Home Detectives, what causes this, please?

[Tapster]

Can you help me solve this puzzle?

 

In my workshop there is some sort of deterioration happening where the plasterboard ceiling meets the concrete wall.

 

The paint has cracked and there's a weird, black, granular substance falling out of the cracks, over a period of time.

 

..... continued below................

 

(I'm sorry if you're on a mobile device because there will be a lot of scrolling, if you can be bothered!)

 

 

This stuff collects on the floor as you see below, and it's damp, yet is hasn't rained for several days (and it gets very hot in the workshop which should keep things dry).............................

 

 

Here's some of the weird stuff held in a cobweb or something......................

 

 

Does anyone know what this is, or am I just observing the natural decay of my Thai house!

 

Cheers!

 

[Ahab]

Termites or some other type of insect droppings.

 

[Tapster]

mmmmm.....it doesn't seem like droppings and there are no live insects in it........

 

WOW!

 

I've just taken a strong magnifying glass to this and these gritty bits appear to be brown and chitinous, with a few wings in there. Theses are pieces of dead insect!

 

The plot thickens! This can't be a rare occurrence. Does anyone know exactly what causes this?

 

 

[mduras01]

Get a home inspection done. The cause seems to be either insect or rot.


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[Artisi]

Ants in your pants by the look of it

[Tapster]

Ants, eh?

 

Thanks. That makes sense. There's no evidence of termite mud-tubes.

 

Sounds like I need to get someone to have a look at this.

 

I've heard good things about Chiang Mai Pest, here in Phuket.

 

I'll call them.

 

[Artisi]

20 minutes ago, Tapster said:

Ants, eh?

 

Thanks. That makes sense. There's no evidence of termite mud-tubes.

 

Sounds like I need to get someone to have a look at this.

 

I've heard good things about Chiang Mai Pest, here in Phuket.

 

I'll call them.

 

Plenty of spray at your local shop to start with and then Introduce a good dose of borax. 

[bankruatsteve]

Are they "sticky"?  Hard to see but looks a bit like the tiny flying insects that invade during Nov-Dec just coming and dying mostly in our outside cooking area but windows also.  Pain in the ass to clean up.

[eyecatcher]

You have just come across an ants graveyard.

Ants tend to collect their dead from everywhere and take them to a collecting point, very often at the junction of walls/beams/ceilings.

 

I have to sweep my high ceiling every 6 months  of about 10 grouping areas.

 

The fact they are falling out would suggest they are stacking more and more dead ones behind them.

 

Even when you clean them out, they will start again. so to rid yourself means replacing that section of plasterboard as presently its a safe area for them.

 

its quite nice how they look after their own dead dont you think

[Tapster]

@eyecatcher

 

An ants graveyard!

 

That sounds like a reasonable explanation. Quite where the live ants are, I have no idea as there aren't any to be seen in the workshop itself. So long as they don't infest the building I can monitor the situation and see how it goes.

 

Many thanks!