Termites Eating Condo

[gukoye]

I am coming to Chiang Mai next week to take care of a serious termites problem in my condo. They seem to have eaten into virtually all the wood and caused even electrical problems.

Does anyone have good advice on companies in Chiang Mai that could take care of the problem, including refurbishing, plus what precautions to take to avoid future recurrences of the same problem (apart from using teak)?

Thank you very much.

PS: I am so happy to come back anyway...

[Jungian]

Do you have a wooden condo? I have only ever seen concrete condos with the exception of furniture and trim. It has also been my experience that the electrical wiring in condos is in conduits, and that only mice eat wires, my father is an electrician and raised me as such although I chose a different path I have quite a few years experience and have never seen this happen.

[chiangmaibruce]

Good luck. I rented a brand new studio unit to use as an office and within 1.5 years it had visible termite infestation in internal wooden door frames. The best (and perhaps only) prevention is in the intitial construction of the structure. In my case they had already done some (obviously ineffective) treatment in the soil around the building, and they subsequently just injected poison into whatever holes and cracks they could find in the concrete. I moved out (for other reasons) but I would imagine they are going to have an ongoing problem with this.

[NancyL]

Our condo building is full of units with termite damage. Yes, the building has concrete construction, but termites infest anything wooden in some of the units. It seems to be worse in units that are unoccupied for long periods of time.

I know one unit where they can't use the kitchen drawers because of severe termite damage. We've reported swarms several times and the "pest control" seems to consist of someone coming in with a sprayer and giving a few squirts of an odorless liquid into the exit holes we point out. We can supply the same level of "pest control" by using the cans of spray they sell at the grocery store, ones that come with a long, thin tube you attach to the spray nozzle to deliver the chemical into a hole in the wall. Plus, we don't waste our time waiting for a worker who usually doesn't show up at the time of an appointment.

We lived in south Texas and know this isn't the way to do termite control. As mentioned, the foundation should be treated during construction and if a problem developes then the PCO (pest control operator) should drill holes all around the structure to get the chemical well into the walls, not just the area that seems to have a problem. In south Texas it was common practice to have new construction professionally treated and then periodic professional inspections. Banks wanted to see certification documents demonstrating a history of professional inspections before they'd grant a mortgage for resale property.

The OP may want to talk with other westerners in the building to see how they've handled this problem. Some owners in our building have found western-style PCOs who set up a professional treatment program with periodic inspections and reapplication of chemicals.

[tomartoh]

Once they have eaten all the wood then they will leave.

When i lived in krabi i used pest control company twice in 2 properties and they were effective. they drilled holes in the floors and sprayed stuff into the foundations.

The house i lived in for short time in kanchanaburi they had already left the place when i took over , having eaten the insides of the skirting boards.

Is there some wood they like to eat more than other?

[gukoye]

The condo is in a high rise building, so there is nothing to be done about the structure. The termites must have been in the wood from the very beginning, or else they came from a neighbouring room. By now they have infested most of the wood in the condo, and it seems the only thing to be done is to take out all the infested wood, have the pest control guys treat the whole condo, and replace the wood, I guess best with pre-treated one.

As for the electrical problems, I also did not find out how exactly they are related to the termites, but electricians seem to confirm it.

The crucial thing will be to find somebody who knows what he is doing...

[NancyL]

Yup, our termite infested building is a high rise, too. Our unit is quite high in the building. This is one of many reasons why we rent instead of buying a unit.

[gukoye]

Yup, our termite infested building is a high rise, too. Our unit is quite high in the building. This is one of many reasons why we rent instead of buying a unit.

We might be talking of the same building...