Best product for treating wood from termites?

[dcnx]

We bought some custom made pieces (shoe rack, shelf, frames...) and were assured the wood would be treated to protect from termites.

 

Within a few days we noticed wood dust on the floor and small holes and a few trenches eaten into the wood. Surprise.

 

The builder is not assuming any responsibility, so I need to find something to treat the wood. I quickly sprayed a bug killer into the holes and that seems to have stopped them, but we want to protect it all.

 

Is there a simple spray or brush on solution you guys recommend?

 

Thanks in advance.

[carlyai]

We bought some custom made pieces (shoe rack, shelf, frames...) and were assured the wood would be treated to protect from termites.
 
Within a few days we noticed wood dust on the floor and small holes and a few trenches eaten into the wood. Surprise.
 
The builder is not assuming any responsibility, so I need to find something to treat the wood. I quickly sprayed a bug killer into the holes and that seems to have stopped them, but we want to protect it all.
 
Is there a simple spray or brush on solution you guys recommend?
 
Thanks in advance.

Sounds like the wood is softwood not Teak. You can paint the wood with Shelldice, but it may not work in the long run.
Soon as you put softwood in your house you are sending out a message to the termites.
You may not have had termites in the wood, but they may have decided to come from outside, through the base of the door james etc.

This is what happened to our place. We had all Teak and no softwood in the house. Wifey bought some softwood treated against termites, then, like your place, sawdust and holes appeared.

We got in a pest controller, and he found the termites trackes and put a small box of termite tempting food, in the track, so the termites took the food back to the Queen and she dies, then they all die. Anyway that's what he told us and it worked.




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[plus7]

I had problems with termites coming from the ground under the house. Pest company streamed litres under but it didn't help.

One man gave me stuff, that seemed like poisoned cellulose. I sticked a packed with that stuff on the way of termites and it was quickly eaten in 2 days. Second pack was eaten slower, third slower and 4th wasn't eaten at all. All termites are gone in less than a month. Live without them for years now.

I don't know what is the name of it, but its not a poison powder (boric acid). It is certainly kind of cellulose. It was light and very soft.

[carlyai]

I had problems with termites coming from the ground under the house. Pest company streamed litres under but it didn't help.
One man gave me stuff, that seemed like poisoned cellulose. I sticked a packed with that stuff on the way of termites and it was quickly eaten in 2 days. Second pack was eaten slower, third slower and 4th wasn't eaten at all. All termites are gone in less than a month. Live without them for years now.
I don't know what is the name of it, but its not a poison powder (boric acid). It is certainly kind of cellulose. It was light and very soft.

Sounds like the stuff my pest exterminator used

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[dcnx]

4 hours ago, carlyai said:

Sounds like the wood is softwood not Teak. You can paint the wood with Shelldice, but it may not work in the long run.
Soon as you put softwood in your house you are sending out a message to the termites.
You may not have had termites in the wood, but they may have decided to come from outside, through the base of the door james etc.

This is what happened to our place. We had all Teak and no softwood in the house. Wifey bought some softwood treated against termites, then, like your place, sawdust and holes appeared.

We got in a pest controller, and he found the termites trackes and put a small box of termite tempting food, in the track, so the termites took the food back to the Queen and she dies, then they all die. Anyway that's what he told us and it worked.




Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

Yes, it's softwood. This unit is also on the 7th floor of a brand new building. 

 

Did you pick up Shelldice at Home Pro or a mom and pop shop?

 

Thanks!

[dcnx]

3 hours ago, plus7 said:

I had problems with termites coming from the ground under the house. Pest company streamed litres under but it didn't help.

One man gave me stuff, that seemed like poisoned cellulose. I sticked a packed with that stuff on the way of termites and it was quickly eaten in 2 days. Second pack was eaten slower, third slower and 4th wasn't eaten at all. All termites are gone in less than a month. Live without them for years now.

I don't know what is the name of it, but its not a poison powder (boric acid). It is certainly kind of cellulose. It was light and very soft.

A local brand?

[carlyai]

ShellDice is in a rectangular tin. You just paint it on but stinks.
Can't remember where I got it but Global or one of them should have it.

Ok, you're on the 7th floor, so if you paint on the shell dice and the termites come back, you still may need to get a pest exterminator to get rid of the queen.
Don't go away for a while until you know the problem is completely gone.


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[cheeryble]

It is likely you had a wood boring insect LEAVING your wood. Very common with that dark stained light wood furniture.

Can't remember the exact name of the offender but we all gotta have a home and they choose moist softwood. When it's cut and made into furniture it dries and that;'s time for them to leave.

They bore their way out and fly out the window looking for a nice damp or rotten log lying around. Heaven.

That's the theory anyway though I remember living somewhere a bit damp where the sawdust thing continued. The handyman there used to soak petrol in but I think it has to go outside a while.

Edited August 4, 2017 by cheeryble

[eyecatcher]

Yes Cheeryble my thoughts exactly. They are likely small pinhole borers or even carpenter ants that have hatched out.

if you ever get bamboo, its full of them.

 

the good news which many people fail to relaise is that when you see flight holes in wood the pest has gone....if you see a pipe tube of mud poo its termites.

 

I have termites in our house, had i not found them until next year the house would have to demolished. I have a massive job on now and its involved me doing a complete strip out and spray followed by  the exterminators with their deadly Chlorpirfos.....and now 300m of steel to prop the house up!

 

For your furniture if you just have  localised infestation then the canned chaindrite sprays are fine or better still buy the chaindrite 30 in the small carton for 250bt.

take all your furniture outside and spray it all. that should kill everything within the wood by contact or fumigation.

Therafter you can simply stain up your furniture. pretty much every brand name of wood stain has insect poison mixed into it so they die on contact

 

The bait stations referred to are imo a bit of a ploy by presticide companies to alleviate you of easy money every month.

termites will not take detours from a wooden building to go insearch of a bait station in your lawn and so they may never even be touched; but if you want to try and make your own the common way is to roll up a 8 inch wide strip of cardboard after first soaking it in boric/sugar solution then wrapping it in cling film and burrying it.

[eyecatcher]

On 8/3/2017 at 11:53 PM, carlyai said:

ShellDice is in a rectangular tin. You just paint it on but stinks.
Can't remember where I got it but Global or one of them should have it.

Ok, you're on the 7th floor, so if you paint on the shell dice and the termites come back, you still may need to get a pest exterminator to get rid of the queen.
Don't go away for a while until you know the problem is completely gone.


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interestingly......I mean worryingly the Queens can live for many years and pump out termite eggs at the rate of 100k an hour. thats all they do.

 

but, now this is the interesting bit; if you start digging into that termite mound at the back in the hope of destroying the Queen; should you get anywhere and the Queen is threatened then all the other termites that are "giving her one" will instantly kill her

 

nice one...i love that bit

[sometimewoodworker]

On 02/08/2017 at 9:06 PM, dcnx said:

Yes, it's softwood. This unit is also on the 7th floor of a brand new building. 

 

Did you pick up Shelldice at Home Pro or a mom and pop shop?

 

Thanks!

You are probably not going to fix the problem. The bugs are in the wood and no treatment will kill them apart from heat and for that you need someone with a kiln. Surface treatment will not kill the grubs in the wood.

[cheeryble]

Yes Cheeryble my thoughts exactly. They are likely small pinhole borers or even carpenter ants that have hatched out.
if you ever get bamboo, its full of them.
 
the good news which many people fail to relaise is that when you see flight holes in wood the pest has gone....if you see a pipe tube of mud poo its termites.
 
I have termites in our house, had i not found them until next year the house would have to demolished. I have a massive job on now and its involved me doing a complete strip out and spray followed by  the exterminators with their deadly Chlorpirfos.....and now 300m of steel to prop the house up!
 

Have you considered borax?


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[The Deerhunter]

On 02/08/2017 at 4:29 PM, carlyai said:

Sounds like the wood is softwood not Teak. You can paint the wood with Shelldice, but it may not work in the long run.
Soon as you put softwood in your house you are sending out a message to the termites.
You may not have had termites in the wood, but they may have decided to come from outside, through the base of the door james etc.

This is what happened to our place. We had all Teak and no softwood in the house. Wifey bought some softwood treated against termites, then, like your place, sawdust and holes appeared.

We got in a pest controller, and he found the termites trackes and put a small box of termite tempting food, in the track, so the termites took the food back to the Queen and she dies, then they all die. Anyway that's what he told us and it worked.




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Saw dust and holes sounds like borer flying beetles.  Termites make muddy tunnels.  Ive had both.  For borer buy the orange can aerosol bug sprays with a narrow tube attached.  Keep looking.  It will be a long battle but you should win eventually.  I bought a door with borer in it. And new custom made furniture problems too. Some holes are simply exit holes but some appear to be continually extended internal passages.   Keep checking for white dust.  Tell wife to advise you when she sees it when sweeping then you must determine where the holes are and treat them. Most Thai hardwoods are mostly not attractive to termites or bore.  The both love soft wood or MDF.  (biscuit board).

Edited August 7, 2017 by The Deerhunter

[Latetonite1]

Put some regular eggs from Belgian chickens. They now contain fipronil used for termite treatment.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Latetonite1
Spelling

[David Walden]

On 8/2/2017 at 5:29 PM, carlyai said:

Sounds like the wood is softwood not Teak. You can paint the wood with Shelldice, but it may not work in the long run.
Soon as you put softwood in your house you are sending out a message to the termites.
You may not have had termites in the wood, but they may have decided to come from outside, through the base of the door james etc.

This is what happened to our place. We had all Teak and no softwood in the house. Wifey bought some softwood treated against termites, then, like your place, sawdust and holes appeared.

We got in a pest controller, and he found the termites trackes and put a small box of termite tempting food, in the track, so the termites took the food back to the Queen and she dies, then they all die. Anyway that's what he told us and it worked.




Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

The powder is called arsenic, usually very hard to buy red powder. mixed with talc...you could also spray it with Chlorpyrifos if you can get that in Thailand, instructions on label.  The powder is blown into white ants tubes and sticks to working termites.  Termites groom each other by licking each other in the nest and ingest the arsenic powder, it's deadly to white ants and humans so watch out ( also used to get rid of troublesome mother in laws).  You can blow it in with a powder puff or camera lens puffer.  Try and restore the tube.

  

Usually if you have holes (not wood powder) these a borers not white ants.  The holes indicate that the borers have hatched eaten there way out and gone (mostly). If they have gone no more damage is likely.  If damage is not too bad you can usually fill the holes with liquid glue (paint on and allow it to set) then paint over this. Bores once gone are not likely to return, white ants if you do not know where the nest is Chlorpyrifos is better, Dieldrin is ever better but mostly illegal anywhere in the world.  Give the wood a good spray and dirt down at least 6 inches.  You only need about 6 grams to the litre, (even less will do ) any more is a wast, very powerful poison (yes to mother in laws also)...good luck

[Gandtee]

On 8/2/2017 at 5:13 PM, plus7 said:

I had problems with termites coming from the ground under the house. Pest company streamed litres under but it didn't help.

One man gave me stuff, that seemed like poisoned cellulose. I sticked a packed with that stuff on the way of termites and it was quickly eaten in 2 days. Second pack was eaten slower, third slower and 4th wasn't eaten at all. All termites are gone in less than a month. Live without them for years now.

I don't know what is the name of it, but its not a poison powder (boric acid). It is certainly kind of cellulose. It was light and very soft.

Borax. Difficult to get. It was banned because vendors were -maybe still are- putting it in their fish balls to make them crispy.

[cheeryble]

Borax. Difficult to get. It was banned because vendors were -maybe still are- putting it in their fish balls to make them crispy.

Maybe banned in food or food treatment, but hard to believe such a ubiquitous chemical is unavailable.
I believe it works for insects and is virtually harmless to use.


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[eyecatcher]

9 hours ago, cheeryble said:

 

Have you considered borax?


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I use borax mixed with icing sugar if I want to get rid of ants but my  termite infestation is timesensitive so i want them dead there and then.

they were hit 3 times, first the hand held chaindrite nozzle, them i did a full spray of chaindrite 30 then a few days later the chloropyrifos.

 

lots of home made products that kill termites including salt and aloe vera gel but i dont want to be blathering aloe vera gel on a house full of wood.

 

no evidence that I have termites active now, 7 days later, a couple of jingjoks dead on the floor, someflies and a cockroach. I went in today for 15 minutes to do some measuring up and got a headache and was drowsy all afternoon.

dangerous stuff.

14 days I was advised not to go in.