Odd fungus under doorstep. Anybody know what it is?

[ronmnk]

Noticed something odd under the doorstep in my apartment. At first I thought that maybe it's termites, but the building management seems to think it's some hard fungus and due to me not being in the apartment much in the past few weeks and AC not running that often therefor. Some photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/alfrwh1s0zzqc4t/IMG_0535.JPG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cjh3854trgkc9uy/IMG_0537.JPG?dl=0

Anybody got an idea what it is? Really fungus?

[chiang mai]

I'd move!

[Lamkyong]

so one thing for sure management have decided its your fault

[ronmnk]

I'd move!

Hah. They just removed it with a boxcutter and seem to think that it's all good now. I'm a little bit suspicious that it hasn't been removed completely and might just come back again.

[sipi]

It will be in a pot with some chillies and garlic by now.

[Aussie69]

Profitable?

[pgrahmm]

Yeah - you cleaned it out alright .....

Until it starts showing up under your toenails......

[macksview]

please go to the local wat, for a small pra shonky has a fix for it, upon a cash donation.

[lemonjelly]

Chuck some fungicide down there

[realenglish1]

Just take some bleach and pour it in the area Should kill it

[RBOP]

Looks like wood rot under the floor board. Some people very allergic to these fungi/molds especially children. Best to rip up the whole area and replace the rotten parts. If your renting then ask the landlord to do it or I'd move out. When it dries millions of spores will be floating around your apartment.

Edited June 18, 2016 by RBOP

[klauskunkel]

truffles! You won the lottery!

[ronmnk]

Looks like wood rot under the floor board. Some people very allergic to these fungi/molds especially children. Best to rip up the whole area and replace the rotten parts. If your renting then ask the landlord to do it or I'd move out.

If I google for wood rot, the images look not similar at all though. In my case it was very hard, kinda like wood itself. They had to use a boxcutter to remove it. The floor board it simply pushed up by it, the wood itself hasn't gotten less. You really think it's wood rot?

[RBOP]

Looks like wood rot under the floor board. Some people very allergic to these fungi/molds especially children. Best to rip up the whole area and replace the rotten parts. If your renting then ask the landlord to do it or I'd move out.

If I google for wood rot, the images look not similar at all though. In my case it was very hard, kinda like wood itself. They had to use a boxcutter to remove it. The floor board it simply pushed up by it, the wood itself hasn't gotten less. You really think it's wood rot?

Its a fungus of some sort similar to the kind we can see growing on trees. Has this area been wet before? Is there wood under the laminate? If they only used a box cutter and didn't treat the area it will grow back. Maybe try rip up that one section of laminate to investigate some more (see how extensive it is). It does look like its been repaired more than once. Anyone having allergies in your home (stuffed up nose when inside)

[ronmnk]

Its a fungus of some sort similar to the kind we can see growing on trees. Has this area been wet before? Is there wood under the laminate? If they only used a box cutter and didn't treat the area it will grow back. Maybe try rip up that one section of laminate to investigate some more (see how extensive it is). It does look like its been repaired more than once. Anyone having allergies in your home (stuffed up nose when inside)

Yeah, it looks similar to this:

https://www.google.co.th/search?q=Daldinia+concentrica&source=lnms&tbm=isch

Hasn't been wet before. The management thought that there might be some leak underneath, but when they saw the location said there is no pipe anywhere nearby, so can't be due to a leak.

Yeah, will have to ask them to properly take care of it and rip the whole thing out.

No allergies so far or stuffed up noses so far. But would also like to make sure it doesn't cause any other health issues.

[paulbj2]

My guess is that is the fruiting body of some kind of fungus.

Fungi generally go about their business pretty discretely until they are put under some kind of stress; most commonly that is by being deprived of moisture. Logically, the fact that you have been absent for most of the time just recently suggests that there is a plumbing leak perhaps from a waste pipe which has been out of use whilst you have been away and the sudden cessation of the availability of moisture has caused the fungus to go into fruiting mode.

The first thing you need to do is find that leak! Once you have deprived it of a supply of water, most fungi will die back. The exception to that rule is the dry rot fungus, Serpula Lacrymans or a related fungi of the same family, which can actually transport water from one location to another using a mycelial structure called rhizomorphs which are delicate spiders web like fronds that can penetrate behind plaster can pass through brickwork and generally get into places where you wouldn't expect them to get. They move moisture from areas where it is abundant to dry areas of the structure allowing the fungus to attack dry timber. The type of Serpula that is found in northern Europe doesn't thrive in the sorts of temperatures prevalent in the tropics but there may be genotypes around that do.

If it is a Serpula style fungus, the one thing you cannot afford to do is nothing! It will cheerfully munch its way through all the timber in a dwelling without you noticing until stuff starts collapsing.

The easiest and probably safest chemical to use against any fungal infestation is boric acid. Despite its name it's actually pretty innocuous stuff to handle, it doesn't burn the skin even in a saturated solution; amongst other things, it is used in a very weak solution as an antiseptic eye bath. It also kills cockroaches and ants.

A strong solution of boric acid or its salt, common borax, will give any fungus a really hard time. However, if the attack does turn out to be serpula or a close relative and the owners are not prepared to spend the money treating it properly or want to hold you responsible for causing it, I would move...pretty fast! The spores of these fungi can provoke some quite nasty reactions in people (I have a massive sneezing fit if I enter a building where the spores are present) and the fungus itself can cause structural collapse in wooden buildings; the cost to treat it properly and replace all the affected woodwork can be very high!

Edited June 18, 2016 by paulbj2

[ronmnk]

Thanks!

I've also noticed there are some kind of insects: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5zo1mjx1etwa0d8/File%2018.06.16%2C%2018%2030%2035.mov?dl=0

Isn't it odd for fungus to have them?

[tails]

vinegar mate, normal or apple cider

[ejpool44]

Cut it off as it grows, looks like Truffles to me, eat it or sell it, could be profitable.

[SOTIRIOS]

...yeah.....your fault.....

...what a bunch of psychos......

...obviously finished with infiltrated material......

...get ready to foot the bill.....

[ronmnk]

...yeah.....your fault.....

...what a bunch of psychos......

...obviously finished with infiltrated material......

...get ready to foot the bill.....

Hah. I think I've worded that a bit too extremely. It was purely a speculation on their side, they weren't accusative. After all it would be absurd. It's not like I've done anything wrong. I was still in the apartment every day, used the AC in a way that is considered normal and also have not caused or seen any water spillage or leakage. Still unclear what it is though, they will have some experts check it out.

[BudRight]

It's the police there to ask you about your scars.