Termites invasion of my bedroom

[punchandjudy]

Firstly, I live in a multi-storey apartment and am pretty high up so a little surprised as I thought termites tended to come from the ground into wooden houses. 

 

Anyway I picked up a box in my room and found hundreds of termites underneath it. I later looked behind where this box was, to a little gap between my wardrobe and bedside table. It is absolutely full of chewed up wood.

 

I will tell the apartment owner tomorrow but have some questions:

 

1. If chemicals are needed to kill the termites, will my apartment foot the bill or charge me as they are in my room?

 

2. I have heard some horror stories about the chemicals used to kill termites causing serious breathing problems for humans who later live in this room - anyone have any knowledge on this?

 

3. Is the best non chemical way to kill termites to use salt water?

 

4. How the hell did they get into my wardrobe/bedside table when my room is nowhere near the ground floor?

 

Thanks!

[NCC1701A]

#4 they flew.

[tropo]

11 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

#4 they flew.

That's probably right. After the rain, there are often swarms of flying termites where I live. They are a real pain and I have to keep all windows (slide doors) closed. They can even get in through sliding door rails. They are looking to mate and start new colonies. I never suspected they could start a new colony with a bit of furniture in an apartment.

[NCC1701A]

I have two bug lights inside my house that run 24/7.

 

they are full of every kind of flying insect.

 

every time a bug gets electrocuted with a big "ZIZZZZZ" I yell out "Die!" and my girlfriend laughs. 

[tropo]

32 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

I have two bug lights inside my house that run 24/7.

 

they are full of every kind of flying insect.

 

every time a bug gets electrocuted with a big "ZIZZZZZ" I yell out "Die!" and my girlfriend laughs. 

That wouldn't be much use for a swarm of winged termites in the house... and they leave wings everywhere. 

Edited August 21, 2018 by tropo

[NCC1701A]

28 minutes ago, tropo said:

That wouldn't be much use for a swarm of winged termites in the house... and they leave wings everywhere. 

why? It kills swarms of fruit flys and nats. they all end up in there. 

Edited August 21, 2018 by NCC1701A

[Crossy]

Back on-topic.

 

For billing, I don't really know, you'll need to discuss with your landlord, perhaps split the cost. The fact that they were found in "your" box could work against you, get rid of the evidence!

 

If it's a serious infestation that's gone unnoticed for a while there could be a lot of work needed, the beasties are awfully tenacious and you need to be sure to kill the queen.

 

Don't try to do this yourself, you will lose. Get the professionals in.

 

Water just results in clean termites.

 

[seajae]

be careful and check thoroughly any one you get to remove them. We used a mob that use the aussie method that is brilliant but they watered the mix down and never did any of the follow up work they were supposed to, end result we had to replace all the gyprock ceilings and the lower floor of the house, remove all the wooden cupboards, door frames etc. The mob before this one simply sprayed water all through the ceilings, they will rip you off as fast as they can but there are a few good ones around if you look, the aussie method is one of the best, they will place a container on the wall where they are, the ants will go in and take the mix back into the nest to the queen and it kills her and wipes out the nest. The watered mix they used on our house was actually turned into a nest it was that weak, was not the correct product at all, when I contacted the aussie distributor they apologized and told me that they cannot control the thai contractors due to thai law, believe there in an english bloke in Bangkok that uses this method the right way and is pretty good

 

[Kerryd]

I used to have a termite problem, mostly when I was away working and the house was empty. They'd get in under the roof and make their way around until they found some material they could digest. (Wooden door frames must be delicious !)
I'd come home on holiday and find little "tunnels" around the door jambs or making a trail from the ceiling down a wall.

 

I'd grab a can of whatever spray poison I had and I'd soak those little tunnels until they were literally dripping. Wait a few days until they dried out then clean/scrape them off.

Had to do that a couple of times however, the last couple of years I've been in the house full time (no longer working) and haven't had a problem.

The termite queens will fly around in masses looking for a suitable home. I think it is when they are ready to mate that they shed their wings. The first time I saw that it looked really strange. Hundreds and hundreds of "wings" piling up in a corner of the patio (where the "breeze" seemed to push them all). Double checked to make sure all windows and doors were closed and sprayed all around them to try and keep any of the little SOBs from getting in.

So far, so good !

Personally, I'd just buy a can of bug spray and do the same thing. Soak the area until it is dripping. Let the room air out for awhile. Let the area sit and dry and then clean it up a couple of days later.

 

Depending on where they are getting in from and how large the colony is, it may not be worth the time, expense or hassle of having someone do it for you and the landlord could tell you it's your responsibility anyways (and blame you for the problem as well) !

 

[tropo]

11 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

why? It kills swarms of fruit flys and nats. they all end up in there. 

Because if you leave the doors open when winged termites are swarming, and you have the light on, they'll swarm your apartment and create quite a mess. If they do come in before I notice and close the windows, I get the vacuum cleaner out.

[Kerryd]

18 minutes ago, tropo said:

Because if you leave the doors open when winged termites are swarming, and you have the light on, they'll swarm your apartment and create quite a mess. If they do come in before I notice and close the windows, I get the vacuum cleaner out.

I notice a lot of people leave their "gate" light on all night. At first I thought it was a "security" thing but it could be that they are trying to keep all those winged beasties as far from the house as possible. Makes sense. Would rather have them out by the road getting eaten by bats and birds and "jing joks" than crawling around my doors and windows !

[peterb17]

OP

 

Take this very seriously- a good friend had nearly all his wooden kitchen cupboards fall off the wall  - turned to dust .

It took a total fortune to sort everything out and the condo was uninhabitable for months  

 

 

We live in the tropics 

 

Hopefully the Landlord will pick up the bill - but if it’s really bad - you will need to move out - sorry . 

 

 

[punchandjudy]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

I used to have a termite problem, mostly when I was away working and the house was empty. They'd get in under the roof and make their way around until they found some material they could digest. (Wooden door frames must be delicious !)
I'd come home on holiday and find little "tunnels" around the door jambs or making a trail from the ceiling down a wall.

 

I'd grab a can of whatever spray poison I had and I'd soak those little tunnels until they were literally dripping. Wait a few days until they dried out then clean/scrape them off.

Had to do that a couple of times however, the last couple of years I've been in the house full time (no longer working) and haven't had a problem.

The termite queens will fly around in masses looking for a suitable home. I think it is when they are ready to mate that they shed their wings. The first time I saw that it looked really strange. Hundreds and hundreds of "wings" piling up in a corner of the patio (where the "breeze" seemed to push them all). Double checked to make sure all windows and doors were closed and sprayed all around them to try and keep any of the little SOBs from getting in.

So far, so good !

Personally, I'd just buy a can of bug spray and do the same thing. Soak the area until it is dripping. Let the room air out for awhile. Let the area sit and dry and then clean it up a couple of days later.

 

Depending on where they are getting in from and how large the colony is, it may not be worth the time, expense or hassle of having someone do it for you and the landlord could tell you it's your responsibility anyways (and blame you for the problem as well) !

 

Hey @Kerryd, thanks for your reply.

 

One of the apartment staff came to spray around my wardrobe and bedside table with a bug killer chemical spray called "Chaindrite". 

 

We also found that these little pests had been living on the bottom shelf of my wardrobe in a little hole and eating my wardrobe from the inside out! 

 

Fortunately they seem to have been eliminated from my wardrobe now and my bedside table which was also affected has been replaced.

 

I asked her if there will be any danger to my health from the spray and she said no it may just make my throat feel dry...

 

As I value my health I came out of my apartment for a while while I wait for the horrible smell to go, I left my fan on swing to try to neutralise the chemical smell.

 

It has been about 3 hours now since the chemicals were sprayed.

 

Am I worrying too much about having to inhale and breathe in these chemicals all tonight whilst I sleep that were sprayed right next to my bed?

 

I don't plan to die in my sleep.

 

Thanks.

[tropo]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

I notice a lot of people leave their "gate" light on all night. At first I thought it was a "security" thing but it could be that they are trying to keep all those winged beasties as far from the house as possible. Makes sense. Would rather have them out by the road getting eaten by bats and birds and "jing joks" than crawling around my doors and windows !

They are extremely sensitive to any light source. You don't need much light to attract them, so even with a gate light on, if the house light is on, they will still come inside if you have no flyscreens. At the last place I lived, they used to walk in under the doors, along the sliding door track.

[milys]

I have had termite problems also. As I live in a house the problem is mostly outside because termites feed on cellulosa, trees paper etc. 

When they are swarming they get wings and can fly anywhere

Here in Thailand countryside people are mostly using "Fuladam" a poison in the DDT class which is totally forbidden in Europe.

Searching on the net I found out a guy who recommended to use salt instead of poisons and it has worked very well.

It takes a bit of digging because the termites lives underground, the soil on the ground is used in a clever way so it works like an aircondition to keep the population underground cooler. You will see these airtunnels when you start breaking the nest.

A couple of kilos of salt will do it for a medium nest. I do like this: Brake the nest in pieces and pour out the salt evenly. Rinse it with water so it goes down in the soil. You probably have to do it 2-3 times until they leave for another place. It feels much better with the salt method than to put strong pesticides in the soil. It's also cheaper as you can buy a kilo of salt for around 5 baht. Good luck !

[jimn]

OP where are you based? I use a farang chap who runs a company in Pattaya. He does a complete safe treatment once a year and 3 further follow up visits on my housefor a quick sprey and recheck. He only uses safe treatments from Australia. Very good value not expensive. If you or anyone wants his number PM me. By the way I am not him nor have I any interests in his business.

Edited August 22, 2018 by jimn

[Formaleins]

Go to Global House and look for a product called BEGERDRITE, you mix it with water and treat the ground and wood etc. with it. It works a lot better than the old Chaindrite / Shelldrite. This stuff is invisible to the termites and once they touch it it begins to rot their exoskeletons. The great thing about it is that they carry it back with them to their happy little nest and it wipes out the entire colony. It also can remain effective for up to 5 years if applied correctly. I have been using Chaindrite for years now and it is a continuous battle that neither myself or the termite are winning. The stuff is pretty nasty and not too good if it gets on your pets. It also does not seem to last too long and as far as I can see is detectable by the termites, so they tend ot avoid it and find their way around it.

 

The Begerdrite works a lot better and lets them walk merrily through it infecting them all with a terrible bone dissolving death - probably severe osteoporosis for termites. Last time I bought it I paid about 1600 Baht and it will make up around 100 Litres.

 

 

[Grusa]

36 minutes ago, jimn said:

OP where are you based? I use a farang chap who runs a company in Pattaya. He does a complete safe treatment once a year and 3 further follow up visits on my housefor a quick sprey and recheck. He only uses safe treatments from Australia. Very good value not expensive. If you or anyone wants his number PM me. By the way I am not him nor have I any interests in his business.

I think I know him. If he is German, I thoroughly recommend him, but it is 8 years since I had cause to use him.

 

At the time, I was renting a pool villa on the Dark Side of Pattaya. It had a Thai-style copy of a European kitchen, which is to say that all the solid looking wood is actually two layers of cheap thin plywood, separated by strips of whatever scrap is to hand. To the point where it would be less cost and trouble to use the real (if you can call chipboard and mdf real) thing!

 

SWMBO and I had noticed a foul smell, increasing, but could not identify the source, until a cupboard shelf collapsed. Horrors, it‘s termites, call in the experts. To cut a long story short, the German guy referred to investigated, found a huge nest under the plinth, estimated 5,000,000 termites in residence. They were in all the cupboard structural panels, shelves, doors - anything hollow! They had found their way from the lower units, proceeded behind the wall tiles, to the upper units, and were eating them too!

 

The only option was to strip out everything and burn all detritus immediately. It became obvious that the point of entry was a hole in the wall, for the gas supply to the hob. It had been drilled, a plastic pipe passed through, and never sealed. The basic nest was 600*500*15mm under the sink plinth.

 

We were very lucky, the landlord agreed to pay for a replacement kitchen to our design within reason.......great! We had to strip all the tiles, and replace. But still,  Thai style construction.

 

We moved out a year or so later, we had a strange smell from the bedroom fitted furniture.........(amongst other problems).=

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

6 hours ago, punchandjudy said:

One of the apartment staff came to spray around my wardrobe and bedside table with a bug killer chemical spray called "Chaindrite". 

 

We also found that these little pests had been living on the bottom shelf of my wardrobe in a little hole and eating my wardrobe from the inside out! 

 

Fortunately they seem to have been eliminated from my wardrobe now and my bedside table which was also affected has been replaced.

 

I asked her if there will be any danger to my health from the spray and she said no it may just make my throat feel dry...

If it's the one I know she was being extremely economical with the truth. That is a chemical I would need full protection including an organic filter mask and goggles before using.

[The Deerhunter]

9 hours ago, peterb17 said:

OP

 

Take this very seriously- a good friend had nearly all his wooden kitchen cupboards fall off the wall  - turned to dust .

It took a total fortune to sort everything out and the condo was uninhabitable for months  

 

 

We live in the tropics 

 

Hopefully the Landlord will pick up the bill - but if it’s really bad - you will need to move out - sorry . 

 

 

Totally agree with this post.  They will enter through a screw hole in a wall from a hollow concrete block and eat the whole cupboard and anything containing cellulose. Termites are known to travel up in buildings through electric conduits or tiny gaps in mortar.  I have heard of infestations up to the 11th floor but not seen it.  There are very likely problems elsewhere in the building which are the source of your infestation.  Luckily you do not own it.  Brother in law over the road from us had his kitchen ceiling fall in last week.  They are very likely to be right through the roof of his house eating everything wooden.  It can be a big problem but it is mainly your landlord''s problem.   Move out if you have to.

[whaleboneman]

10 hours ago, milys said:

I have had termite problems also. As I live in a house the problem is mostly outside because termites feed on cellulosa, trees paper etc. 

When they are swarming they get wings and can fly anywhere

Here in Thailand countryside people are mostly using "Fuladam" a poison in the DDT class which is totally forbidden in Europe.

Searching on the net I found out a guy who recommended to use salt instead of poisons and it has worked very well.

It takes a bit of digging because the termites lives underground, the soil on the ground is used in a clever way so it works like an aircondition to keep the population underground cooler. You will see these airtunnels when you start breaking the nest.

A couple of kilos of salt will do it for a medium nest. I do like this: Brake the nest in pieces and pour out the salt evenly. Rinse it with water so it goes down in the soil. You probably have to do it 2-3 times until they leave for another place. It feels much better with the salt method than to put strong pesticides in the soil. It's also cheaper as you can buy a kilo of salt for around 5 baht. Good luck !

I guess it will take the OP a lot of digging as he lives "high up in a multi-story condo".

[jimn]

11 hours ago, Grusa said:

I think I know him. If he is German, I thoroughly recommend him, but it is 8 years since I had cause to use him.

 

No not him this chap is American. Sure if you used the German guy he is probably good as well if he is still around. I can recommend the guy I have used for the last 3 years.

[sirineou]

On 8/21/2018 at 2:23 PM, NCC1701A said:

I have two bug lights inside my house that run 24/7.

 

they are full of every kind of flying insect.

 

every time a bug gets electrocuted with a big "ZIZZZZZ" I yell out "Die!" and my girlfriend laughs. 

Unfortunately termites are not phototropic, in fact they are photoedverse (they like dark places) . The bug light will not attract and kill them also it will not attract  and kill mosquitoes or flies  but it will attract and kill  other bags that feed on mosquitoes, flies  and posible termites.

[surfinglife]

Rentokil do a good job with pheromone (non-chemical) termite extermination. You can call them on 085 159 9815.

[rickudon]

On 8/23/2018 at 6:01 AM, sirineou said:

Unfortunately termites are not phototropic, in fact they are photoedverse (they like dark places) . The bug light will not attract and kill them also it will not attract  and kill mosquitoes or flies  but it will attract and kill  other bags that feed on mosquitoes, flies  and posible termites.

Not entirely true. The termites that eat your wood (the workers) avoid light, but the flying ones DEFINITELY make a beeline for any light. I know because our house gets invaded several times every year - to get them out you turn off the lights and turn one on outside.

 

Problem for the OP is that the nest is quite possibly in another apartment or in the external walls. He needs to check for all traces of holes or their mud tunnels,and test the wood of any fitted furniture for weakness. Chaindrite will drive them away for a while, but they will be back. After spraying air the apartment for a few hours, and if in the bedroom suggest you sleep with the windows open (hopefully you have fly screens) for a night or 2. Borax is safe and will kill Termites, but hard to get in Thailand. You need a strong solution and paint it on any damaged wood, if the termites then eat the wood they will slowly die.

[sirineou]

52 minutes ago, rickudon said:

Not entirely true. The termites that eat your wood (the workers) avoid light, but the flying ones DEFINITELY make a beeline for any light. I know because our house gets invaded several times every year - to get them out you turn off the lights and turn one on outside.

 

Problem for the OP is that the nest is quite possibly in another apartment or in the external walls. He needs to check for all traces of holes or their mud tunnels,and test the wood of any fitted furniture for weakness. Chaindrite will drive them away for a while, but they will be back. After spraying air the apartment for a few hours, and if in the bedroom suggest you sleep with the windows open (hopefully you have fly screens) for a night or 2. Borax is safe and will kill Termites, but hard to get in Thailand. You need a strong solution and paint it on any damaged wood, if the termites then eat the wood they will slowly die.

 I stand corrected, and apologise to those I have provided false information.

After further researching the subject it is indeed true that Flying Termites are highly attracted to light.

https://www.orkin.com/termites/life-cycle/swarm/

[stud858]

I had a problem years ago in level 3 condo room. Stuck a plastic bait box filled with dirt and cardboard sprayed with right percentage of fipronil.

Termites were finding their way through concrete wall. I tried reconcreting and these buggers kept reappearing. The fipronil is the only thing that has kept them away. The bait box was left there. 4 years on all good. Order fipronil from lazada and be careful with it. Read up on it extensively first.

The pros use this stuff. You can be a pro too.