periodically for evidence of poo pipe trails but to be safe chaindrite spray the joints and the reveals if they are cassette doors. It will kill any that are working.

If eggs have been laid you cant kill them so do the periodic chaindrite spraying to get them when they hatch.

Dont underestimate them, they are like stealth bombers, and do damage that you are unaware of.

 

With mine i had to strip everything out and hand treat every piece of wood before getting the fumigation team in.

The chaindrite solution is still very effective as i get several dead beetles, wood wasps and jigjoks most days.

 

Tip of the day....termites flying flying, lights off!

[stud858]

Do you have picture of the little critters. Sometimes they are mistaken for termites but are not.  If you find out they are I would recommend buying some fipronil and making a nest out of cardboard with this chemical poured over it. Dont spray anything that will kill them.  Let them eat the cardboard and touch the fipronil and they will spread it to others and so kill the whole colony over several weeks. Fipronil.is a controlled substance and can be dangerous.  Let me know if you want to take this route and I'll tell you more of what I did to kill off termites in my room that nothing else could stop them. Be careful with the fipronil. This is the same chemical used in dog flea treatment at low concentration. 

[Artisi]

On ‎5‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 7:37 PM, Tapster said:

But, please can I have the advice I requested?

Will the termites that got into the house try to infest my wood?

 

Probably, but best to assume the worst and take some precautions.

[stud858]

14 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Probably, but best to assume the worst and take some precautions.

Yes, termites eat wood. If they choose to colonise and like the flavour of your wood and can get to the wood in a likeable path for them. Yes. 

[stud858]

By making a fipronil Bait nest you will give yourself piece of mind for 5 years. The period that fipronil works for. Set it and leave it.  

You could just wait to see if wood damage occurs,  but they eat from inside to out and it may be too late before you notice. 

 

[eyecatcher]

2 hours ago, stud858 said:

By making a fipronil Bait nest you will give yourself piece of mind for 5 years. The period that fipronil works for. Set it and leave it.  

You could just wait to see if wood damage occurs,  but they eat from inside to out and it may be too late before you notice. 

 

You are misguided and so are many customers throughout a country who get taken in by tbe bait box theory.

 

You may be right that the idea is to wipe out a colony but there are lots of colonies being created all the time.

They fly in....and the pitch on bait boxes makes you think its a steel fence protecting your property.

 

The only way is to protect the wood you have as you will never win a war or even control termites

[Tapster]

Many thanks for all the advice.

 

I'm going to Chaindrite the bottom of the kitchen cabinets and keep an eye out over the next few months.

 

?

Edited May 22, 2018 by Tapster

[stud858]

8 hours ago, eyecatcher said:

You are misguided and so are many customers throughout a country who get taken in by tbe bait box theory.

 

You may be right that the idea is to wipe out a colony but there are lots of colonies being created all the time.

They fly in....and the pitch on bait boxes makes you think its a steel fence protecting your property.

 

The only way is to protect the wood you have as you will never win a war or even control termites

It all depends on the location of the property and invaders. My situation was that termites were travelling through a small hole in the concrete wall in a condo. Placing a fipronil bait box  over the hole worked in my situation.  And it's not just any old bait box.  The box is still sitting there and not a sign of termites for years. You need to understand how fipronil is mixed, used, and works.  You can't just spray it on furniture or dig trenches around your condo. Bait boxes have their place  in my opinion and they must be placed smartly. I've seen it work. The termites touch the chemical and spread their slow killing disease.  Whole colonies will be wiped out. Please let me know any situation where you have used fipronil in any method  and it has not been successful. 

[HidyHo]

1 hour ago, stud858 said:

 Please let me know any situation where you have used fipronil in any method  and it has not been successful. 

How does one buy this stuff in Thailand?  Is it safe for human and do they work on roaches and ants?

[stud858]

1 minute ago, HidyHo said:

How does one buy this stuff in Thailand?  Is it safe for human and do they work on roaches and ants?

I bought from lazada Thailand.  let me know if you are unsuccessful in getting it. 

It comes as concentrate and is dangerous.  You need to be careful when diluting it and it needs to be diluted correctly to be affective.  To weak doesn't kill.  Too strong kills too fast . It needs to be applied in hidden areas Wear gloves, don't drink it hehe and you'll be fine Check out youtube videos. I think it willl be affectivea against most insects including ants and cockies.

Anyway checkout you tube and search for brand name Termidor or fipronil. Same thing. 

Again, you need to take precautions,  they will be listed on websites.  Check out the wiki 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fipronil