Help Termites

[golfer678]

I own a house in udon thani.

2 years ago i found a termite nest. i hired a company to kill them.

i used to work for orkin in the us so know how to treat

here i have the pipes under the house. filled them

also drilled holes and filled them

the company, even though they said they would come every 2 weeks until dead, did not. they said to much work and quit. no, no refund

new company came, they still come monthly and spray but have to tell them where to do

so far have redone my kitchen, now they are in the hall closet, found them yesterday.

i visualize sleeping in my second floor bedroom and waking up on the first floor.

battle has been going for over 2 years and they seem to be winning

have bought stuff and did myself. they won

2 contracts, they won

how do i get rid of them??

help please

Edited February 6, 2014 by metisdead
Please do not post using all caps. Topic title edited to remove all caps.

[wym]

sorry no answer for you, but for others - never buy, just rent

[tim armstrong]

Try good old fashion borax by the bucketful, oil on the area under the house if you can get to it, otherwise use on the uprights some of the chemicals that they will take back to their nest. Ants are endemic in this country. Our thai master housebuilder refused to build me a traditional thai house of timber for that reason. He said I would never keep them out unless we had a moat, which some house owners do. Good advice

[FiftyTwo]

The way to win.

Build your house with concrete and steel.

The only wood in my home is 6 door frames.

Not to forget, termites can fly.

Edited February 6, 2014 by FiftyTwo

[seajae]

mate, we just replaced all the downstairs ceilings due to termites in a 6 y/o house and we have had termite companies here the whole time. We were using the aussie system that is supposed to be the best there is but they simply show up every 6 months and only then if you call. The proper method requires then to be here several times a year and to continually check on the baits etc but being thai they devised their own sytem which is do nothing. I complained to the aussie company(head office) that leases these methods but they refuse to help as they reckon its not up to them to enforce their methods even though these companies sign contracts. One guy in here says the company near him actually does the right thing(same system) and it works a treat but our local company refuses to do the same thing, they just want the money and do nothing for it, I am currently trying to find out if I have any recourse on them for failing to do what we pay them for but I doubt it.

[seajae]

The way to win.

Build your house with concrete and steel.

The only wood in my home is 6 door frames.

Not to forget, termites can fly.

its not just wood archtraves etc, paper and cardboard are also big targets of termitse. They tend to eat the paper off the gyprock ceiling under the paint and tunnel through the gyprock itself until it gets that bad the ceilings collapse which is what happened here. They also get into the concrete walls(also happening here) so you are simply not safe at all, termites can do a great deal of damage you dont even see. When they had the ceiling down here I was amazed at all the termite tracks all over the concrete floor above it and now I am worried they are into the top floor of the house as well.

[FiftyTwo]

The way to win.

Build your house with concrete and steel.

The only wood in my home is 6 door frames.

Not to forget, termites can fly.

its not just wood archtraves etc, paper and cardboard are also big targets of termitse. They tend to eat the paper off the gyprock ceiling under the paint and tunnel through the gyprock itself until it gets that bad the ceilings collapse which is what happened here. They also get into the concrete walls(also happening here) so you are simply not safe at all, termites can do a great deal of damage you dont even see. When they had the ceiling down here I was amazed at all the termite tracks all over the concrete floor above it and now I am worried they are into the top floor of the house as well.

Oh dear,

I know they burrow through concrete to get to wood block flooring.

Didn't think about the plasterboard paper.

[donniereadit]

Had a nest here under a teak floor in the living room. I noticed dust coming out of the seams around the walls and planks. Had to sweep every day. It was termite wings. Huge nest under there. It rained and the came out and were everywhere. Swarms of them flying all over. Had to pull up the wood floor and install large blocks instead. Forget about spraying, the chemicals will likely kill you before they get rid of the insects. Kill the nest and more move in the next day. It's a numbers game, millions against one person. Your body can't take living with a fresh spray all the time and breathing the vapors from it. Labor is so cheap here it's better to just let them have their way, and rebuild. That's how you win.

[vtjforyou]

sorry no answer for you, but for others - never buy, just rent

Ridiculous and only thing you can say on this forum ?

[wym]

Not ridiculous, top-notch advice for 99% of those reading it here.

And I think others will confirm it's not the only thing I say, but I will continue to do so when an obvious bit of further evidence of it's validity arises.

Noise or other craziness from the neighbors, house falling apart, excessive smoke or other pollution, vicious dogs, wife doesn't like me anymore or just bored with the place, all these become very very minor problems when you're free to pack your bags and move on. People that have a lot invested in where they live find coming up with solutions a lot more difficult.

Not ridiculous at all.

[donniereadit]

Not ridiculous, top-notch advice for 99% of those reading it here.

And I think others will confirm it's not the only thing I say, but I will continue to do so when an obvious bit of further evidence of it's validity arises.

Noise or other craziness from the neighbors, house falling apart, excessive smoke or other pollution, vicious dogs, wife doesn't like me anymore or just bored with the place, all these become very very minor problems when you're free to pack your bags and move on. People that have a lot invested in where they live find coming up with solutions a lot more difficult.

Not ridiculous at all.

Not really. To get a decent place at a good price you generally have to sign a 6-month or 1-year lease. That means by just leaving you would forfeit one or two months rent.

Edited February 6, 2014 by donniereadit

[NeverSure]

Not ridiculous, top-notch advice for 99% of those reading it here.

And I think others will confirm it's not the only thing I say, but I will continue to do so when an obvious bit of further evidence of it's validity arises.

Noise or other craziness from the neighbors, house falling apart, excessive smoke or other pollution, vicious dogs, wife doesn't like me anymore or just bored with the place, all these become very very minor problems when you're free to pack your bags and move on. People that have a lot invested in where they live find coming up with solutions a lot more difficult.

Not ridiculous at all.

Not really. To get a decent place at a good price you generally have to sign a 6-month or 1-year lease. That means by just leaving you would forfeit one or two months rent.

I agree with Wym. I would far rather lose a few months' rent than to lose a whole house to a Thai wife, or to deal with termites or any of the other things he mentioned. When you rent you are free to walk with an affordable loss.

This isn't the West where the culture says to buy a home. You can't own a house in Thailand and we should never forget that, either.

Edited February 6, 2014 by NeverSure

[wym]

Not really. To get a decent place at a good price you generally have to sign a 6-month or 1-year lease. That means by just leaving you would forfeit one or two months rent.

And so what? In my case 10-15% of my income, compared with any of the alternatives, cheap at twice the price.

[kriswillems]

We have the same problem. You can try to control the problem by using chemicals but you can never win. It's very difficult to kill them all.

We started replacing everything they eat with concrete and iron. It seem to be the only thing that really helps.

- never keep empty paper boxes in the house.

- check that your roof is 100% watertight and that there's no upcoming moisture from the ground (termites don't like dry places).

- Never, ever be tempted to buy built-in furniture

- don't buy a nice style European wooden kitchen - build a concrete Thai style kitchen.

- Put all furniture on iron legs

- Put your furniture a few cm away from the wall (never left it touch the wall).

- use imitation wood where you can (f.i. shera baseboards)

- seal all edges of your floor with silicone

- Make your roof construction out of iron, don't use wood

- inject chemical underground every 6 months

- break out all wooden floors and replace with tiles.

- all furniture that has termites has to be disposed or put into direct sunlight on a concrete floor for a few weeks (don't try chemicals, it doesn't help once they are in there).

- Use smartboard (elephant brand) instead of plasterboard for your ceilings.

[Satcommlee]

It's so cheap to rent, the thought of buying a place hasn't even entered my head... Especially so because I can't own it!

But that hasn't stopped me building a place on the wife's land.. but as mentioned previously.. it's steel and concrete only.

[David48]

The way to win.

Build your house with concrete and steel.

The only wood in my home is 6 door frames.

Not to forget, termites can fly.

Yep ... that's about it.

the Thai Farm Family are repairing their 25 year old house now and replacing wood with concrete, tiles and sheraboard.

[David48]

I('d) rather lose a few months' rent than to lose a whole house to a Thai wife, or to deal with termites

There almost an Opening Post right there ...

[golfer678]

damn and i thought there would be a good idea here

but i will never give up the fight

it will be me or them, i am guessing them

a gf used diesel fuel, putting just a little in the hole.

ti did move them to the living room

funny, before they built the house, had they sprayed the land, giving it a good soaking, this would have ended it

orkin did this in the us, lasted 25 years....a good tip for those building

thanks for your interest and comments

[Rooo]

Moved to housing.

[seajae]

The way to win.

Build your house with concrete and steel.

The only wood in my home is 6 door frames.

Not to forget, termites can fly.

its not just wood archtraves etc, paper and cardboard are also big targets of termitse. They tend to eat the paper off the gyprock ceiling under the paint and tunnel through the gyprock itself until it gets that bad the ceilings collapse which is what happened here. They also get into the concrete walls(also happening here) so you are simply not safe at all, termites can do a great deal of damage you dont even see. When they had the ceiling down here I was amazed at all the termite tracks all over the concrete floor above it and now I am worried they are into the top floor of the house as well.

Oh dear,

I know they burrow through concrete to get to wood block flooring.

Didn't think about the plasterboard paper.

you can spot them if you look at the ceiling and see what looks like a slightly raised track , usually if you stand down one end of the room and look at the ceiling as you walk, they can single bulges or a swirly pattern. To check just use a broom and push it into or scrape it along the area, if the broom goes goes through/causes the paint etc to drop you have them. I ended up finding tacks all over our ceiling and it just crumbled.

[sirineou]

Not ridiculous, top-notch advice for 99% of those reading it here.

And I think others will confirm it's not the only thing I say, but I will continue to do so when an obvious bit of further evidence of it's validity arises.

Noise or other craziness from the neighbors, house falling apart, excessive smoke or other pollution, vicious dogs, wife doesn't like me anymore or just bored with the place, all these become very very minor problems when you're free to pack your bags and move on. People that have a lot invested in where they live find coming up with solutions a lot more difficult.

Not ridiculous at all.

Wym, this is ridiculous because this is a thread about termites and not about the merits of rent versus own.

[rhodie]

Not ridiculous, top-notch advice for 99% of those reading it here.

And I think others will confirm it's not the only thing I say, but I will continue to do so when an obvious bit of further evidence of it's validity arises.

Noise or other craziness from the neighbors, house falling apart, excessive smoke or other pollution, vicious dogs, wife doesn't like me anymore or just bored with the place, all these become very very minor problems when you're free to pack your bags and move on. People that have a lot invested in where they live find coming up with solutions a lot more difficult.

Not ridiculous at all.

Mate, that's like saying never cross the road because you could die. The man has crossed the road and is asking for help. Too late to to tell him not to, but add some useful information about his predicament if you can.

Borax is good!

[golfer678]

you say borax....how do yo apply

just put the powder on?

ever hear that diesal fuel works?

thanks for the comments on rent vs buy

[sirineou]

I would be careful with diesel fuel, once I spilled some diesel in the trunk of a car I owned, I could never get the smell out.

[splitlid]

^got rid of the dead body smell though.

[rhodie]

you say borax....how do yo apply

just put the powder on?

ever hear that diesal fuel works?

thanks for the comments on rent vs buy

Mix it into a paste and spread it anywhere you find them.

Good luck.

[fatfather]

Had a nest here under a teak floor in the living room. I noticed dust coming out of the seams around the walls and planks. Had to sweep every day. It was termite wings. Huge nest under there. It rained and the came out and were everywhere. Swarms of them flying all over. Had to pull up the wood floor and install large blocks instead. Forget about spraying, the chemicals will likely kill you before they get rid of the insects. Kill the nest and more move in the next day. It's a numbers game, millions against one person. Your body can't take living with a fresh spray all the time and breathing the vapors from it. Labor is so cheap here it's better to just let them have their way, and rebuild. That's how you win.

I thought that termites don't go for teak. That's the reason why the traditional Thai house were made of teak. I would like to live in a wooden Thai house, but cannot afford it, teakwood is too expensive

Fatfather

Sent from my phone

[rhodie]

Do a Google search on borax and ants and you will see quite a few recipes.

I hope you get rid of them.

[96tehtarp]

"how do i get rid of them?"

Our house has a cement ground floor and a wooden upper second floor. It's about 75 years old.

I try very hard not to provide the termites and wood boring ants with dark hidden areas where they could set up camp. That means no gypsum wall panelling upstairs on the second floor. The bare wooden rafters are open and visible upstairs. This "open" "concept makes it very easy to make inspections. The enclosed places created by the gypsum or other panelling is just an invitation for "someone" to move in, termites, ants, snakes, bats, rats etc. My kitchen is a Thai kitchen made of concrete and it's located outside. My kitchen cupboards are cement and have no doors.

If you find termites have moved in somewhere you will need to completely remove their habitat. Then, redesign it so they won't want to live there again. Usually this means opening it up to sunshine and keeping it dry. Farang kitchens, wainscotting, panelling, cupboards, and closets are really very termite friendly. One might as well put up a neon sign for the termites saying "Vacancy".

I use very black dirty used motor oil to fill cracks and use a paintbrush and paint uprights where I see any ant activity. They simply will not cross it.

Hope that helps. It works for me.

PS. Post #14 by kriswillems has good tips for you as well as the Borax recommendations by others.

Edited February 9, 2014 by 96tehtarp

[David48]

As I mentioned, the current Thai Family are renovating their place in Thai style.

There was some termite infestation in the big house posts .. maybe they are 6' X 6'.

Their solution, in typical simple Thai style (and it being a Fish Farm, not lack of available water) they simply rested the majority of the posts in the pond.

Drown the suckers they say!