How to Treat a Drywood Termite Infestation Yourself. A MUST see if you have Drywood termites.
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- If you cannot afford to have your entire home tented and fumigated, then you MUST watch this video. This is the most comprehensive explanation on how to treat drywood termites yourself. It covers everything from how to find them to how to eliminate them. No other video even comes close to providing all the information that you will get in this video. It's a lot longer than the others, but this is the one that will produce the results that you want.
Please note, sometimes I do not always receive posted questions from viewers or I do receive them, but UA-cam does not allow me to respond to them. Sometimes I do not receive a question until six months after it was posted. These glitches do not happen often, but they do happen. It is my policy to respond to all questions within 48 hours, so if you do not hear from me in a couple of days, then please email your question to me at guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Please do try to post questions in the comment section first and only use the email address if you don't hear from me. The reason for this is that other folks may have the same question, so it would be nice for them to learn as well. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Remember... I will always get back to you.
Now that you have gotten rid of your drywood termites, would you like to know how to keep them away for good? If so, then check out my video on how to do just that.
How to Prevent Drywood Termites video: • How to Prevent Drywood...
I do not receive any sort of compensation for recommending any of the products or suppliers mentioned in my videos or that are listed below. I just try to select the least expensive supplier at the time the video is posted. If you wish to substitute products, just ask me for advice and I will let you know if the product you want to use will work.
Ryobi Tek4 Inspection Scope: smile.amazon.c...
Stud finder (The one in the video is no longer available, but this one is really good): smile.amazon.c...
FiPro: www.solutionss...
If you cannot purchase FiPro, then buy Fuse Foam: www.domyown.co...
Paint mixer drill attachment: smile.amazon.c...
Garden sprayer: smile.amazon.c...
Bora-Care: www.domyown.co...
Taurus SC: www.domyown.co...
Talstar P: www.domyown.co...
Dye: smile.amazon.c...
You are certainly thorough. Thank you for being so clear and breaking all this down .. i appreciate ur time .. i subbed due to ur awesome character nd ur humbleness. Thank u for being a genuine very unique man. Have a wonderful weekend. Again thank you for the help
Thank you so much for those kind words. It is always my pleasure to help in any way possible. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Be well my friend
Can I apply the foam for existing termites and apply the granules without repairing damage.
@@cconnell8298 Are you targeting drywood termites or subterranean termites? The granules only work for subterranean termites. For subterranean termites, you should use both the granules and the foam. Damage only needs to be repaired if it is either structural or is causing unacceptable aesthetic concerns. I never recommend repairing damaged wood until the infestation has been treated. That is because you can treat the infested wood with the foam, thereby contaminating the food supply. After the infestation is gone, then you can use you judgement about doing repairs.
Keep in mind that for drywood termites the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. My video on how to treat them yourself is only for people who cannot afford fumigation. Any treatment is better than no treatment, but it is unlikely that you will find all the galleries.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Thank you so much for being unselfish and sharing your knowledge. These are hard times and everyone is trying to save every penny they have. Best of health to you in your retirement and God bless you always
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks for the detailed steps on using borate treatments. I was struggling to find a DIY solution that was both affordable and safe. This video really breaks it down well!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Hey there, Guy!
Thank you for this video on DIY drywood termite control. What perfect timing because the foamer I purchased several weeks ago finally shipped because of a big backorder and is coming very soon. I am so ready to go at the drywood termites already.
So anyway I just saw this upload on my UA-cam feed tonight. It's getting rather late where I am, so I'm going to have to watch the whole video soon tomorrow. Thank you, Guy! I really appreciate you, sir. I know I am going to learn a lot from this video and several of your other new drywood termite control videos.
You got a thumbs up! 👍
Thank you so much for those kind words. You made my day. Please let me know if you have any questions. I am always here to help.
@@GuysPestSolutions ✌️Absolutely!
So I finally got a chance to watch the entire video and it is very helpful when you show us how to do things that are explained visually with examples. I really appreciate the great advice too.
Thanks, Guy.
@@willitine Thank you for those kind words. A lot of people crank out videos every week, but they just talk. It takes a long time to produce a video with examples and detailed explanations, but I think it's worth taking the time to make in depth videos and it's worth the time to watch them as well. The problem is that many people will not take the time to watch a video that is more than a few minutes long. So, a lot of UA-camrs will brush over information that you need in order to keep the video short. My philosophy is different. I am not in it for the money. I do get some revenue from ads that UA-cam places on my videos, but it's not much because most people won't watch a long video. I don't care though. My only motivation is to provide the best information possible. So, I always tell people to watch the other videos first and, if they don't work, then come back to me. I do not know how to explain years of training and experience in five minutes, but I promise that, if you do what I describe in my videos, it will work as promised. I just wish more people would take the time to learn how to do it right. So, you should be proud of yourself that you did take the time to learn about how to get it done correctly. You were my target audience and I am honored that you took the time to watch. If you are happy with my content, then please click on that share button and pass me along to others. My goal is to help as many people as I can and most of my traffic comes from referrals and not searches for me. Most folks that search, see the length of my videos, and they go elsewhere. So, most of the views come from folks who learned about me from friends and family members. So, please share me. Thanks.
I found your channel tonight and have been watching for hours. I'm sure I'm not the only one. You are great at what you do. I'm in Mobile and the red zone for drywood termites. I'm getting holes at the top of my drywall in the bathroom and hall. Do both termites eat holes at the top of the walls?
First of all, I am so sorry that it took so long to get back to you. I usually get back a lot quicker than this, but I ran into a few personal issues over the last few days that really slowed me up with answering questions.
Thank you so much for watching my videos. I am happy to hear that they've been helpful to you.
All termites will create exit holes, and they are often in the drywall. The key to determining if these are dry wood termites is to look for frass. If there is frass under the hole, that is deposited on whatever flat surface is under the hole, then you have drywood termites. If you are not seeing frass, then you are most likely looking at either Formosan termites or a less destructive species of subterranean termites. If there is no frass, then you should inspect the house for mud tubes, and keep an eye out for swarmers. If you find mud tubes, then break them open and try to find a specimen with a red head. You can identify the species by watching my video on how to identify termite species. If you see a swarmer, then take note of the color. If it is all black, then it is a common species of subterranean termites that is easily treated. If it is anything other than black, then it has to be either Formosan or drywood. Formosan termites do not produce frass. Drywood termites do not make mud tubes. The video will explain what all of this looks like and where to look for it.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/v-deo.html
Thanks for the info. Actually Guy, a few months back I commented in one of your videos to which you graciously responded to a question I had and offered advice. In return you asked that I let you know how it went. I am sorry to say that I couldn’t find my original message as I had watched several of your videos and didn’t know where to look. Anyway, I had taken your advice and haven’t seen any further infestations. However, I am sure after watching this video and the fact that I have not seen any subterranean termite tunnels on the 3 foot brick facade that what I had seeing in the craw space joist was dry wood termites; so I am going to try your method of the garden spraying on the floor joist in my crawl space to prevent future problems. Thanks again!
If you are talking about treating the floor joists with Bora-Care, then that is a very good idea. You should do the attic as well. Thanks for watching my videos and for your kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
taking notes!!! so grateful for this as we have serious rapid damage this year and need to diy. no company wants this job after I tell them of visual issues. ☹️☹️
Please read my response to your other comment. If there is a lot of damage, this may not be drywood termites. If it is, then it's been going on for a very long time. So, let's check the species to make sure. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions If new wood is going at back of a housej for replacement is it best to gett pre-pressured/treated wood they make for termiites. Also, is it necessary to treat this kind of wood with bora care before installlation or does the pre presuared wood t he only thing a builder/carpentry worker would need per say.
Pressure treated wood offers some termite resistance, but it is not termite proof. This termite resistance can fade over time, especially if it is exposed to weather. Bora-Care is a permanent treatment that renders the wood termite proof, and it never loses its effectiveness, unless you expose it to weather without sealing it 48 hours after the application. If it were me, I would still treat pressure treated wood with Bora-Care. I think you will find that many builders are not aware of this and would regard pressure treated wood to be termite proof, but it isn't. However, it may do a good job keeping termites away for some period of time. How long will depend on the application. Sooner or later though, it will begin to lose effectiveness.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
THANK YOU so much, I am about to treat our entire cabin now I know what I am doing. I hear the poisons today are crap anyhow do more damage than good. God bless you mate for sharing your time & expertise. What a great guy you are Guy ! God bless. Cheers from a Canadian in Australia.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. I will give you a link to a company that ships to Australia. Be well my friend.
www.desertcart.com.au/search/pesticide
Well worth it. Thank you !
You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Just want to say.. Love your YT channel and the amount of detail given in your videos.
Thank you so much for those very kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
I have Orkin that has been treating my mobile home for dry wood termites for more than five years. I have not seen activity for some time and carried a bond. Now I am seeing lots of activity from both subs and dry wood. I can’t afford fumigating. This is quite frustrating considering I had a company. Thanks for the info.
I am so sorry you are having this problem. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. I know it's expensive, but if you don't do it the termites will keep on eating your biggest investment... your home. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. The thing is though that it is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Spot treating is all Orkin was doing, and they most likely were not doing it correctly anyway. So, the problem is going to get worse over time if you do not fumigate. It's like your house has a slow growing cancer. If you do not fumigate, then eventually you will most likely experience structural damage. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
By the way, I am on vacation, and I only get internet some of the time. I will be back after June 11, and I will be able to answer follow up questions then.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
First off this is exactly what I've been searching for the last week. I want to thank you for the time that you spent to make this video. I am about halfway through with the video and I have a quick question. What if you have that old cotton candy style insulation in between the wall boards wouldn't the frass get stuck in there and not fall to the bottom? Also if you did see frass on the bottom and you only treated the two wall studs what about the crossmember at the very top shouldn't that be treated? I'm referring to the cross member at the very top where the wall meets the ceiling
Let me start by saying that you are a very smart man. You are absolutely correct regarding both points. It is very common for exterior walls to be insulated and, yes, that may prevent the frass from falling to the bottom of the wall void. Also, the horizontal 2 X 4’s on the top of those exterior walls, and the interior walls as well, should also be treated. The problem is, how do you get to them? About the best you can do is to treat your attic with Bora-Care, which is explained later in the video. The points you are making are just some of the reasons why I always tell people that spot treating for termites is far from a sure thing. The truth is that the only sure way, that I am aware of, to totally eliminate a drywood termite infestation is to fumigate. The only reason I did the video was because I understand that fumigation is expensive and there are people who simply cannot afford to get it done. For anybody that can afford to get fumigation done, then they should totally forget about this video and go get it treated correctly. However, if you simply do not have the resources to get your home fumigated, then this video is about the best treatment option that you are going to find anywhere on the Internet. It is certainly not a perfect solution because of the exact reasons you mentioned, and some other reasons as well, but it's better than doing nothing. Still, I do not wish to misrepresent the effectiveness of this procedure. I can almost guarantee that you are not going to find all the galleries in your home. Spot treating for drywood termites is kind of like playing whack a mole. It is very predictable that you are going to continue to see galleries cropping up and the worst part is that you may not see those galleries until there is structural damage. That is the absolute, honest truth.
While I do appreciate your very kind comments, at the same time, I want you to understand that you did not strike gold here. I like to think that this is the best video on the Internet if you must treat for drywood termites yourself, but this is not even close to being the best solution.
I would urge you to also check out two of my other videos that are very important for you to watch. Please watch my video on drywood termite treatment options. I think you are going to find it very educational and worthwhile watching, if you need to treat for drywood termites. Also, you should know that, if you have drywood termites, then I can guarantee you that your neighbors have them as well. That means, even if you fumigate and kill all the drywood termites in your home, you are going to get re-infested within the first year after the tent comes down. That is because fumigation provides no residual action. If you do not fumigate, then you are going to continuously get more and more drywood termites in your home because they will still keep coming from the neighbors, on and on without end. Therefore, I recommend that you watch my video on how to prevent a drywood termite infestation. This treatment will do nothing to treat an existing infestation, but it will prevent anymore drywood termites from entering your home. I will provide a link for both videos.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Drywood termite treatment options video: ua-cam.com/video/iD6NTU16-XQ/v-deo.html
How to prevent a drywood termite infestation video: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you for the detailed response. The way I look at it is if I can get rid of most of the drywoods and a couple galleries remain at least I stop the damage on those specific pieces of wood and I can get "practice" at finding these termites. I first have to determine if they are drywoods and not subs....
Quick question....on a mobile home where termites can easily get under the home and build mud tunnels up...would they be nesting right under the home or would they be nesting outside the perimeter of the home? Reason I ask is because I obviously would just trench the perimeter to eradicate the problem rather than crawling underneath but I wouldn't want to waste my time trenching the perimeter if it didn't kill all the termites...
Other quick question is about the use of a stethoscope to help locate termites in the walls/floors/ceiling joists....would that potentially work? I wanted to buy that termatrac but they want 5 grand for it! 3 grand for the radar only version! I wish they made one of those for home owners...I bet they would make more profit selling to the DIYers than selling the high price to the pest controllers
@@macknumber9 You make a good point about reducing the amount of damage by reducing the number of galleries. This is certainly true and it is also true that you will get better at finding galleries over time. So, while you most likely will not stop the carnage, you can slow it down and that is the reason I did this video. If you cannot afford to kill all the termites, then do your best to kill as many as possible.
Most of the time a subterranean colony is located within 300 feet of the center of the home. In the case of a mobile home, it is certainly possible that the colony could be under the structure, but most likely it is not. In the case of subterranean termites, they must build mud tubes from the ground up and cannot just fly into your home the way drywood termites do. So, we treat the ground. In the case of any structure that uses piers for support, the ideal way to treat is to trench around each pier. That way it does not matter where the infestation is located. The problem is when the home is too close to the ground and you cannot access the piers to trench. Then the best you can do is to trench the piers you can access and also trench around the perimeter of the home. Additionally, you can treat the underside of the home and the piers you cannot reach with a pesticide. There is an easy way to do that, but I cannot discuss it in an open forum. There are reasons for that. If you want more information on how to do it, then please email me at guyspestsolutions@gmail.com.
Drywood termites do make noise when they eat, but I don't know if you would be able to hear them by using a stethoscope. It's possible, if the colony is close enough to the surface and is large enough. So, it may help to find some of them, but would not be a solution for finding all the galleries. You may not find any that way. I don't know of anyone who has had success with it, but I always keep an open mind. Please let me know if it works for you and I will share that information with others.
I hope that helps.
❤️ love your videos! thank you so much for your time:)
It's always my pleasure. Thank you for those kind words. I enjoy your questions. Ge well my friend.
Very informative and valuable video!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Lowes has a fipronil foam for 8 or 9 dollars a can and it has the same amount of fipronil.
Lowes only sells two brands of termite foam. Neither of them contain fipronil. These are both quick kill products that should never be used for termites. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
I live in Florida and thank you!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Constructors should offer the possibility of treatment of all wood as an upgrade of new houses.
Yes. All new homes should be treated from the top of the roof to the concrete with Bora-Care. Maybe someday. Be well my friend.
I am so glad I found your UA-cam page. You have so much great information. Quick question, I saw a swarm of termites outside by our brick wall. It was probably 5 to 8 feet away from the house. I had a pest company come out, but he said the house is fine from termites because of the location of the swarm. Is that true? There was some dead ones in a bucket of water and he identified them as dry wood termites. Should I be worried? I’m not sure where to look for them in my house. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for reaching out to me. I am so sorry to have to tell you that I totally disagree with the pest controller that came out to your house. While I cannot say for sure that you have a drywood termite infestation, I do think you certainly have cause for concern. Finding drywood termite swarmers 8 feet from your house is a huge red flag. If the pest controller did not look inside your house, then he was totally incompetent. It is very common for drywood termites to enter your house through the eaves and establish residence in your attic. Then they will eventually swarm in your attic and move to other areas of your home, including inside your walls. It is also common for them to enter around doors and windows. Therefore, a competent pest controller would have inspected both outside and inside your home, around windows and doors and definitely in the attic. You can do this yourself, but you are not going to have the same level of experience that a professional would have. If I were you, I would get at least another couple of pest controllers in to inspect your home to see if you have an infestation. If you would like to do this yourself, then go in the attic and look for frass and kick out holes. Frass looks a little like sawdust and you will typically find it just below tiny kickout holes in the wood. Also look for frass inside the house as well. We typically see it near baseboards, but you can also find it in and below your cabinets as well. Many people do not know this, but termites also eat drywall. So, look for areas of the walls and ceilings that appear to be discolored, sagging, or have tiny holes. Even if you do not see any of this sort of thing, it doesn't mean that you're off you are okay. Drywood termites can be very difficult to find and even the best professionals can miss them. That is because these guys can enter around your windows and doors and may have their kickout holes in the sides of the studs that are inside the walls. Therefore, they could be eating away at your home and you would never know that you have them. That means, even if you have a couple of professionals inspect your home, they may not find anything, even though you are infested. So, after you get a couple of inspections done, even if they don't find anything, you ought to keep an eye out for the signs of an infestation that I already spoke about. If you have an inspector that does find drywood termites, then please do not sign a contract. You never want to take the first offer that is put on the table. The only way to eliminate a drywood termite infestation entirely is to fumigate. Some pest controllers will tell you they can spot treat for it, but that will end up costing you more money in the long run, so don't fall for it. If you have drywood termites, then the smart move is to fumigate and I can tell you that prices in this industry can vary quite a bit. I have seen prices for fumigation vary as much as $2000 for the same job. So, it definitely pays to shop. Always get at least three estimates and preferably even more. The more estimates you can get the better.
One thing you know for certain now is that you do have drywood termites in the area. That means you are vulnerable to attack at any time. Therefore, you should immediately begin a preventive treatment program. Unfortunately, this is something that most pest control is will not do. Therefore, this is something that you must do yourself, every three months. I have a video on how to do it and I will place a link below. Don't worry though. It is not that hard to do and it is perfectly safe.
I am so sorry that I had to be the one to give you all this bad news, but at least now you know the truth about drywood termites. Please feel free to ask me all the questions you like. I am always here to help.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@guyspestsolutions one company said they would spray my attic with Boracare and another said they would spray with Premise. Which is better against drywood termites? Thanks.
Also dont worry about all the people saying your videos are long. I appreciate your thoughtful thoroughness. Those people can just watch your videos at a faster speed if they want to. Thanks Guy!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Hands down, go with the Bora-Care. It lasts forever and penetrates into the wood almost to the center. Premise will only last a few months, it will not penetrate deep into the wood, and it is not intended to be used this way. Premise is best used for trenching and that does not work for drywood termites.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Hello Guy, I emailed you some follow up questions. Hope to hear from you soon! Thanks!
@@jnlin8569 Okay. If I have not responded yet, I will soon. As you might imagine, I get a lot of email. Mostly regarding termites this time of year because it is swarming season. I can get as many as 60 emails a day, so please be patient. I do manage to get through them all, but I am running a little behind at the moment. Hopefully, I will get to it sometime today. Be well my friend.
I learned how to do treatment myself because of GUY.
Modern termite companies in 2024 only want fumigation, which does not protect the woods from being infested again. I noticed termite inspectors are terrified when you bring up FIPRONIL & BORACARE 😂 Why? Because those products are all you need to permanently treat drywood termite infestations. BTW average cost estimate from 5 companies is $7000 or more in California. DIY FIPRONIL & BORACARE. Good people still exist in this world. Good luck my friends. 🙏
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Please keep in mind though that, while you are going to get rid of a lot of drywood termites this way, you may not find all the galleries, so you need to keep searching for them. The bora-care treated wood is good forever, but keep an eye on the walls. Some galleries can be as small as the size of a peanut, so they can be hard to find until they get larger. If you stay vigilant you should be okay. The reason the pest controllers want to fumigate is because it's once and done, but you will get reinfested within a year if you don't do an exterior treatment at least every 3 months, and they usually will not do that treatment. The truth is that most of them don't know how to do it. Even if they did, they wouldn't treat above their shoulders in most cases, so you need to do it yourself. It sounds like you are right on top of this, and you did save a lot of money. I am so happy that I was able to be of assistance to you. Be well my friend.
Of all, the videos yours are by far the best. Ok big question a week ago around 9pm Flying Termites (swarmers) went for my light shade in the living room, Used my vacuum suck them up, maybe 75 then last two nights 50 then 25 last night. I live in a two-story house and I scored the perimeter with no signs of any termites, I can only assume they are nesting somewhere inside. Ok, do I assume per your video if I lay the pellets out like you did this should resolve my problem, what I do NOT understand is: do the termites have to leave my house to get to the pellets then come back in to poison the colony? Is that correct?
Really appreciate your thoughts...oh and I do have the green stations from Massey. I will call them tomorrow regardless I want to do what you did with the pellets
Thank you very much aL like button done
How you handle this will depend on the species. Figuring out the species is actually pretty easy and I have a video on how to do that. I will provide you with a link below. After watching this video, you should be able to identify the species. Just get back to me after you watch it and let me know what you found out. At that point, I can tell you exactly what you need to do. Let me know if you have any problems identifying the species, but I do not think that you will. It is much easier than you may imagine. Also, please tell me where you live.
The termite granules only work for subterranean termites, so we need to make sure that is what you have before using them. The reason the granules work for subterranean termites is because the termites must return to their colony fairly often to bring food back to the other termites, and the colony is always located under the ground and not in your house. This is not the case for other species, and that is why the first step is to figure out which species you were dealing with.
Those green stations around your house are bait stations that are only used for subterranean termites. They work pretty well, and that is yet another reason why we need to figure out the species.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/v-deo.html
We get the same problem every year
@@theone77033 That is why I always tell people that spot treating drywood termites doesn't work. It is virtually impossible to find all the galleries. The only way to get rid of all the galleries is to fumigate. Keep in mind though that the gas they use has no residual action whatsoever. Therefore, you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. If you have drywood termites, then I can assure you that your neighbors have them as well. Since they swarm every year, it is a safe bet that you will be reinfested within a year. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment. You need to begin this treatment before the tent goes up, so that you are protected the moment the tent comes down. I will give you a link to my video I have to do that. Prices for fumigation can vary wildly for this service, so I would urge you to watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. If you are not sure if these are drywood termites, then watch my video on how to identify termite species.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/v-deo.html
I live in a cabin-style house with unstained wood paneling on all of my walls. There is no drywall to drill. How should I inspect behind my wood paneling? I dread the magnitude of the work involved in removing panels from my walls or ceiling.
Also, i suppose Bora-Care would not be applicable to these decorative, interior, unstained wood surfaces, right?
I found one little kick-out hole in my kitchen, and now I feel like I'm doomed.
You can apply Bora-Care to the unfinished wood. However, I can assure you that, if you have drywood termites, they are located in many places. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
By the way, I will be out of town for a couple of weeks, so I may not be able to answer additional questions until after I get back. Don't worry though. If you have follow-up questions, I will answer them upon my return. I'm sure I'll have a good deal of questions waiting for me, so please be patient. I will work through them one at a time. Hopefully it will only take me a week to get caught up. I promise that I will get back to you if you have additional questions, albeit a little slower than usual. We have not been on a vacation for over 13 years and my wife has explained in her unique way that the time has come. So, go I must, and we won't be back until around June 11.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
I live in a Mobile Home and have termites. They were found in my home, Pest control came out and drilled holes, sprayed foam, they went away. Now on the opposite side of home, found another infestation. Can't afford to bring them out again, Tenting is costly and from what I read, they return! I'm going to use Bia Advanced, like you suggested in another video, around home but what can I spray on Drywood termites, without drilling holes?
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. I know this stuff is expensive, but hopefully you came to me for the truth. So, let me break it down for you.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your home at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your home every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
The termite granules will not help with drywood termites, but they should protect you from subterranean termites.
I hope that helps. Be well Pearl.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard for termites. Just the outside of the mobile home): ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
EXCELLENT INFORMATION I FIND IN 2024 HOPE YOU ALL AND WELL!!
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
I have started finding dry wood termites in my bathtub, are they in my drains? How to treat them from the drains?
The termites are not in your drains. These are probably reproductives and they have wings. They are most likely coming out tiny holes in the drywall, woodwork, or maybe even furniture. If they are in the bathroom, it is very likely that is where they are coming from. Check the drywall for tiny holes. Also check the vanity as well. Make sure these are drywood termites and not a different species, because they would get treated much differently.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well Emmy.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
Video on how to spot treat drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/U7ck7zhS0Xo/v-deo.html
Hi Guy - I came across your videos on UA-cam. I have seen a few of them. I admire you for the amount of content and its usefulness, in the videos I have seen. I have a Q about what looks like Frass, but I am not sure. Can I attach pictures to show you what I am talking about? Thank you. Sumesh
Frass is actually fairly easy to identify because there is always a kick out hole just above where you see it, and it always looks like little pellets. With other wood destroying insects that produce frass, it looks more like a fine powder. So, if they look like tiny pellets, then they are drywood termites. If you like, you can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. The problem I usually run into with photos though is that most people are not very good at taking them. Most of the time, they are out of focus and lack the detail that I need to figure out what's going on. You need to pretty much fill the frame with the pile of frass, and make sure that it is perfectly in focus. If you can get me a good photo, that I can tell you immediately if you are looking at drywood termite frass. I am more than happy to have a go at it. Please remind me of the problem when you send the e-mail and give me your UA-cam name.
Be well my friend.
I have also seen this video and can only confirm these signs. But this is here in South America actually the normal case even if many craftsmen, carpenters, etc. are not aware of this or suppress this because they want to sell their work or goods from these woods. Again, thank you for the information.
You are very welcome. Thanks for watching. Be well my friend.
I'm learning so much from your videos, Guy...... your UA-cam channel is a godsend. Questions about Boracare and injecting fipronil into infested wood. By drilling holes every 4 inches, I gather that's to locate termite galleries only? And you inject only into the holes that hit a gallery? If after injecting into the first hole, you see foam coming out of other drilled holes (4 inches apart), is it still necessary to inject more foam into those holes or can you move on to the holes where nothing came out? If you don't need to use a whole can of fipronil, do you have to discard what's left or can you store it for later use? If you can still keep the rest for later, what's the shelf-life of an opened can? How does Boracare work to kill termites compared to fipronil? Could one spray Boracare on active infested wall studs from within the wall voids instead of drilling every 4 inches to inject foam? In what situation do you need to inject fipronil foam to the sides of a wall stud and let it slide down? If spraying Boracare is an option, it might be more cost effective than buying several cans of fipronil foam? I don't know that's why I'm asking.... :)
Thank you so much for those kind words. We don't drill the holes every 4 inches to find the termite galleries, but rather to treat them. The problem with drywood termites is that it is very difficult to find the galleries. In fact, I think it is virtually impossible to find them all. That is why I always recommend fumigating for drywood termites. It is the only sure way to get rid of all of them. The reason you drill the holes every 4 inches, is because you don't know how many galleries are in a particular stud, how deep they are in the stud, and how large they are. A gallery can be smaller than a walnut. Also you could have more than one in the same stud. If you get lucky enough to find one, you can't just treat the one that you found. You need to assume that there may be more in the same stud that you have not found. Therefore you drill the holes every 4 inches and shoot foam into each hole that you drilled. If the foam comes right back out at you, then you did not hit a gallery. However, if you can shoot the foam in for a few seconds, then you are spraying into a gallery, or you missed the stud with the drill and your spraying into the wall void. That is why you do not want to spray for any more than 5 seconds. If you see foam coming out of the other holes that you drilled, then you know for sure that you hit a gallery. If there is foam coming out of a hole, then you do not need to shoot foam into it. You should have foam either going into or coming out of every hole. A can of foam can last a long time, so you can save the excess for use later on. If you are spot treating, then there is a very good chance that you are going to need it again. Spot treating drywood termites is like playing whack-a-mole. Every time you think you've got all the galleries treated, new ones crop up.
Bora-Care works much differently than fipronil. Bora-Care penetrates deep into the wood and is a permanent solution for termites. Unlike fipronil, Bora-Care lasts forever. It is possible to treat studs that are behind the drywall with Bora-Care. It is kind of a hit and miss process though. What you need to do is buy a foamer and a foaming agent, and then drill a hole near the ceiling and try to get the foam to run down the side of the studs on each side. To do this you need a fairly good foamer and they run a couple of hundred dollars. Please let me know if you would like to try that, and I will guide you further. You cannot do this type of a treatment with a fipronil foam, because it does not penetrate the wood the same way that Bora-Care will. Also, if you are going to foam, then why not use a product that is permanent?
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
As I already mentioned, the only sure way to get rid of drywood termites is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. Again, it is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for all the info! I know I have drywood termites in at least one location (more to follow for sure). Found frass behind the cover plate for light switch. This switch cover plate is at the edge of the wall where the patio sliding door opens, and there's an exterior electrical outlet on the opposite side (stucco wall). I'm not looking forward to drilling here. Have to cut power and be careful where I drill. I think there are double studs at the wall/door edge. I' plan on getting a better stud finder and borescope to see what's going on in there. Any words of advice for this situation? I've 2 new cans of Termidor foam waiting to be used.
@@rover8783 You are correct that drilling into wiring is always a risk. If the drill goes in too easy or too hard, then stop drilling and move the drill up or down about two inches. If the drilling gets hard, then you may be drilling into wiring or a pipe. If the drill goes in too easy, then you may have drilled into a wall void or a hole in the stud where the wiring is running. You may also have drilled into a gallery, so no need to go deeper. So, stop drilling. The wiring is usually located a few inches above or below the outlets, so be careful when drilling in these locations. Save your money and fumigate as soon as you can afford it. I will give you a link to the stud finder that I use now. It works great.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Stud finder: www.amazon.com/Franklin-Sensors-FS710PROProSensor-Professional-Finder/dp/B0195K8OT4/ref=sr_1_14?crid=1PY81CCU5QA4O&keywords=stud%2Bfinder&qid=1694711754&sprefix=stud%2Bfi%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-14&th=1
Thanks mate
Salute from Australia
You are very welcome. Be well mate.
Thank you so much for this valuable information. I was planning to do a Bora-Care treatment in my attic and crawlspace and the Tarus SC outside. But I'm in California and recently found out these products are not available to ship to CA. Can you recommend any replacements?
There is no need to use alternative products. Domyown.com will ship to California. I will give you the links to all the products below. Keep in mind that your initial treatment should be done with Taurus SC, but you need to continue doing treatments every three months and those can be done with either Talstar P or Bifen IT. The Talstar P and the Bifen IT are the same product, except that the Bifen IT is just a little bit cheaper. You can also alternate between the Taurus SC and the Bifen IT every three months. If you have carpenter ants, then most likely, you only have a satellite colony inside your house. The main colony is someplace outside in a dead tree stump or something. That is the reason you need to treat every three months. If you don't do that, then you are probably going to get reinvested.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Bora-Care: www.domyown.com/boracare-p-100.html?sub_id=554
Taurus SC: www.domyown.com/taurus-sc-termiticide-p-1816.html
Talstar P: www.domyown.com/talstar-professional-insecticide-p-97.html
Bifen IT: www.domyown.com/bifen-it-p-226.html?sub_id=11662
Hello Guy! Your videos and knowledge are awesome! We're in SoCal have drywood and subter termites. We have somewhat of a unique building design. There is a crawl space adjacent to the garage that is slab. The crawl space has sand at the base and perimeter cinder block with wood above it. I understand the bora care is great for the exposed wood and cinder block. However what's the best treatment for the sand below? Never gets wet or rain. Thanks a bunch bud! We will be doing preventative care on exterior of building with taurus sc. and granules around the outside perimeter.
Keep in mind that boric acid does not work if it gets wet. Also, use it only on dry areas that cannot be disturbed by people, pets, weather, or air currents. Here's the thing about crawlspaces and termites. If they are subterranean and you do not see any mud tubes coming from the ground up, then there is no need to treat under there. If there are mud tubes on the walls, coming from the ground, then you need to trench under the crawlspace. I have a video on the proper way to trench and I will give you a link for it.
If you treated the perimeter with the granules, then that should do a good job on the subterranean termites, but you may want to give that process a boost. If you find mud tubes anywhere, then break open about two inches of each tube and shoot some fipronil foam into each side of the tube and on the surface where you removed it. This will really get the process going. I will give you a link to it. Let me know if they will not ship to California and I will recommend a different product or different supplier. Also, be sure that you used the correct granules. Most Home Depot and Lowes stores are not selling the right ones anymore. They are now selling the 700370 version, but only the 700350A version will work. You know that you have the wrong one if the label says that you need to treat every 30 days. I will give you a link to the correct product, just in case. They look very similar.
As for the drywood termites, I have to tell you that the only thing that can ensure total elimination of these guys is fumigation. Subterranean termites are easy, but drywood termites are not. The problem with drywood termites is finding them. If you can find them, then you can kill them, but it is not easy to find them. So, you may want to think about fumigation. If you do, then always get several estimates. Price can vary wildly in this industry, so it pays to shop.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to trench for termites: ua-cam.com/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/v-deo.html
Fipronil foam: smile.amazon.com/BASF-805571-Termidor-Termiticide-Insecticide/dp/B07QWMJ7JM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=PW594N2DTY21&keywords=fipronil+foaming+aerosol&qid=1656054769&sprefix=fipronil+foam%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-6
BioAdvanced Termite Killer 700350A: www.amazon.com/BIOADVANCED-700350A-Perimeter-Treatment-Granules/dp/B000RUIJYM/ref=sxts_rp_s_1_0?adgrpid=1342504832925931&content-id=amzn1.sym.14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34%3Aamzn1.sym.14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34&cv_ct_cx=termite+killer+bioadvanced&hvadid=83906755322577&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=72390&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83907333654521%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=29859_14561483&keywords=termite+killer+bioadvanced&pd_rd_i=B000RUIJYM&pd_rd_r=5bb938ce-d9c6-450a-8d38-d6cc8e3bcbab&pd_rd_w=uiK07&pd_rd_wg=dzc0I&pf_rd_p=14b5a3ec-ddf3-42f1-bf1e-8515f8d25a34&pf_rd_r=4XEGY3RJN19MHRQQ3NKK&psc=1&qid=1656021167&sr=1-1-f0029781-b79b-4b60-9cb0-eeda4dea34d6
Hi Guy, I'm so glad to find your videos. I've found kickout holes... and would love to use FiPro to spot treat those areas. However, I'm located in NY - there is shipping restriction! Is there any other foam/indoor product(s) for termites you'd recommend? I've tried to drill & treat some spots in my basement (where the wood started to shred into pieces) with Termidor foam - however, my weekend treatment did not seem to work - the wood spots keep on shredding! Should I apply the Bora-Care solution direction to those infected areas? Many thanks for your responses!
The first thing you should know is that you do not have drywood termites. I know this because drywood termite are not in New York. If these guys are termites, then they are subterranean termites. New York has the most restrictive pesticide laws in the United States, so you can't buy pesticide or get them shipped to you. However, you can drive to New Jersey and buy termite granules from Home Depot. You need to be careful though. There are two kinds of granules. You need the one that has an active ingredient of imidacloprid. I am providing a link below to Amazon. They will not ship it to you, but this will let you see what the product looks like. So, select a Home Depot store that is in New Jersey, and call ahead to see if they have the correct product. If so, then just go get it. I have a video on how to use it and I will give you a link to that video. If you know somebody that lives in New Jersey, then you can have the product shipped there, and you can just pick it up. Also, if you know somebody that lives in New Jersey, you can get Taurus SC shipped there, and you can use that to trench around the outside of your house. That would also allow you to buy a very effective foam that you can use to spot treat as well. Another option is to rent a UPS box, so that you would have a New Jersey address to ship to. Let me know if you want to go that route or if you have a friend in New Jersey, and I will provide you with the information you need to do the trenching and the spot treatment, and to purchase the correct products. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to apply termite granules: ua-cam.com/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/v-deo.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/BIOADVANCED-700350A-Perimeter-Treatment-Granules/dp/B000RUIJYM/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1DK8U0I9R4XMX&keywords=termite+killer&qid=1679562436&sprefix=termite%2Caps%2C280&sr=8-6
Thank you this has been educational.. I had add a fumigation done and sprayed the attic but I'm not satisfied not satisfied. So so do I do the board acid and use the granules or do I I'm confused Taurus SC?
I'm sorry. I know this stuff can be very confusing. Let me see if I can unpack some of this for you. You see, termites come in two basic flavors. There are subterranean termites and there are drywood termites. As the name implies, subterranean termites live underground, and they never colonize in your house. They just go there to eat because your house is their favorite restaurant. They always return home to the colony to obtain the moisture that they need to survive and to feed the other termites in the colony. So, subterranean termites always attack from the ground up. That is why we can simply use the granules around the perimeter of the house to wipe out the colony in most cases. Drywood termites are much different. They are not subterranean at all. These guys do not live in the ground. They colonize inside your home. Therefore, treating the perimeter of your house with the granules would be ineffective against them. Unlike their subterranean cousins, drywood termites literally fly to your house and enter through cracks and crevices around the windows and doors or around the eaves of the house. The only guaranteed way to get rid of them is to fumigate. The problem is though that the gas they use to fumigate has no residual action, and so you can get reinfested the same day that the tent comes down. If you have drywood termites, then it's a sure bet that your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm for several months every year, it is almost a certainty that you will get reinfested within a year after the fumigation has been done. Somehow, it always seems to slip the mind of the company doing the fumigation to mention this to you. The thing is though that you can prevent this from happening by doing a preventive treatment every two months. Even though you do not have subterranean termites, you should still treat with the granules every year around the perimeter of the hose to prevent subterranean termites. I will provide a link to that video.
Now, let's talk about how all of this relates to you personally. If you had a fumigation done, then you had a drywood termite infestation, because they only do fumigations for drywood termites and never for subterranean termites. So, the question becomes, "How long ago did you have the fumigation done?" If it was within the last week or so, then you may get lucky if you start doing the preventive treatment right now. If the fumigation was done a few months ago, then it is likely that you are already reinfested. You may not know that you were reinvested because it can take years before you notice the damage or see new swarmers. That is because it can take between four to seven years before a gallery is mature enough to produce swarmers. Also, galleries start with just a king and a queen, so it takes a while before there are enough termites for you to start seeing the damage. I always hate being the bearer of bad news, but the truth is, if that fumigation was done more than a few weeks ago, then you are probably going to need to do fumigate again. You may not be seeing any evidence of termites right now, but you will. It's just a matter of time.
If I were you, I would begin doing the preventive treatment immediately, to stop even more termites from entering the building. I will place a link below for my video on how to do that. In the video, I recommend doing the treatment every three months, but I am rethinking that, and now I think it is best to do it every two months. That is because the pesticide is going to lose effectiveness over time, and it will not be as effective in the third month as it is in the first two months. Therefore, I started treating my house every two months, because it really doesn't make sense to take chances with drywood termites.
If you wish to treat the attic, then you should do it with Bora-Care, mixed one to one with water. The label will tell you that you can mix it one to five, but that will not work as well. If you watched my video on how to treat drywood termites yourself, then you know that I have a procedure for that in the video. If you have an unfinished basement or crawl space, then it is a good idea to treat that with Bora-Care as well.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem and I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to ask all the questions you like. I am always here to help.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent subterranean termites with granules: ua-cam.com/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/v-deo.html
Three questions:
Will a bug bomb set off in the attic do anything for treatment and prevention?
Do Formosan termites ever return to the ground so they can be controlled by ground treatments if they have moisture in their gallery from a leak and all the water they need?
What about using a thermal imaging camera? How effective as a detection tool?
Those bug bombs will do nothing to help you with a termite infestation of any kind.
Formosan termites are subterranean, so most of them do returned to the colony to bring back food to the other termites and the queen. However, they also have the ability to build cartons in your home that allows them to remain there without returning to the colony. So, they do both. Most of them do return to the colony, but you may have some they decide to build those cartons. Please watch my video on Formosan termites.
I do know of some pest control companies that use thermal imaging to detect termites, but I have never done it myself. I think the best way to locate cartons is to use a moisture meter. I explained how to do all of this in my video.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat Formosan termites: ua-cam.com/video/xDtGUWxMrRw/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions I found the video after I posted the questions. Noticed you recommended trenching. Would the granules work just as well as trenching for the Formosans? Noticed you recommended them for the subterraneans.
Thanks for all your help.
@@socrates2706 I do not recommend the granules for Formosan termites because they are a very aggressive species and can be more difficult to eradicate than other species of subterranean termites. Please watch my video but how to treat Formosan termites. It will explain everything you need to know.
Be well my friend.
Video and how to treat Formosan termites: ua-cam.com/video/xDtGUWxMrRw/v-deo.html
Hello, the products you mentioned are not shipped/sold to my state. I have wood termites in my old home just purchased. Is there something like a gas bomb I can throw into the attic to kill termites? What other generic products do you recommend? I have recently remodeled my home too and did not realize termites were a problem I should’ve treated before drywall/painting. I see a lot of wood shavings from termites all around the exteriors of my house. And I found 3 flying termites within my house the other day. I watched your whole video and really enjoyed your thorough explanation I wish I could follow the steps with the products. I am in CA. We have considered just fumigating but after purchasing the home we are just trying to save as much money as possible. Thank you for your time
You can purchase all the products from domyown.com. They will ship to California. That being said, it is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. Since you renovated, if you didn't see any frass in the wall voids, then you may not have termites in the walls that were exposed, but since you are seeing swarmers, you clearly do have an infestation somewhere, and they will eventually find their way into the walls. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in several locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. I understand that money is tight right now, so if you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. The only good thing about drywood termites is that they are slow eaters, so you do have some time to save up for the fumigation. Don't wait too long though because they will eventually cause structural damage. This usually takes a few years, but who knows how long they have been eating already?
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard, just the exterior of the house): ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
thank you for this amazing video,and you taking the time to respond to my question that really means a lot. See I just recently found them and they are only on one spot on my home , so I was wondering if I can exterminate them all before they become more and to other areas of my home. You think if I spray that Taurus sc or the bora-care will kill them without me having to get the home tented? Thank you for your time.
Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that the termites are not limited to just one area, so treating just one area is not going to get it done. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I know that's not what you were hoping to hear, but it's the truth.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat your yard. You only need to treat the exterior of the house for drywood termites): ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
Can i spray tauras in my attic
Not a good idea to use Taurus SC in the attic. I recommend treating all the wood in the attic with Bora-Care. I talk about that in my video and I show you how to use it. I have a link to it in the description. Make sure that you mix it one to one with water. The best part is that it lasts forever. Be well my friend.
Help! I am now living with my parents to handle things they haven't/cannot. I see need trails in a few parts of the house as well as trees/wood outside that have been attacked. Luckily, the house is mostly rastra/cement but also has generic 2x4s in some framing. 😢
How should I prioritize and tackle? Thanks for any insight.
I'm watching all your videos to gain much knowledge as possible.
Hi Guy! Thanks for the great videos.
On my search for products besides Fipronil I'm seeing more Bifenthrim is this as an effective a product as the Fipronil or something totally different?
Bifenthrin is a great pesticide and I use it all the time, but you cannot use it to treat drywood termites. However, you can use it to prevent drywood termites. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that works for a lot of pests, including the prevention of drywood termites, but you do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites, so just ignore that part of the video. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well Ann.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
Is there any way to determine if the frass was kicked out by ants versus active termites?
Yes. Carpenter ant frass looks more like sawdust. Drywood frass looks more like tiny pellets. Subterranean termites do not produce frass at all, but you may see mud that is fairly hardened. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Omg my friend had these in her wood floors. Very scary., but she has had concern about her ceiling also. We live in mobile, Al. Her lot has lots of shade from beautiful old oaks. I’m moving and I had no idea about the signs of termites in the old houses that I gravitate to. Can you have formidable and dry wood termites and is tenting the only way to kill them both? Thank you!
Tenting and fumigating are the only way to eliminate drywood termites. I hope that helps. Be well Tina.
Would you please make a video showing how to treat and prevent patio from termite infection?
Actually, I have two of them. Termites either attack from the ground, as is the case with subterranean termites, or from the air, as is the case with drywood termites. I have videos on how to prevent both and I will place links below for you. Please watch both videos and let me know if you have any questions.
DIY Termite Treatment video (Shows how to treat and prevent subterranean termites): ua-cam.com/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/v-deo.html
How to Prevent Drywood Termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy. Thanks for the video! The pest control company that just came to assess my house told me that they could offer this Drywood defense system where they fog the attic. He told me that the fogging will spray chemical all over the wood In the attic. Do you think that Could be effective? And do you think that could also treat the wood inside the wall?
@@hsinglu To be honest with you, I have never heard of fogging an attic for termites. I would love to know the specific pesticide that the pest controller is planning to use to fog the attic. This type of treatment does not seem logical to me, but I am always open to new ideas. Please do me a favor and ask this person what materials he is planning to use. I am not aware of any pesticides that you can fog that would penetrate the wood sufficiently to kill any type of wood destroying pests. So, I do not think this would work either in the attic or in the walls. However, I do not know everything there is to know in the entire world. It is always possible that somebody figured out something that I have never heard of before. Hey, you never know, but I have my doubts.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Temu, has a drain/scope/camera for $4.98.
I can't seem to find that. Where can you get it? Thanks.
Is there a way to upload a picture to help you identify the type of pest; termite or carpenter ant?
They are very easy to tell apart. Please watch my video on the subject. You will not have any trouble with it. Still, get back to me if you do and I will sort it out for you. Be well my friend.
Termites vs carpenter ants video: ua-cam.com/video/enJPS-h70Bs/v-deo.html
Thank you for the information! I do have a question. When doing the attic after spraying can I put the insulation back right after or do I have to wait for the Boracare mix to dry? Thank you and have a nice day!
You can replace the insulation immediately. Be well my friend.
Ty for the detailed info. I have quite a bit of liquid termidor left. Can I make the holes in wall and apply or do I really need to use the foam? Ty
You really do need the foam. The difference is that the foam expands to several times it's original size, so it gets into the deepest parts of the galleries. The liquid just won't get it done. Sorry about that. Be well my friend.
Thanks for good info
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
I live in mauritius and my termites look the same. They've been living in my furnitures for six years now. I can't even express my anger by kicking a fist on my closet for fear i make a hole in it.
I must admit that I do not know much about Mauritius, but I do believe you are enjoying a tropical climate. Of course, one of the problems with tropical climates they often come with drywood termites. The only good thing about drywood termites is that they are slow eaters, but eventually they will cause serious structural damage to your home. Therefore, I recommend that you have the building fumigated, if that is an option where you are. I can tell you with a high degree of certainty that the only sure way to get rid of drywood termites, regardless of where you live in the world, is to fumigate. If fumigation is not an option for you, then the next best thing is to follow the directions in my video, if you can get the products.
I wish you well my friend.
I had new kitchen cabinets installed 6 years ago. For the last 2 years I've been treating the frass holes by drilling the hole and spraying Premise into the hole. But then they pop up somewhere else in the cabinets. They no doubt came from Asian plywood. I've come to realize that Premise is temporary. I want to use Borate by drilling into the cabinets, shelves and drawers. How would you go about treating the cabinets with Borate? How far apart should the holes be drilled, how big and how would you inject the Borate without it dripping back out the hole? Besides a pump sprayer is there something else I can use? I have hypodermic needles that wouldn't need such large holes.These drywood termites have only been seen in the kitchen cabinets.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. The Premise is most likely killing the gallery if you are applying it correctly. You need to inject it into the holes for 5 seconds, or until it is coming back out at you. This is most likely not why you keep seeing them pop up in new locations though. It is important to understand how drywood termites' work. It is unlikely that they came with the cabinets. It is far more likely that they came from the outside. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home. This would also include the cabinets.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
You cannot effectively treat drywood termites with borate products. Spot treating galleries is best done with a foam.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
Video on how to spot treat drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/U7ck7zhS0Xo/v-deo.html
Yet another question! Surprising how many things one has to consider when trying to eliminate drywood termites. Never knew it was so complex. In my continual quest to prevent swarmers from starting new colonies, I was going to seal all receptacle cover plates and ceiling fixtures too. There is a material called butyl tape which would do the trick. Before sealing all these electrical and air vent openings with butyl tape, are there any tricks you may know which may work better? Thanks for sharing your amazing knowledge and experience.
I don't know that you need to seal around outlets, switches, ceiling fans and so forth. I'm not saying that drywood termites could never enter that way, but I have never seen it. That being said, I have learned to never say never. I do sometimes seal outlets for other pests though and what I use is plumbers' putty. You just roll it into a cylindrical shape and put it under the outlet cover and press it into place. Unlike butyl tape, the plumbers' putty will compress, so that the cover will be totally tight to the wall. Any squeeze out can be easily wiped off, so the outlet looks like normal. You would never know that it was sealed in any way.
@@GuysPestSolutions Good to know and good tip. Thanks.
Do you have a video on how to treat subterranean termites? Terminix treated my house about 3 years ago - it was very expensive and they were very unreliable. The termites are back and in the same area they were first discovered. I would like to find a handyman and buy the supplies and have him/them do it. Can you please do a video on how to treat them. Thank you, Guy.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. As it turns out, I have two videos on how to treat subterranean termites. I will provide you with links to both of them. Before you decide to treat this problem yourself though, you should know that, most of the time, companies that treat your subterranean termites will usually offer you a five-year guarantee on their work. That guarantee usually states that they will return and retreat if you get termites within that five-year period. So, the first thing I would do is read that contract, if you still have it. If there is a guarantee like that in the contract, then I would call that company back and ask them to retreat. If you cannot find the contract, then I would call the company, explain the problem, and ask them if they will treat it at no cost to you because their initial treatment failed. If you cannot get the issue resolved that way, then this is certainly something that you can do yourself. The thing that you do NOT want to do is repair any of the damaged areas at this time. We can use those damaged areas against the termites. I will get to that in just a minute, but first let me talk a little bit about your treatment options if you do this yourself.
I told you that I have two videos on how to treat for subterranean termites and that is because there are two different ways to go about it. There is the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is to simply sprinkle termite granules around your entire home and then water them in with a garden hose. This entire process takes about an hour to do and it is very easy and inexpensive. It works about 95% of the time and, if you do a spot treatment as well, the entire process is going to cost you under $100. I have been using this process for many years now and it has never failed me. So, this would be the first approach that I would take because it is way easier than the second method. In the unlikely event that the granules do not work, then you have no choice but to dig a trench around your entire home and treat it with Taurus SC. This is most likely what the termite company did when they treated your house. Please note that there are two different versions of the granules. Only one of these versions actually works and so it is important to get the correct one. The correct granules are no longer being sold at many of the Home Depot and Lowe's stores. However, they are available from Amazon and I will give you a link to the product. Always make sure that you are using the 700350A and not the 700370. The granules should be applied every year to ensure that you do not get reinvested. Trenching will last between 5 to 10 years.
If you go with the granules, then you can give the process a bit of a boost by doing a spot treatment. This is why I said not to repair any of the damaged areas. It is usually not necessary to do that spot treatment, but it will speed up the process and increase that 95% success rate quite a bit. However, spot treating for subterranean termites should not be the only approach to eliminate an infestation. An additional exterior treatment should also be done with either granules or trenching. Spot treating alone may totally eliminate the infestation with no other treatments, but it's not a sure thing.
To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to buy a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. I like the FiPro the best because it's a little less expensive and I like the applicator tip better, but the Termidor Foam also works very well. If you can get one of these foams, then drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
It typically takes several weeks for this process to be effective. That is because you are using slow kill products. If you were to kill the termites too quickly, then they would not have a chance to bring the poison back to the colony and share it with the other termites. If you don't kill off the entire colony, you will not end the infestation. Therefore, you must kill off subterranean termites very slowly. The entire process usually takes between 2 to 12 weeks to fully be effective. Hiring a professional to trench your house is pretty much going to take about the same amount of time to kill off the colony.
I know this is a lot of information, but the problem is treatable yourself. It actually gets a lot easier after you start doing it. Just to recap though, I would find out if the company that did the original treatment will come back for free to retreat. If that does not work, then I would go with the granules and the spot treatment first before resorting to trenching. If you cannot spot treat for any reason, then the granules alone should still do the job. If the granules and spot treating fail you, then trenching your house is definitely going to work.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to treat for subterranean termites using granules: ua-cam.com/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/v-deo.html
Video on how to trench your house for subterranean termites: ua-cam.com/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/v-deo.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_ypp_rep_k9_1_3&&crid=6RLTJBXBF92J&&sprefix=bio
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam (Do not buy this if you can get the FiPro. They are the same thing): www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
My attic space is tight, what type of sprayer is best to lug around for the bora-care? 0:01
Also, does the bora-care treatment kill any existing termites in attic or is it just a preventative measure; if so, should I fumigate or use some other product after the bora-care dries? Thank you so much for the information it is very educational.
I always use the cheapest one gallon garden sprayer that I can find. You can get them on Amazon for around $12. The Bora-Care will clog up a sprayer really fast, so I just throw it away at the end of the job.
Any wood that you treat with Bora-Care will kill all the termites in the wood and it will render that word permanently terminate proof.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Treating the attic with Bora-Care is still a good idea, but that will not treat the walls. Prices for fumigation can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
oy and the house frame structure. Thanks. Newman
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
please get to the solution I been up since 4:50 am today I live in California
I'm so sorry. Let me give you the solution in just 10 words. "If you have drywood termites, then get your house fumigated." You will NEVER get rid of a drywood termite infestation with my method or anybody else's either. It's just that simple. Fumigation is the ONLY sure way to solve the problem. Let me share my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. Yes, it's over a half hour, but it may save you thousands. Also, you should know that, after the tent comes down, you can get immediately reinfested because the gas they use has no residual action. If you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too and they will fly over the first time they swarm. The termites that is... Hopefully, not the neighbors. To prevent this, you need to do a preventive treatment every three months. In California, I would do it every two months with Bifen IT. I will place a link below for that video as well. Again, it's long, but it will save you thousands. It's well worth your time to watch both videos. Besides, if you watch long enough, you may even come to enjoy hearing me talk. Okay, probably not, but you should still watch.
I hope that helps. Be well Victoria.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent a drywood termite infestation: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
Hi Guy, great information! in California they will not ship me the fuse foam etc. any other suggestions that actually work and I could purchase here? Thank you and keep up the good work!
You can buy Fuse Foam from domyown.com. They will ship most pesticides to California and shipping is always fast and free. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Fuse Foam: www.domyown.com/fuse-foam-readytouse-termiticide-insecticide-p-26265.html
@@GuysPestSolutions thanks very much !I just placed an order. you are a life saver!
@@StevenGibbs-fv3gd You are very welcome. Thank you so much for those kind words. Very much appreciated. Be well my friend.
Thanks for the informative video, I got a question. Once I find the stud I will drill holes spaced about 4 inches from top to bottom but is actually on the stud and not the void space between studs, correct? I want to make sure Im drilling holes 1.5 inches into the stud. (that is including the drywall) I hope it make sense what Im asking.
Yes. You drill into the studs and not the voids. The termites do not live in the voids. Just the wood. You can drill up to 3 inches into the stud and they should be every 4 inches apart. Keep in mind that this treatment is kind of a Hail Mary Pass. Let me explain.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below.
If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself, like I explain in the video you watched. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
How do you treat you second story subfloor preventatively? Ours is carpeted. Love your video!!!! Sooooo helpful. We are going to systematically treat all of our wall studs, over time. We've already done the attic with Boracare.
If you have a two-story home, and you have a ceiling above the first floor, then I don't know anyway to do a preventive treatment on the floor joists or the second story subfloor that exists between the first floor and the second floor. That would literally require that you either rip down the ceilings from the first floor or remove the flooring underlayment on the second floor. Neither of those things are good options, so that is just an area that is not easy to do a preventive treatment. If it were me, I would do a preventive treatment on the entire exterior of the house every 60 days. This is done from the outside and you can probably treat the house in under an hour. Since you have a two-story home, I would do it with a hose and sprayer. You are not supposed to do it that way because it exceeds label recommendations for the amount of pesticide being applied, but I can tell you that it will not harm you or the environment. Doing it this way will make it a lot easier and faster. I will give you a link to my video on how to do that. You do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites. You just need to treat the exterior of the house. Keep in mind that if you have drywood termites already, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. If you do fumigate, make sure that you start the preventive treatment outside before the tent goes up. The gas they use to do the treatment has no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down.
I hope that helps. You will my friend.
Video on how to prevent dry wood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions thank you so VERY much for your detailed response. We are in a difficult situation because we live in a townhouse development. We currently are waiting to see if the HOA and our neighbors in our building would agree to tenting the entire building. If they don't agree to fumigation, do you know if heat treatment of an individual unit is effective enough? I have read mixed reviews on that so I'm not confident it would be worth doing.
@@SG4e It sounds like you have done your homework. Good for you. Learning all you can about this sort of thing is probably the smartest thing you can possibly do. I can tell you that it is almost impossible to get all the other owners to agree to fumigate because some of them might not realize or believe that they have drywood termites. That is because you cannot always tell that they are there. However, if you have an HOA, it is often possible to convince them that this treatment needs to be done. Here's the problem though. The gas that they use to fumigate has no residual action, so the entire complex can become reinfested the moment the tent comes down. That is because, even if you treat every town home in the complex, there will be other buildings in the area that also have drywood termites. Since they swarm every year, they will be attacking again within a year, and maybe even immediately, depending upon the time of year that you do the treatment. The only way to prevent this from happening would be if you do a preventive treatment. This treatment would need to be done on all of the units. This is also problematic because you will not find a pest controller that will do it. Therefore, each of the homeowners would need to do it themselves, and it is very unlikely that this will happen. If your neighbor fails to do it, then the drywood termites are going to find a way into your unit through pipe penetrations, holes created for the wiring, and cracks and crevices between the separation walls of the units. I am so sorry that I am not doing much to encourage you here, but I know you want the truth about it.
With regard to heat treatments, the reason you are getting mixed reviews is because sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not. In order for a heat treatment to work, you need to heat the inside of all the wood in the entire structure to a temperature between 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Obviously, you are really going for the 140 degrees. This temperature must be maintained for at least 30 minutes after it has been reached in all the wood members. The problem is that it is difficult to know if you have heated throughout each piece of wood in the entire building to that temperature. Wood is a natural insulator and is difficult to heat. This is further compounded by the problem that you often have insulation around it, not to mention the fact that a lot of it is covered by drywall. Therefore, while it is possible to heat the entire structure to the required temperature in every single piece of wood, you can see how it would be very easy for some of the galleries to escape this treatment.
I feel so bad to be explaining all of this to you, because I know it sounds so hopeless. Drywood termites and German cockroaches are too big reasons why I generally recommend that people not by townhomes or condominiums. It is almost impossible to get everybody to agree to do the required treatments and to stick with a program that they would need to do themselves.
The only good news I have for you is that drywood termites are very slow eaters. It takes a long time for them to do significant damage. Therefore, you do have some time to consider your options. It seems to me that the most logical options in your case would be to start spot treating the problem yourself, and start thinking about ways to purchase a single-family home and sell your townhome. I know that single family homes are a lot more expensive, but they have the advantage that you have complete control over these sorts of things. If there is no way you can afford a single-family home, then about the only viable option you have is to just keep doing the spot treatments and be as thorough as you can possibly be. Be sure to treat the attic with Bora-Care, if it all possible.
Finally, I hate to deliver even more bad news, but you should keep in mind that even if you kill all the drywood termites in your unit, if any adjoining units fail to do this, at some point in the future, they may experience a structural failure that will cause your unit to be red tagged. That means you may need to vacate until the structure is repaired. For example, if their roof structure starts to fail, and it is in close proximity to your root structure, that could render your home unsafe. This can also happen with shared walls as well. I do not think this is common, but you cannot rule out the possibility that it may occur at some point. A lot of it will depend on how the construction was done. Of course, this would definitely get the attention of the HOA.
I am so sorry that I have probably totally ruined your day, but I can tell that you are the sort of folks that wish to be informed about your situation. I really wish I had better news for you, but living in a townhome situation makes drywood termites a daunting problem. I just don't have any magic bullets for that one. I am so very sorry.
Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Again, thank you so VERY much for your detailed response and explanation. Yes, it's certainly not what I would like to hear, but, it is what I was expecting after reading about this topic extensively. You are correct, I would rather know the hard truth and deal with it as proactively as possible.
I now realize we will eventually need to find a SFH in order to be able to protect it properly from drywood termites, even if we do succed with getting our building fumigated. Since we can't move immediately (we live in a very expensive area), I am glad that I have some time to plan and prepare for our eventual move. In the meantime, I will hope for fumigation, and if that isn't approved by the homeowners/HOA, I will do extensive spot treatment and exterior protection (to the degree possible) until we are able to move. Thankfully, we did apply boracare extensively to our attic already.
Fingers crossed we do not end up in a red tag situation before we are able to move.
Again, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help me! My best to you.
@@SG4e You are very welcome. I hope it all works out well for you. Be well my friend.
You're the first guy I've had to speed up to 2X usually only 1.5 is needed you talk slllooow
You are not the first person to mention that. I guess I'm not everybody's cup of tea. Some folks really like the slow way I talk and some can't stand it. Nevertheless, I am what I am. I just don't know how to do it any other way. In any event, the information in the videos is spot on correct. If you can still make sense of them by speeding them up, then great, but you don't want to miss anything in an effort to save time. I always recommend taking the time to watch in normal speed because you can fail if you miss just one thing. In fact, I recommend that you watch more than once in normal speed. The termites are busy eating your most expensive possession and they will eat you out of house and home. So, it's definitely worth your time to watch in normal speed. Spot treating drywood termites is a challenge, even for the best pros in the business. If you are going to do this yourself, then you really need to take the time to learn exactly what you are doing. It takes years for a pro to learn this stuff and you are doing it in a matter of minutes. Also, keep in mind that you should only attempt this if you absolutely cannot afford to get the home fumigated. Fumigation is the only sure way to get rid of all the galleries. Should you decide to get your home fumigated, then get several estimates. Prices can vary wildly in this industry. Just go with the lowest bidder. Also, you must do the preventive treatment. If you don't, then you WILL get reinfested. If you have drywood termites, then so do your neighbors. When the termites swarm from your neighbors' homes, they will pay you a visit. That would be the termites and not the neighbors. I will give you a link to that slow talking video as well. It's another video that you may want to watch in normal speed. Always start the preventive treatment before you fumigate and do it every three months. If you don't fumigate, then start it now.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
I do termidor 1 oz, nylar 1oz and permethrin 35% 1oz, 2 gallon water sprayer. I spray the walls every ft towards the ceilin, and do as you say, now you're saying FOAM, why not liquid? I leave the home for 24 hrs, that seem to work in Central Florida. My only question, FOAM is better then liquid? We have a flea issue as well in a condo facility.
You never want to use permethrin to treat termites. That is a repellent and can make the problem worse. Liquids do not penetrate the wood sufficiently to take out the gallery.
Fleas are being brought in from the outside. In a condo there isn't much you can do to stop them if you are walking your dog or you are walking through the grass. You can treat them inside the house by vacuuming and then spraying PT Ultracide. Just follow label directions. Be well my friend.
www.domyown.com/pt-ultracide-20-oz-p-175.html
IS THE SPECTRACIDE TERMITE KILLING FOAM ANY GOOD?
No. Using this product is a bad idea because it kills too quickly. You need to kill termites slowly to give them time to spread the pesticide around to the other termites and the queen. Fipronil or imidacloprid works the best. So, I recommend buying a foam that contains one or both of these active ingredients. You cannot purchase an effective foam from the big box stores. Domyown.com has very good foams available and shipping is always free.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, In youtube "How to Treat a Drywood Termite Infestation Yourself. A MUST see if you have Drywood termites". I have Drywood in the kitchen window MDF trim. Is each stud treated with Termidor Foam every 4" and then sprayed with Bora-Care? Are there concerns with copper / metal?
You do great UA-cams.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. If you are going to treat it yourself, then you need to drill the suspected studs at 4 inch intervals and inject the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until the foam it either coming back out at you or coming out of the other holes you drilled. Foam should be going into or coming out of every hole. You would not use the Bora-Care to treat studs that are behind drywall. However, Bora-Care can be applied to all bare wood, regardless of where it is located. Always mix it one to one with water. Applying these products on metal is not a problem, but you don't want to drill into wiring or plumbing. So, when you are drilling studs, STOP if you hit any resistance at all and move the drill a couple of inches up or down because you could be drilling into a pipe or electric line. If the drill goes in really easily all of a sudden then STOP because you could be drilling into a hole that was created for the wires to pass through or you may be drilling into the wall void. Use caution when you are drilling at outlet height. The wires are usually a few inches to a foot above or below the outlet height.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
Is it possible to have dry termites in the Northeast? I first noticed a pile of frass/wood dust on the bookshelf in front of an interior wall between the sunroom(I believe originally a porch) and the kitchen. The wall itself is not drywall but tongue and groove boards. I do not see holes, however I'm guessing there is room between where the boards meet. The house was built in 1952.
It is highly unlikely that you would encounter drywood termites in the northeast. Take a look at the frass and look to see if there are dead bodies or body parts in it. You may find dead ants or parts of dead ants. If you do, then these are most likely carpenter ants. They often push out frass from areas where wood joints are located, so you may not see holes in the wood. If you can find holes in the wood, then you may be looking at some sort of wood boring beetle. If these are carpenter ants, I can help you with that. I can also help you if they are wood boring beetles as well, but I'm putting my money on carpenter ants. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, thank you for these videos. I have discovered termites and have huge problems with carpenter bees around my house. The termites have eaten the rail wood ties I put down to mark a walkway and have started eating the posts on the deck and the stairs. This area is always damp due to trees and lack of sunlight. I haven't seen any mud dobber paths but will check closer on my next trip over. Its a rental house so I can't tent due to tenants being in the house. We have done a lot of extensive renovation on the house over the last year and have not found any evidence of termites inside. It seems to be isolated to the exterior deck and railway ties. Is it possible these are dry termites or subterranean? Any help is appreciated.
You talked about two different issues, carpenter bees and termites. Let's start with the termites. You are correct that species matters. So, the first thing we need to find out is if these guys are drywood or subterranean. Please watch my video on how to identify termite species. I will give you a link to that video. There is a map in that video that will show you where drywood termites are a problem. If you are not in the red area, then these are subterranean. The limited amount of damage would suggest that they are NOT Formosan, so even if you live in the orange area on the map, you are still most likely looking at a common species of subterranean termites. If that is the case, you are in luck, because these guys are very easy to get rid of. If you live in the red area, then watch the rest of the video and let me know if you are seeing kick out holes and frass. Just get back to me and let me know what you find out. I am certain that I can provide the answers you need.
Now, let's talk about those carpenter bees. They are very easy to get rid of, but keeping them away is the ultimate goal. There are two ways to do that, so I need a bit more information. Please tell me where these guys are located. I usually see them in the fascia boards, but not always. Also, is the location finished in any way? Is it painted, stained, or sealed in any way? I need to know this to recommend the best way to prevent them. To treat the existing problem, you need to shoot fipronil foam into each hole for about seven seconds or until the foam is coming back out at you. Then just seal the hole with Bondo or caulking. It's really that easy. I will give you a link to the product I like to use. Let me know if they will not ship to you and I will recommend something else. Some states restrict this stuff, like California. Always wear rubber gloves when using the foam. While the bees are creating the holes you see, it is the larvae that are doing the real damage to the wood. The bees bore into the wood and lay their eggs. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat the wood. So, you need to get into where the larvae are located. The foam expands to many times its original size and will get into all the nesting areas.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/mY4FMvAHrMA/v-deo.html
Fipronil foam: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
How often do I have to reply the foam
Usually just once. The foam can last several years in a wall stud. If you don't fumigate, then eventually the same stud may become infested again, and you will need to reapply the foam. I have not seen any studies that have determined exactly how long the foam will last inside a stud. So, I cannot give you an exact timeframe for when it would need to be retreated. I think the answer would be to retreat when there is another gallery in the same place. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Just found this, thanks.
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
How about trying to locate termites by sound? Maybe some really high powered stethoscope where you don't even need to drill into the wall to check for frass you can just find the beam or stud and put that stethoscope up to it? Do termites make a clicking sound when feeding? This could really work well especially if you get a really good stethoscope that can pick up sound good and you would avoid all the little holes....would be faster as well as you wouldn't need to drill through and look through the bare scope each time
Termites do make some noise when they eat. The thing is though that it is not terribly loud. I suppose, if you had a really good stethoscope and if you had a pretty good size gallery, then you may be able to hear that activity. So, this could be another arrow in your quiver that you can use to locate some of the galleries. Still, I would not hang my hat on finding them all simply by listening for them. The other problem that you may run into is that there may be other noises in the walls as well. So, it's one of those things where it couldn't do any harm to give it a try and see how it goes. At the same time, I think it is highly unlikely that you would be able to locate all the termite galleries simply by using a stethoscope. If only it was that easy.
Thank you so much for the comment. Be well my friend.
Does the gas used in fumigation for dry wood termites affect clothing and food in the cabinets? Does it leave a residue that be transferred to the hands or the body?
It should not affect clothing, but food should be placed in sealed containers or removed before the fumigation. It will not leave a residue that will be transferred to people or pets. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Thanks very much!!!!
You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
Hi Guy, thank you for your wonderful videos. I've watched a few on termites and took notes. I live in Los Angeles California. I have drywood termites in different areas. Seen frass and kick out holes but none flying.
My questions:. What and how do I kill the termites under my wood floor? Fipronol down the holes?
I also found a lot of Frass on the wood floor and wood shelf of my 30-year-old shed. How do I get to them? I also found frass under the backyard water connection where the hose connects. How do I treat that?
Unfortunately I also have wood paneling (from the previous owner) on the exterior of the back and also 1/3 of the sides of my house. How would I treat that area? Although I haven't found much evidence there. ( Not really able to fumigate at this time trying to DIY )
Thank you!
There is a lot of information that I need to share with you, but it is way too much to include in the comment section at UA-cam. Therefore, you need to email me that guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. I am going to give you a case file number. It is very important that you put the case file number in the subject line of your email. This way I can easily pull up the information on you. Your case file number is 073020241. I receive as many as 100 emails a day from people asking questions, and most of them are about termites, so please be patient if it takes a couple of days for me to work my way to you. I always answer in the order in which they were received. Don't worry. I always answer all of my emails. I can usually turn them around within 48 hours. I promise that I will do my very best to help you through this. Be well my friend.
Sending email with # in subject now. THANK YOU!
@@kittymom9400 You are very welcome. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy. I'm from Houston Texas and have dry wood termite frass and verified by my pest control company. I have the same question as kittymom9400. I have frass on my wooden floors and have noticed pin sized holes. What is the best chemical and method to treat wooden floors? I was quoted $5500 to tent and told not to waste my money spot treating. Thanks so much!
Hello Guy, what happens when there is insulation in the walls between the studs? In my case the exterior walls (concrete block) have what looks like blown cellulose and the wall between the garage and the house (the only wall with wooden studs) has fiber-glass insulation. I guess it is not posible to use the foam in this case.
You are not trying to get the foam into the wall voids. You want to foam to go directly into the studs. Most concrete block structures have studs or furring strips attached to the blocks to allow for the electrical wiring to be run, the drywall to be hung, and insulation. You want to drill into those studs or furring strips. So, it doesn't matter what type of insulation there is because you do not want to treat the insulation. The termites are only in the wood. The idea is that you need to locate the center of the studs and drill holes every 4 inches, so that you can inject the foam directly into the studs.
That being said, it is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. Keep in mind though that it is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit. If you decide to fumigate, the you must begin the preventive treatment before the tent goes up.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat the yard for drywood termites. Just treat the outside of the house every 60 days): ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
I saw one company offered Heat tenting rather than fumigation. Supposedly they raise house temp to 120 degrees inside the tent. Does this work?
I do not have any experience with heat treatments for dry wood termites. We know that termites cannot survive temperatures very long that are above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. We also know that termites hang out in the center of wood members. Therefore, we can conclude that for this to work, the temperature inside the center of every piece of wood in the entire building would need to reach a temperature of at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit, for a minimum of about an hour. That means, the clock would need to start at the moment that the center of every single piece of wood in the house reaches the required temperature. This would include exterior sheathing, fascia boards, floor and ceiling joists, and all of that sort of thing. Failure to reach this temperature in all the wood for at least an hour may resultant in the failure to eliminate the termites. So, this begs the question, how do you know if the center of every piece of wood has reached the required temperature? The entire process is further placed into question because we also know that wood is not a good conductor of heat. That is why you can have a stick that is burning on one end and hold it in your hand at the other end. It takes a long time to get a piece of wood to reach a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Then of course there is the problem that houses are often insulated. Certainly, there is insulation in the attic, and oftentimes the walls are insulated as well. The very purpose of insulation is to prevent heat from transferring. So, if you have insulation covering the ceiling joists, how effective is it going to be to heat those joists to the required temperature? Like I said before, I have no experience with this system of treatment, but logically it seems to me that trying to eliminate a drywood termite infestation this way would be something of a Hail Mary Pass at best. So, if it were me, I would probably stick with fumigation because I know that it is just about a sure thing. Anyway, that's the way it seems to me.
You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. This would be the same for a heat treatment as well. If you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation or heat treatment is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. You should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
I don't know about the heat effectiveness, but I would be very concerned about your home & items inside your home being damaged by the heat. My ac broke. Although I opened windows & ran fans, items in my home melted some & even changed shape. I don't think it reached 120° in my house.
Thank you Guy, your helping hundreds of people!
We tore down a 25 year old wooden pergola in our back patio and had a new redwood one built. We immediate saw bugs that looked like big red ants crawling all over the new structure and patio floor. I bought the termite pellets you recommended, but we are still seeing some strays after 3 weeks and are very concerned. How can I send you a picture so you can help me identify these creatures. Help!
You can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Put the camera in macro mode, get as close as you can, and make sure to focus in really well. I need sharp images to do a good job with identification. Take a photo of the back, with the feed down and another photo with the feet up. I will do my best to ID it.
Be well Norma.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you guy! I don't think my older I phone has macro mode, but I sent you some pictures.
@@norma1667 Okay. Just get as close as you can, but be sure that you are well focused in.
Hi Guy! Sorry I have not been able to get a good picture, but after reviewing your videos they look closer to termites. Since I applied the pellet treatment you recommend about three and a half weeks ago, is it possible these are still strays from that treatment. Would it be ok to finish off the bottle and treat around the dirt areas again this soon?
@@norma1667 You really cannot over apply the granules. That being said, we want to make sure that these guys are subterranean and not drywood. If you cannot get a clear photo of these things, then it would be a good idea to call pest control company and ask for a free termite inspection. When they are finished inspecting, ask them what the specific species is that you are looking at. They are also going to give you a free estimate, but you do not need to sign anything. Just tell them that you plan to get several estimates before you treat. Please get back to me after you get the species identified and I will provide you with whatever additional guidance that may be necessary. The granules may do the job for you, but let's make sure.
I hope that helps. Be well Norma.
Another topic but same subject. Treating/preventing dry wood termites in a typical FL condo…. Almost all multi story FL condos have a common air handling closet for the A/C system which literally runs from bottom floor to the top floor. The copper piping and condensation drainage pipes pierce the floor and ceiling of every single closet. There could be an infestation on the sixth floor and using this crazy highway, could impact the first floor as they are usually incredibly poorly sealed, if at all. A physical termite highway!
Before I properly seal around these pipes I thought it would be a great idea, with decent access now, to treat the volume of space below the floor and above the drywall ceiling. What is your recommendation for treatment of these two spaces? FYI: The gap around the pipes are large enough to insert the tip of a multi gallon pump up sprayer. Thanks!
I have to tell you Mike, you never cease to amaze me. I don't think I have ever seen anybody think this stuff through as well as you do. Of course, as always, you are exactly correct with your thinking.
If you live in a high-rise condo, then it's a safe bet that if the floors above you or below you have a drywood termite infestation that adjoins any type of pipe chases or penetrations that run up through the building, then of course that presents easy access for the swarmers to make their way to other floors. It's not just termites either. These chases or penetrations are a superhighway for all sorts of pests, including German cockroaches. If you have a situation where there is a chase running from the basement to the attic, then, from strictly a pest control perspective, sealing them off is a very good idea. However, from an engineering perspective this may be a bit more complex. You see, there is a reason why they do not want a chase sealed off in that way. Right now, all your utilities may be fine and dandy, but at some point it may be necessary to run another electric line, water line, and so forth through that chase. Now, it is somewhat different if the pipes are simply running through holes that were cut through the flooring and there is no actual chase, but rather just spaces around the pipes. In that event, it makes no difference if you seal them up. It kind of sounds to me like this is what is happening in your case. If all you have are unsealed pipe penetrations, then it is clearly a very good idea to seal around those pipes.
With regard to treating these areas with a pesticide prior to sealing them, that depends on what is above and below these penetrations. I mean, you certainly would not want to apply a liquid pesticide down into a pipe penetration in the floor that ends up coming out somebody else’s ceiling below you. Also, if you are only going to do this job once, then I think it would probably be a good idea to use something that lasts forever. As I explained before, probably the best product you can use is Bora-Care. However, if applying a liquid like that could result in damage to somebody else's property, then I would probably go with a dust. If you go that route, then the best dust that you could possibly use would be boric acid. It's cheap, effective, and readily available. Not to mention that it literally lasts forever. All you do is get yourself a hand duster, fill it halfway, and then just puff some dust into all the cracks, crevices, penetrations, etc., and then go ahead and seal them up. Of course, this will do nothing to treat an existing termite infestation, but just like the Tim-Bor, it will kill any termite swarmers that come in contact with it. So, you need to do a little homework before you treat and be sure that you are not going to cause any damage to anybody else's property if you use a liquid.
Now, let me talk to you a little bit about an even bigger problem that I think you have. One of the biggest problems with multiple unit condos is that some of the owners may not take infestations like drywood termites and German cockroaches as seriously as they should. So, while your living space may be totally pest free, other units surrounding you may not be. That means that drywood termites that are eating away on the building above you or below you could eventually cause a catastrophic failure in the building structure and may result in your unit becoming unsafe because the building is no longer structurally stable below you or above you. Also, things like German cockroaches can easily travel from one unit to another and, if one owner has a German cockroach infestation, you can count on those things getting into your unit as well, no matter how well you seal off your unit. Since you live in this type of a building, I would urge you to have a look at the video I did on German cockroaches. The video is about 90 minutes long, but the part that I want you to watch is just the first maybe 30 minutes of the video, so that you can understand something about German cockroaches. If you think drywood termites scare you, have a look at what German cockroaches can do. Both of these pests are a serious concern in any multiple unit building. The reason for this is that, to properly address these pests, it means that all the residents need to apply the same, appropriate, treatments to ensure a safe and pest free building. Unfortunately, there are always those who refuse to cooperate and then there is nothing you can do to prevent these types of problems.
As always, I probably gave you more information than you wanted, but I hope that I did answer your questions. You clearly have a very good understanding of the concepts surrounding drywood termites and other pests and it is always a pleasure to chat with you about this stuff. Not everyone shares my passion for bugs.
@@GuysPestSolutions My number one goal is to be safe. So great recommendation on boric acid. Tim-bor (borate salt) can puffed as a powder into voids as the one I am dealing with. Do you have an opinion as to which is safer for humans? They both appear to be safe to me. I will do a very light dusting into these voids.
The pipes running vertically are individually run and not in a common chase. Unfortunately, like most all condos built in FL, it looks as if a child drilled the holes and foamed it only enough to barely pass code. Most of the foam has fallen off. I will extensively clean up the holes before I reseal properly. Light will not be able to get through when I am done.
Fortunately my complex only has 3 floors max. It is a higher quality complex so they do a good job with maintenance which is why HOA is high. But I know what you mean as I have seen some massive six story frame construction complexes slapped up in seemingly only months. Those are the ones that scare me.
@@mikem54321 Again, I think you asked exactly the right question. If you have a choice between using boric acid or a borate product, then which is better? Many people think that these are essentially the same thing, but that is not exactly the case. In my opinion, boric acid is a superior choice over a borate product when used as a dust. There is a company called Bug Tech that did a really excellent job explaining all of this and I thought it would be just easier to share what they did rather than go through all of it myself. I mean, no sense reinventing the wheel. They wrote a very good article on the subject and it is not all that long to read. I placed a link below for you.
Even though boric acid is clearly the best option as a dust, that does not mean products like Tim-Bor, Bora-Care, or Nibor-D have no place in the pest control industry. If you are treating an area where a dust is not appropriate or practical, then the best choice is to use a borate product. A good example of this is when you need to treat on a vertical surface where a dust will not stick. Also, you do not want to use a dust any place where it can come in contact with children or pets or be blown into the atmosphere in the house.
I hope that helps.
www.bugtech.com/borax-and-boric-acid/
@@GuysPestSolutions My research led me to understand that borate is much safer though less effective. The trade off is worth it. I only use safe products. As a matter of fact, decided not going to use any poison at all even under baseboards. I won't even allow a can of bug spray inside. Which is why I am so focused on sealing gaps to control and avoid pests instead. Essentially Tim-Bor appears to be good old 20 Mule Team Borax crushed into small pieces with a capture film to keep it in place.
@@mikem54321 I'm not sure I understand what you mean by “safe.” I guess if you decide you are going to eat one of these substances, then probably you would be better off eating the borate than the boric acid. However, if you're just talking about blowing the dust into wall voids and such as that, then neither product is safer than the other. You don't want either of these products to get into your eyes, you don't want to breathe them in, and you don't want to eat them. That being said, once the dust is applied into a cracker crevice, especially if you seal it off, then it is not going to be hazardous at all. So, from a safety standpoint, I see absolutely no difference between these products when used correctly as a dust. The problem comes in when you are not using the products correctly. If you are treating areas that are exposed to people or pets, then you are far and away better to use the borate and apply it as a suspension. The reason I do not just use a borate is because the boric acid is notably better for controlling pests. Let's face it, the reason we are applying these products in the first place is because we want to kill the bugs. So, why would you want to use a less effective product when there is a more effective alternative that is equally safe, when properly applied? You should also be aware that almost all modern-day pesticides are perfectly safe to use, when applied properly, and they are no longer hazardous after they dry. That is to say, almost all pesticides are only hazardous when they are in liquid form. That does not mean we want to apply them directly on surfaces where food is prepared, but they are not going to harm you at all if they are applied on a baseboard or something like that. I understand that a lot of people do have a fear of pesticides, but I think that is mainly because they are thinking of the old-time pesticides that we used when I first started into pest control. Pretty much all of those products have now been banned and are no longer available. Pretty much all of the products you can obtain today are safe and effective when used as according to label directions. The only reason why I am not a big fan of do-it-yourselfers applying pesticides inside is because a lot of people do not take the time to read the label directions and may be a bit careless when applying these materials. I mean, you do not want this stuff being accidentally applied in dog bowls, on kitchen counters, places where people sit, and so forth. The pros are trained to use these materials safely. For exterior use though, I think these products are way more forgiving. The bottom line though, is that no pesticide is going to be harmful to you, if applied according to label directions, and you wear the proper personal protective equipment. That is the truth.
I hope that helps.
I am in central north Texas (almost at the Oklahoma state line) and believe I have dry termites. Is that possible? We have frass on the floor near a water heater closet. It appeared about 2 weeks after a water heater leaked and was replaced. There are holes in the grout where the wall meets the tile floor and a line of holes about three inches up the wall in the sheet rock. No mud tunnels that we've seen, house is on a slab. Haven't seen any live insects or wings. Had a sticky pad insect catcher near the holes for a week and only caught roly polys.
Drywood termites are not known to be that far north. Does the frass keep appearing every day after you clean it up? If so, do you suppose you could send me a photo of it? Watch my video on how to photograph a bug and use that same technique to take a picture of the frass. I need to see it up close and the photo needs to be in very good focus. My email is guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. I know it's tempting, but do not seal up the holes. When you email, please include your case number in the subject line. It is Case Number 082120241. I will do my best to help you get to the bottom of what is going on. Be well Amanda.
Hi Guy! Thanks for the great videos. We recently discovered dry wood termites in a kitchen cabinet. We have removed the cabinet from the kitchen and are looking to treat it. While you said Fipronil foam works great, i also have a bottle of Taurus. Could i use that instead of the Fipro? We discovered the termites in the side panel when there was signs of frass and we replaced that piece of wood. There are signs they still may be in the back piece of untreated, bare wood. If we can treat it with Taurus so we do not have to purchase Fipronil foam that would be great. If you think the foam is the better option, i will use that. Just trying to save a few bucks :) Thank you!
Unfortunately, you cannot use Taurus SC for that purpose. You need to use the foam because it expands to several times its size when you apply it. That way it gets into all the areas of the gallery. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that, in addition to that one cabinet, you have these guys in many locations in your home. While it is possible that you got lucky and just that one cabinet is affected, there is very little chance that this is the case.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions I also have drywood termites in my kitchen cabinets. Taking them out will be expensive and it puts the countertop at the risk of breaking. Tenting is a terrible option for me as I am in a townhome. Spot treatments with foam have been proven ineffective. Is there anything else you could suggest? These pests showed up after 8 years of the kitchen installation and, I was told, they probably came inside the wood from the factory. Much appreciated!
@@alansoftbr I'm so sorry that you are having this problem. I always hate to be the one to deliver bad news, but the truth is that there is no effective way to treat drywood termites in a townhome. That is just the reality of the situation. It is possible that the drywood termites came in with the cabinets, but it is far more likely that you have an infestation of drywood termites in the rest of the home as well, and they just found their way to the cabinets. If they were already in the cabinets when you purchased them, then you would have started to see the frass almost immediately after the installation was complete. The fact that it took eight years to see the activity would suggest that the termites were not in the cabinets when you purchased them.
Since you cannot fumigate the townhome, then the only options you have are to use Bora-Care on any untreated wood, in the attic, or crawl space if you have one. Then you need to spot treat with a fipronil foam wherever you can locate activity. Make sure that you are using the correct foam. You cannot use the products that you buy locally in the big box stores. Those foams do not use fipronil as the active ingredient. Also, the foam must be applied correctly for it to work. I go over all of this sort of information in the video. To treat the cabinets, you should just shoot the foam into the exit holes and kick out holes for at least 5 seconds, or until the foam is coming back out of you. This should take out the gallery within a few weeks. Keep in mind that this is not a quick help product. It is designed for the termites to spread it around the colony. That way you take out all the termites, including the queen.
I can assure you that the problem is probably not limited to the cabinets. So, the only thing you can do in your situation is to follow all the recommendations in the video. You are never going to get rid of all the galleries and they are going to continue to keep cropping up. Therefore, you should do an inspection every 6 months and treat any galleries that you find.
Keep in mind that if you have drywood termites, then the other units have them as well. Many times people will refuse to believe that they have them, and so they will do nothing to treat them. Therefore, it is possible, at some point, that the adjoining units may experience a structural failure in an adjoining wall or the roof structure of their unit. If that happens very near your unit, it is possible that your unit may be declared structurally unsound as well. The only good news about drywood termites is that they are very slow eaters, so it usually takes a very long time for this sort of thing to happen. Still, you don't know how long they have been eating your townhome. Therefore, I recommend that you make plans to sell the townhome and try to purchase a single family dwelling. I know this is a lot more expensive, but you are dealing with a situation that you are most likely not going to be able to correct. Over time, this may result in serious damage to your unit that can be quite expensive to repair.
Again, I am so sorry that I have to be the one to explain this to you, and I know it is not something that you want to hear. However, it is the reality of owning a townhouse in an area where drywood termites exist. Since these guys are slow eaters, you do have some time to try to figure out how to purchase a single family dwelling and sell the townhome. The important thing is to start working on it. I know this may sound like drastic advice, but I'm sure you contacted me because you wanted an honest evaluation and advice, and what I am telling you is all true. Your best bet would be to get out of Dodge as soon as you can manage it.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hello Guy, I have termites inside an exterior wall with a 10X10 ft. concrete patio on the outside. I drilled holes on the inside drywall and then spray canned termite killer but the insulation, I think, is keeping the poison from reaching all of the termites. What do you suggest I do?
The first thing you need to do this to identify the species. Please have a look at my video on how to identify termites species. There is a map in that video that will show you where drywood and Formosan termites are a problem. If you live inside the red for orange areas on the map, then you need to dig a little deeper to find out the species. The video will explain exactly how to do that, but let me know if you run into any problems with it. Please get back to me if you live in the red or orange areas. Hopefully, you live outside of the red and orange areas, which means you are dealing with a common species of subterranean termites. If that is the case, then you have a fairly easy problem to solve. If you purchased something like Spectracide termite foam, then that probably made the problem worse. It will kill a few termites, but it is a repellent pesticide, and it will cause the termites move to another area and actually spread the infestation. If these guys turn out to be subterranean, then you need to attack them from the ground, because subterranean termites always colonize in the ground and never your house. Your house just happens to be their favorite restaurant. You can still do a spot treatment, which will give the process a boost, but you also need to treat the soil around your house. I'm going to give you links to a couple of videos that will show you how to treat the soil around your house. One video we'll show you how to treat using termite granules, and the other video we'll show you how to trench your house. If you have fairly porous soil, then the granules should work fine. Just dig a small hole that is about four inches deep and fill it with water. If the water drains into the ground fairly quickly, then the granules would be a good choice. Otherwise, you need to trench. I will also give you the procedure for doing a proper spot treatment below. So, just to recap. Watch my video on how to determine the species you have. If they are subterranean termites, then choose one of the treatment methods that are in the other videos. If you determine that these guys are not a common species of subterranean termites, then you need to get back to me so that I can guide you further. Please note that if you use the granules, you need to get the ones that use imidacloprid as the active ingredient. A lot of the Home Depot and Lowes stores no longer sell them. You can still get them from Amazon and I will give you a link for that as well.
How to spot treat subterranean termites
If at all possible, spot treating for subterranean termites should not be the only approach to eliminate an infestation. An additional exterior treatment should also be done with either granules or trenching, whenever possible. Spot treating alone may totally eliminate the infestation with no other treatments, but it's not a sure thing.
To spot treat subterranean termites, you need to buy a fipronil foam. I will provide links for two products that you can choose from. I like the FiPro the best because it's a little less expensive and I like the applicator tip better, but the Termidor Foam also works very well. The FiPro is not available everywhere. If you can get one of these foams, then drill holes in all damaged areas, that are 4 inches apart, and drilled about halfway through the wood. If you are seeing exit holes in the wall, then there is most likely a stud behind the exit hole. Get a stud finder and locate the stud where it meets the ceiling and drive a small nail into the stud a couple of inches below the ceiling. Attach a weighted string to the nail and that will show you where the stud is. Then drill the holes 4 inches apart along the entire length of the stud, about 3 inches deep. Do the same thing for woodwork, except only drill the holes halfway through the wood. If you think that there is a 2 x 4 behind the woodwork, then drill a 3-inch-deep hole every 8 inches. The holes only need to be wide enough to get the applicator tip of the foam can into the hole. After the holes are drilled, then shoot the foam into each hole for about 5 seconds or until you have foam either coming back out at you or coming out the other holes that you drilled. All the holes should have foam either going into them or coming out of them. This will contaminate their food source and they will take the fipronil back in the colony and spread it around to the other termites.
Most of the time, subterranean termites are going to be building mud tubes somewhere. You will most likely find these mud tubes going up the exterior or interior of your foundation and you may find them along joists and even in the attic sometimes. If you have a slab home, then you may find them going up the outside of the house on the slab and even the side of the house. If you can find the mud tubes, then you can treat them as well. Just scrape off about a 2-inch section of each mud tube down to the bare surface. Then, shoot that foam into each side of the mud tube and also apply a little of it on the surface where you removed it. The termites will rebuild the mud tubes and bring the foam back to the colony to spread around to the other termites.
Also, if you can find the mud tubes, this is a very good way to determine when the infestation is gone. If you scrape off that 2-inch section of a mud tube, you can see if there are any live termites in the tube. Again, the termites will rebuild the tube and go about their business. Do this every two weeks after you finish all your treatments. Apply the foam to the mud tube every time you do it. At the point you are no longer seeing live termites and they stop rebuilding the mud tube, then your infestation has been eradicated.
It typically takes several weeks for this process to be effective. That is because you are using slow kill products. If you were to kill the termites too quickly, then they would not have a chance to bring the poison back to the colony and share it with the other termites. If you don't kill off the entire colony, you will not end the infestation. Therefore, you must kill off subterranean termites very slowly. So, I would give this at least 12 weeks before I would decide that the process didn't work. Hiring a professional to trench your house is pretty much going to take about the same amount of time to kill off the colony.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/v-deo.html
Video on how to use termite granules: ua-cam.com/video/H7rW_TSBHJ4/v-deo.html
Video on how to trench for termites: ua-cam.com/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/v-deo.html
Termite granules: www.amazon.com/dp/B000RUIJYM?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k1_1_7&=&crid=22GC8P8885EWJ&=&sprefix=termite
FiPro: www.solutionsstores.com/fipro-foaming-aerosol
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
Is there a way you can use Boracare effectively applied into the kickout holes instead of Fipronil? Will fumigating still be effective over a Boracare treatment in the attic? Thanks.
The reason I use fipronil for the kick out holes is because it expands to several times it's size. You can foam Bora-Care, but using a foamer does not work anywhere near as well in that situation. You can foam Bora-Care into wall voids though to treat both sides of the studs. Bora-Care used in the attic will have no effect on fumigation. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Hi guy. I bought my Taurus SC for trenching outside. I bought several cans of friprinol foam...do I shoot this in the holes every 16 inches apart on the studs and 4 inches above & below the crossbar before spackling over the holes in every room of the house if I determined there are termites using the scope & tapping with the rubber mallot & screwdriver method you demonstrated? I was told by Hulette Pest Control I have drywood termites & they wan't to tent, which wont solve the problem. I'm trenching to prevent my neighbors termites from visiting & Hulette coukd have missed them, the inspector was a young lazy worker
Thanks for reaching out to me. I normally do not recommend trenching the house unless you have subterranean termites. I think a better idea is to install monitoring stations and then bait the stations if they go off. Trenching will give you 5 to 10 years of protection, but it's a lot of work. It's fine to do. No harm in in. Just more work than you need to do. I agree with you that you should not just take the word of someone that inspects you house for termites. You should do your own inspection. I have a video that will show you how to do it correctly and it's not all that hard. You will end up doing a much better job, and you will know if you have subterranean termites and/or drywood termites. The video covers both species. Keep in mind that, just because your neighbor has subterranean termites, does not mean that you do as well. Drywood termites are different. If you neighbor has them, then I promise you that you have them too. So, let's talk a little about drywood termites.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they establish their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. This is a generic video that covers a lot of different pests, but it also works for preventing drywood termites. Just ignore the part about treating your yard. You only need to treat the house for drywood termites. This will not treat the termites that are already there, but it will stop new ones from getting in. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
If you want to do the spot treatment, then please watch the video on how to treat drywood termites again because you may be somewhat confused about how to do it. Perfectly understandable since you have never done this before. I think you may have the inspection process confused with the treatment process. A lot of folks do get that mixed up. The inspection process and the treatment process both require that you locate each stud with a stud finder. They may not be exactly 16 inches apart all the time. To inspect, you need to locate the area between the studs and use a borescope to look inside the wall void for frass. To treat a stud that you think is infested, you need to drill holes into the stud that are 4 inches apart from the ceiling to the floor. The idea is that you don't know exactly where the gallery or galleries are located, so you go every 4 inches to make sure that you hit them all. A gallery can be as small as the size of a peanut. You most likely have termites in the ceiling joists and rafters as well, so you can see that trying to find all the galleries is pretty much impossible. If you do a good job, then you will knock out a lot of them, but even the best of the best pest controllers who do this stuff are going to miss galleries. You just need to miss one and the infestation will continue. That means you need to do this inspection process constantly because you never know which area of the house is going to become infested or when. That is why I say that the only sure way to eliminate the problem is to fumigate. I know that's not what you want to hear, but I think you contacted me because you want the truth. So, I am giving it to you straight.
Please let me know if you would like to install monitoring stations around your house to detect the presence of subterranean termites and I will assist you with that. You can do it around the entire house for as little as $25, if you make them yourself, or you can buy enough of them ready made and do the entire house for around $300, depending upon the size of the house.
I hope that helps. Be well Day.
Video on how to inspect your home for termites: ua-cam.com/video/oGyAVT7Zyro/v-deo.html
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
Thanks. I will be getting a tent November, & performing the other treatments.
@@Foxfirebrown1234 You are very welcome. Good luck with the fumigation. Be well Day.
Do drywood termites live inside the house? Or do they need to work their way outside?
I found a hole in the drywall ceiling with frass on the ground below. Can I just shoot some foam into the hole? Or is this not effective? Thanks
First, make sure that this is actually frass that you are seeing and not mud. If it really is frass, then you probably do have drywood termites. Even though I did a video on how to treat them yourself, I do not recommend doing it. The problem is finding all the galleries. As you can see from my video, finding all the galleries is almost impossible. Therefore, I always recommend fumigating for drywood termites. Since you cannot fumigate yourself, you need to hire a company to do this. Please watch my video on how to do it without getting ripped off. Prices vary wildly sometimes with this, so my video can save you a lot of money. Let the inspectors have a look at the frass and they should know immediately what they are looking at. Let me know if this turns out not to be frass and I will guide you further.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
I have a shipping restriction in my state on FiPro Foaming Aerosol, alternatives? Thx.
Please tell me where you live and I will see what I can figure out. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Southern California
@@treehauschalet1628 You can use Termidor Foam. Same thing as FiPro. I will give you a link to it. Be well my friend.
Termidor Foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
What if I just remove enough strip of drywall that I have access to get my Boracare sprayer in all the wall cavities and spray the studs. Will that work better than trying to drill holes and find all the individual galleries? Or if I find infested wood with galleries can I just spray the crap out of it with Boracare?
Actually, there is a way to treat your walls with Bora-Care, without removing any drywall, and it is more effective than trying to find the galleries and then treating them with a fipronil foam. The only thing is that you need to invest a couple of hundred dollars into equipment. You can literally turn the Bora-Care into a foam and you can fill the entire wall void with it, and it will soak into the adjoining studs. That means, all you need to do is drill a hole into every wall void and inject the foam. Now, there are some drawbacks to this procedure, but after it's finished, then all of the studs will be permanently treated. You can also use the foamer to treat ceiling joists as well. I will give you a link to a video that kind of demonstrates how this procedure is done. I will also give you a link to a good foamer and the foaming agent that you need. Be well my friend.
Video that shows how Bora-Care is foamed: ua-cam.com/video/kXQTc9wwCfQ/v-deo.html
Foamer: www.domyown.com/bg-versafoamer-hh-gallon-foamer-p-1696.html
Foaming agent: www.domyown.com/outlast-pro-foaming-agent-p-13940.html?sub_id=13688
I live in SW Florida do you recommend tenting for dry wood termites.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you have drywood termites, the the answer to your question is yes. The only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well Charlotte.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites. Just the exterior of the house.): ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
Hi Guy, I live in a condo in Southern California. I have found termite swarm 09/01 inside of my condo. Termites came in from a vent in a bathroom (no window in this bathroom). I have not seen signs of infestation prior. I have had two Pest Companies came out for inspection. They found dry rot on a window frame and on the out door staircase. My condo is on the top 3rd floor not the ground level. Would you advise what I should look for when hire for termite treatment?
I am so sorry that you are having this problem. You did not tell me everything that I need to know, but it sounds like you have two units below you and I'm guessing that the building is constructed of wood. Also, you did not tell me if the pest control folks identified these guys as drywood termites, but it sure does sound like that's what they are. If all of this is the case, you should know that the only surefire way to get rid of drywood termites is to put a tent around the entire building and fumigate it. That means you need or the owners in the entire building to agree to this. If you have a condo association, then you should bring it to their attention. Drywood termites often enter the attic from openings in the eaves around the roof. There is a good chance that you have multiple galleries in the attic. From there, they often find their way into the walls. These guys may affect the top floors first, but this is a huge problem with the bottom floors as well. They will also enter through windows and doors, so the bottom floors may have them as well. Even if they don't, this is definitely going to affect the bottom floors, if there is a failure in the roof structure. Drywood termites are slow eaters, but eventually, the roof structure is going to be compromised. This may render the entire building uninhabitable at some point, so it is everybody's problem. The fact that you have seen swarmers means that this problem has been going on for some time. A new gallery cannot produce swarmers for four to seven years. So, this should be a call to action for the entire building. To make matters worse, even after you fumigate, the gas they use has no residual properties. That means you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. There is a way to prevent this, but it is not practical for building that tall. I know this is going to sound crazy, but you may want to consider selling and moving into a single-family home. The only alternative is to fumigate the building about every seven years.
To answer to your specific question on how to hire a pest controller, I just happen to have a video on that exact topic, and I will place a link below for you. Prices can vary wildly in this industry, so you would be wise to check out my video. This is particularly true if the entire building is going to be fumigated. Whoever is responsible for hiring the company you should also watch this video. You can save thousands of dollars if you know how to do this correctly.
Again, I am so sorry that you are having this problem and I am sorry then I had to give you this sort of bad news. I know this is not what you wanted to hear.
Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest control without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
I live in Florida and I have a subterranean termite infestation. I was told that subterranean termites only show up when you have a leak. I don't have money for professional service. Please help me with treatment. I also have a mud tunnel near the sliding door. How can I remove this mud tunnel. What can I effectively treat this infestation myself. Please help
How you handle that will depend on the species. You have two different species of subterranean termites where you live, and they each get treated differently. Sometimes you can just use termite granules for subterranean termites, but if you have Formosan termites, then you need to trench and possibly do some other treatments inside as well. So, you need to start by determining the species. Figuring out the species is actually pretty easy, and I have a video on how to do that. I will provide you with a link below. After watching this video, you should be able to identify the species. Just get back to me after you watch it and let me know what you found out. At that point, I can tell you exactly what you need to do. Let me know if you have any problems identifying the species, but I do not think that you will. It is much easier than you may imagine. For now I recommend that you do nothing at all. Trying to treat this the wrong way will do more harm than good. Do not disturb the mud tubes. You can use them to your advantage. I will explain everything after I know the species. By the way, you don't need a leak to get infested with termites. Leaks to offer a welcome mat, but it is not necessary for them to attack. With a bit of luck, you may be able to treat this for under $100.
Unfortunately, I will be out of town for a couple of weeks, so I may not be able to assist you until after I get back. Don't worry though. I will walk you through it upon my return. I'm sure I'll have a good deal of questions waiting for me, so please be patient. I will work through them one at a time. Hopefully it will only take me a week to get caught up. I promise that I will get back to you, albeit a little slower than usual. We have not been on a vacation for over 13 years and my wife has explained in her unique way that the time has come. So, go I must, and we won't be back until around June 11.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/v-deo.html
Each year in the spring, I find wings and swarmers on a table that has two lamps on a timer and go off about 11pm. I have hired 4 major companies in each of the last 4 years to do an inspection of my attic. The walls of the house are concrete, and the studs are metal. Only the attic has wooden trusses and beams. In each of the 4 inspections, they have reported no termites visible.
Outside the house we have many lights in the soffit. When I turn the lights off, there are no termites or wings. When I turn outdoor lights off, but leave the table lights on, 4 or so termites joined end to end. Sometimes none.
My attic is very large and has many areas you just can't get to.
If I fumigate, and the termites are coming from a neighbor, I will still have a problem next year. I don't believe there is any practical way to spray the Borate solution without removing the roof. I have taken to leaving the lights off.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
I responded to your email. Don't worry. We will get the problem resolved. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi there, we have the same issue, we believe that a neighbor's dying tree is sending swarmers. We've had our home tented (Vikane) in the last couple of years and found one spot where they were coming in from and sealed it. We still find a number of wings and bodies inside from swarmers getting in. Is this something we should be concerned about? We did find some damage in the attic but no active termites so we're guessing the tenting took care of them. Thanks in advance for any advice.
@@dpsa8630 I am so sorry that you are having this problem. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you should know that this is something that you should be very concerned about. The fact that you had drywood termites means that, it is almost a certainty, that your neighbors also have them and it is quite possible that you are correct about them being in your neighbor's tree. In all likelihood, these guys are busy infesting quite a number of houses in your area. Fumigating with Vikane is the best way to treat for drywood termites. In fact, it is the only sure way to get rid of them. The problem is though that Vikane offers absolutely no residual action. That means, after the tent comes down, the termites are free to once again infest your house. Since your neighbors also have drywood termites, then it is almost a certainty that those termites are going to re-infest your house the first time they swarm. Given that your fumigation was done about two years ago, it is a safe bet that you do have a number of galleries that currently exist your house. That means you are going to have to fumigate once again in order to get rid of them.
There is some good news here though. After you have the house fumigated again, there is a way to prevent future infestations of drywood termites and I have a video on how to do that. I will place a link below for you. Now, this is a treatment that you must do yourself, because pest controllers typically will not do it. That is because this treatment requires that you spray a pesticide on the eaves and facia boards of your house and almost all pest control companies will not allow their pest controllers to spray above their heads. Don't worry though because this procedure is perfectly safe, if you do it correctly. To be effective, this treatment needs to be done every three months, without fail. If you do that, then you will never get another drywood termite infestation ever again. The only other alternative to this type of a treatment is to simply fumigate your home every four or five years. The problem with going with the fumigation every several years is that you are going to have termites continuously eating your house.
The bottom line here is that you almost certainly have an active drywood infestation in your house at the moment and that will require that you fumigate again. I would urge you to watch my video on how to prevent drywood termites and do your first treatment a few days before the pest control company comes in to do the fumigation. That way you will be protected the moment the tent comes down. You see, you can literally get re-infested with dry termites within minutes after they take the tent down. Therefore, it is a very good idea to do the preventative treatment just prior to the fumigation. After that, make certain that you do this treatment every three months.
I am so sorry that I had to be the bearer of bad news, but I always give it to you straight.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or if I can be of assistance to you in any other way. I am always here to help. Be well my friend.
How to prevent drywood termites video: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thank you for the thorough explanation and straight forward answer. We've ordered Boracare and Termador and will be treating all of the exposed wood in the attic and drilling the walls where we finally found the exits where the swarmers have been coming from, watching them flood out of the door frame was something straight out of a horror movie but at least we found them. How long is the swarming season and would it be safe to say that we can wait to see if the Boracare/Termidor worked and if there are more swarmers before calling for another fumigation? We've had horrible experiences with exterminators in Miami and the one company we trusted left.
Many thanks on the prevention video, just ordered material for that as well. Again thank you for your time and expertise!
Hope you don't mind but to add another quick question, is there a way to tell old infestation from new? Question comes out of curiosity and if in the future we buy again we' like to be able to tell as the last seller did not disclose but we found treatment invoices.
@@dpsa8630 Here's the thing about dry wood termites, you never know where all the galleries are located. Sure, some of those termites are really stupid and they create the kickout holes where you can easily see them, but not all galleries are like that though. Some of them are inside the walls and the exit holes are on the sides of the 2 x4’s that are not visible from inside the room. This is the reason why fumigation is the only surefire way to get rid of all of them. That is why I only recommend treating this yourself if you cannot afford to have your home fumigated. If you decide to do this yourself, then I would be happy to stay with you every step of the way to make sure that you are doing everything correctly. Also, I fully understand that the pest control business can be somewhat daunting at times when you need to hire a pro. So, should you decide to go ahead and have another fumigation done, then I would be happy to assist you with that as well, to make sure that you are getting the right company at the right price.
Regardless of whether or not you fumigate, treating the attic with Bora-Care is a very good idea. As you now know, the fumigation does nothing to prevent future infestations, so the Bora-Care will give you a permanent solution in the attic. It is an extra layer of protection that I think everybody should do if they are living in drywood termite country.
Also, even if you end up fumigating, treating the active infestations, that you know about, with a fipronil foam, is also a very good idea. To be honest, I have my doubts about how long this treatment will last, but there are some very experienced people in the industry that will tell you that it can last five years or more. If they are right, then this treatment will also provide you with additional protection.
The only good news about drywood termites is that they are fairly slow eaters. So, if you treat this yourself and then later on discover more termite galleries, then you can either simply spot treat those galleries yourself or make a decision to go ahead and fumigate the entire building.
Termites can swarm at various times during the year and sometimes those swarms can last for weeks or even months. Most of the time you see them swarming starting in April and usually ending by the first of October. They usually swarm at night and are attracted to light.
It is possible to tell if a drywood termite infestation has been there for a while and is no longer active. However, you kind of need to have a trained eye for it. You're going to look for things like how old the frass is. Is it nice and loose or is it kind of caking up or getting hard? Also, a professional would look for things like dead termite swarmers and their wings to determine if those are decaying or fairly recent. The problem is though that, most people who are selling their houses, will probably know that they have a drywood termite infestation and they're likely going to clean all that stuff up before someone comes to look at the house. Therefore, the place that you want to look would be in the attic. Most home buyers do not bother to go look in the attic and most sellers do not bother to go up there to clean up frass and dead bodies. Of course, if you find invoices from other termite companies, that is a pretty good indication that there was a problem. Take a look at those invoices to see how the problem was handled. If these were drywood termites, then it's a pretty safe bet that there are drywood termites still in the house. One other thing that you can do is to have a look at the circuit breaker box. Almost all pest controllers will leave their company tag on the circuit breaker boxes when they are there. If you find a tag like that, then you know that, at some point, there was a termite company inspecting the building. Give those folks a call and ask them what they found at that address and if they did a treatment for it. Tell them that you are thinking about buying the house and you want to know if any treatment that they did has a warranty that would be transferable to you. We know that virtually no pest control company will give you a warranty for drywood termites, but their answer may well give you a clue to whether or not they treated for them. Finally, before buying any house, you should always have a termite inspection completed on that building prior to the closing. Always make sure that the contract states that, if drywood termites are detected in the building, that the homeowner will have the building fumigated prior to the closing or you can bow out of the contract and get your good faith money back. It is well worth spending the money to have a termite inspection done on the house and, in most cases, the bank is going to insist on it. You can also ask that the seller to pay for this inspection. Here's the thing that a lot of people do not know about contracts. You can legally ask for anything that you want. I mean anything. You can even ask for annual tickets to the Super Bowl if you want. I know that would be a little bit over the top, but I have seen cases where someone really liked an entertainment center that was in the living room and asked for that to be included in the sale. Perhaps the appliances in the kitchen are not included and you want them. You can either put in the contract that they have to give you the appliances or that they have to give you the money to buy new appliances just like the ones that are there. Do you see what I'm saying? The sky is the limit when it comes to contracts. You can even ask them for the family dog if you want. Some Realtors may discourage you from doing this, but there is nothing stopping you. Just take a pen and write it in the contract before you sign it. This is perfectly legal and smart buyers do it all the time.
I hope that helps.
All the frass I see is at the bottom of my window seal. And my foundation is severely damaged. Will fixing my foundation help with termites. This house is old and the wood is not treated wood. :-/
Fixing the foundation and sealing up as many openings as possible is a very good idea, but you cannot get rid of drywood termites that easily. Please read the last response I gave you. I explained the problem as best as I could. Be well Sarah.
Hi Guy, big appreciation to your another excellent video, may I have my question please. I am in Canada, there is shipping restriction of Bora-Care, do you have any alternatives? And also, do you think boric-acid powder is a good one ?? if it is, how to use it? Thanks in advance
I watched your other videos and got the answers of the last two questions, but still the first one: In Canada, is there any alternatives of Bora-Care??
I'm afraid that there really aren't any good alternatives to Bore-Care. There aren't even any good alternatives to it in the US. There are other products that claim to do a similar job, but the problem is that they do not penetrate very deep into the wood the way Bore-Care does. For example, you could buy Harris termite powder, but it will not penetrate the wood very far, and I don't know if you can get it shipped to Canada either. Products like the Harris termite powder will give you some protection with regard to preventing termites, but will do nothing to treat an existing infestation. You can find it on Amazon. It is possible that you can get Bora-Care shipped to you if you order it from uspestsupply.com. They used to ship some products to Canada. I do not know if they still do that, but it's worth having a look. There is a chance that they may ship Bore-Care to you.
All of that being said, you should know that you do not have drywood termites where you live. Drywood termites cannot survive in Canada. The only termites you have there are subterranean. There are also dampwood termites in Canada, but they typically are not a threat to homes. Subterranean termites are usually treated from the ground. Please watch my video on how to trench for subterranean termites. Your problem will still be obtaining the pesticide that you need. If you live reasonably close to the US, I know of some Canadians that simply cross the border to purchase the supplies they need. I am sure that they do not check every car at the border, and they are mostly looking for drugs or maybe even guns. Still, if you do that, you may want to repackage the pesticide. Also, do not purchase more than you think you will need. Keep in mind that you cannot buy pesticides in New York. Also, there are not many stores in the US where this material can be purchased, so you need to have it shipped to somebody in the US, who lives in a state where it is legal for unlicensed applicators to buy it. They certainly do make it hard for you, but it can be done if you are tenacious.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to trench for subterranean termites: ua-cam.com/video/Fy7YHi_7Z8g/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions OH MY, I am so so grateful to your such a detailed mentoring, and have watched your "how to trench for subterranean termites" video twice, I will watch more times, and ask questions later. Thank you so much.
@@billy-ln9wj You are very welcome. I'm always here to answer questions. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy, after watching your more videos I got answers and my questions: 1. Can I use bioAdvanced termite killer granules in the crawling space ( Or in other words, will subterraneans reside in the crawling space)? 2. If there are big and continuous rainy days and even animals may damage the granules, is the granules a good choice when applied outside of the house ?? Thanks
Hello Guy!
1) Can you please compare the chemicals of your choice to the Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 (bought before I saw your video)?
2) I drilled 3"-deep, 1/8" diam holes spaced 4" into the studs through the drywall and will inject the foam tomorrow - can I apply the spackle compound to the hole immediately to seal the foam in or should I wait a specified time?
Thanks!!
The Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 is a repellent pesticide that should never be used for termites. The fipronil foam that I recommend is a non-repellent pesticide. The Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 will kill the termites immediately, but that is not what you want. You want to kill them slowly, so that they have time to spread the poison to the other termites, thereby killing the entire gallery and not just part of it. The Spectracide Terminate Killing Foam2 can actually make the problem worse.
You can patch the holes immediately after treatment.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks, Guy!
1) I searched about and it looks like fipronil (under it's brand names - Termidor, or Taurus SC ) is restricted in California to outside only... tried to buy on Amazon and got the message "cannot be shipped to your address". Do you know if it's allowed to professionals only? Any alternative suggestions?
2) I gave up on positively confirming frass with an inspection camera -(too much fiberglass insulation in the walls) and defaulted to drilling 4" spaced holes in studs spanning the suspected wall. That's a lot of holes to drill and it would be helpful to find them when periodically re-treating in the future. I came up with this idea - before patching with spackle plug each hole with a 1/2" nail, push to recess its head to about 1mm below wall surface and then patch over it and repaint. It's easily located in the future with a stud finder and small magnets that simply stick to it in place and mark where to dig.
Your thoughts?
Best Regards, Abe
@@abrahamshrekenhamer1973 Domyown.com will ship the Termidor foam to California, even though it is restricted to licensed applicators. I won't tell if you won't. California is an extremely restrictive state for just about everything. When it comes to overkill, they definitely get the award for it. Restricting a fipronil foam to outside use is totally stupid. This product was designed to be used indoors. I often wonder if the California legislature does any research whatsoever before they pass a law. Anyway, I will provide a link to the product below.
As you are discovering, spot treating for drywood termites it's more than just a little problematic. That is why I always recommend fumigating, if at all possible. I understand where you were going with pushing nails in the wall where you drilled the holes, but I think there are some problems with it. The holes you are drilling are very tiny and can be very easily repaired. The head of a nail is going to be much larger and more difficult to repair. When you go to retreat the wall, then you need to pull the nails out and that is going to cause additional damage. Also, you don't know if you are going to need to retreat that wall. From a strictly pest control point of view, putting the nails in the wall will make no difference. The only issue is the ease of repair.
Using borescopes to locate frass in a wall is very difficult. It works best on interior walls, but even then, you need a very good borescope for it to work well. This is yet another reason why it is so hard to locate the galleries. Even with the most sophisticated equipment available, it is still unlikely that even the best pest controller we'll find all the galleries. That is why trying to spot treat drywood termites is pretty much and exercise in futility. I only recommend it to people who absolutely cannot afford to pay for a fumigation. Spot treating will slow down the termites, but it is unlikely to solve the problem.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Termidor foam: www.domyown.com/termidor-foam-p-3528.html
Hi Guy, I'm very grateful of your very helpful videos. A question.. I was told that every house has termites and it's a matter of how much. I've shown a pest-control inspector of small amount of frass in a closet. Based on it, he said that my house needs to be tented. Is he right?
If that is drywood termite frass, then the inspector is correct, but make sure that it is actually drywood termite frass before tenting the house. It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that you have these guys in many locations in your home.
The only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. You should also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 to 90 days. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. If you absolutely cannot afford to fumigate your house, then you can try spot treating it yourself. It is virtually impossible to find all the termite galleries, but it is way better than doing nothing. Regardless of how you treat it, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
Look at that frass with a magnifying glass. If it looks like little pellets, then you have drywood termites. If it looks more like sand or sawdust, then you may be looking at something different.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions The frass was cleaned away. I took some pictures. Can I email them to you to be examined? I did see a dead drywood termite.
@@TheBostonFern You can send photos to guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. Please watch my video on how to take the photos correctly. They need to be done a certain way for them to be useful. The short video will explain how to do it. I need them to be very well focused and up close. I will do my very best to identify what you have. Be well my friend.
Video on how to take the photos correctly: ua-cam.com/video/I8qd63hX6y8/v-deo.html
If I use boracare in my attic and crawlspace, does it have to be topcoated with a paint or sealer?
No. You only need to seal it if you are using it outside. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Do you have any suggestions if I have icynene insulation in my attic? I would like to spray bora care up there but that foam insulation covers a lot of the wood.
Every once in a while, somebody throws me a curveball that I have a hard time hitting. I have to admit, that is exactly what you just did. This is the kind of insulation that sticks to the wood and you cannot remove it. Therefore, I don't know of any way that you can treat the area of the wood that is covered by the insulation. If you do not have an existing infestation, then the good news is that the swarmers are not going to be able to get past the insulation and into the wood. So, all you need to do is treat the exposed wood with the Bora-Care and that should give you full protection. However, if you have an active drywood termite infestation, then there could be galleries in that wood that the Bora-Care is not going to reach. I would still treat it anyway, but again, you may not reach an active gallery that is already in the wood. That leaves you with doing a very careful inspection to see if you can find kick out holes and frass. If you find the kickout holes, then you can drill a hole into them and treat the gallery with a fipronil foam. Of course, as I tell people all the time, the only sure way to eliminate a drywood termite infestation is to fumigate. The problem with fumigation though is that it has no residual action whatsoever. That means you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. So, treating the attic with Bora-Care is a very good idea. You should also begin treating the outside of your house every three months to prevent any more drywood termites from entering the building. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below for you.
I hope that helps. Be well Mary.
Video on how to prevent a drywood termite infestation: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
live in cinderblock home in florida 1960 ... no termite inspection.. dont know when it was last tented.
what should we do?
Thank you so much for reaching out to me. If you live in an area of the country where there are drywood termites, then you should always be doing a three-month preventive treatment on your house. I will give you a link to the video on how to do that. If you are not sure if you live in an area where drywood termites are a problem, then have a look at my video on how to determine termite species. There is a map in that video that will show you where drywood termites are problem. If you live in the red area of the map, then you should be doing the preventive treatment. I will give you a link to that video as well. All of that being said, you can figure out if you have a termite problem either by doing your own inspection or by calling a pest control company to do it for you. Most pest control companies will give you a free inspection. Naturally, they are going to want to give you an estimate to treat any problems that they find. So, if you decide on getting a professional inspection done, just be sure not to sign anything. Just tell the inspector that you plan on getting several estimates before you do anything. If you would like to inspect yourself, then look for frass, kick out holes, and mud tubes. There are examples of what these look like in my video on how to determine termite species. Drywood termites do not build mud tubes, so if you find mud tubes then you do not have drywood termites. You most likely have subterranean termites. Of course, it is possible to have both species. So, you also want to be looking for that frass and those kickout holes. The frass looks a little like sawdust and you will see piles of it that are typically next to the walls. Sometimes you have dry wood termites in your cabinets as well and you may see frass on your countertops or inside the cabinets themselves. If it turns out that you do have termites, then please get back to me and let me know the species that you have and I will do my best to assist you. That is to say, I need to know if you have dry wood termites, subterranean termites, or both. Dry wood termites get treated much differently than subterranean termites, so it is very important to identify which one you were dealing with.
I hope that helps. I look forward to hearing from you. Be well my friend.
Video on how to do a drywood termite preventive treatment: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
Video on how to determine termite species: ua-cam.com/video/mY4FMvAHrMA/v-deo.html
Sadly, here in So. Cal, it's simply best to bite the bullet and tent. And hope criminals don't break in whilst the tent is up. Ugh. Termites here are so aggressive, we've found it best to tent every 10 to 15 years, when in reality, every 7 years would be best. Seems as though the moment the tent comes down, boom! They're right back.
It is important to understand how drywood termites work. They enter through cracks and crevices around windows, doors, the eaves, pipe penetrations, and so forth. Most of the time, they enter through several locations. That is because a swarm of them attacked your house at the same time. If there was a crack or a crevice, then they probably found it. After they established their galleries, which will be inside the wood, it will take four to seven years for them to be able to swarm. Now that they are in your house, the swarmers will use holes that are in your studs to travel through the walls. Those holes in the studs were created by the electricians to run the electrical wiring. Not only are these holes going through the studs, but holes were drilled into the attic for the light switches and to run some of the wiring for the outlets. So, the termites now have easy access throughout the attic and the walls. If you have a basement or crawl space, they have access to that as well. Most of the time, you will have no idea that they are in the walls, because the frass is inside the wall. To make matters worse, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them too. That means you have been getting swarmed for as long as they have existed in the neighborhood. Most likely, we're talking about years, so it's a safe bet that, if you have them in one place in your home, then you have these guys in many locations in your home.
As you already know, the only sure way to get rid of them is to fumigate. Prices for this can vary wildly in this industry, so I recommend that you watch my video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off. That video can save you a lot of money. I think you also know that the gas they use to fumigate has absolutely no residual action whatsoever, so you can get reinfested the moment the tent comes down. Like I said before, if you have drywood termites, then your neighbors have them as well. Since drywood termites swarm every year, it is almost a certainty that you will be reinfested within a year after the fumigation is done. The only way to prevent this is to do a preventive treatment on your house every 60 days. This way, you do not need to fumigate every 7 years. Most pest controllers will not do this, so it is something that you generally need to do yourself. I have a video on how to do that and I will place a link below. Even if you have an existing infestation already, you should begin the preventive treatment immediately, so that you do not get additional termites paying you a visit.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Video on how to hire a pest controller without getting ripped off: ua-cam.com/video/y-a8XOqVrlE/v-deo.html
Video on how to prevent drywood termites (You do not need to treat your yard for drywood termites. Just your house): ua-cam.com/video/Yozv3s-Qwlw/v-deo.html
What kind of sprayer gun do you recommend? Is a sprayer gun different from 1 gallon pump sprayers?
Are you talking about the sprayer to apply the Bora-Care or something else?
@@GuysPestSolutions Hi Guy! I'm looking for a sprayer to apply Bora-Care in my attic as well as a sprayer for Taurus SC around windows, doors, etc. Thanks!
@@al70127 Bora-Care clogs up sprayers very easily, so I always buy the cheapest sprayer that I can possibly find. I have seen them on Amazon for around $10. I always try to do all the spraying in one day, and then I just throw the sprayer away. If you are looking to spray the outside of your house you can use any battery operated sprayer you like. The more pressure the sprayer has, the faster it will get the job done, and the higher it will reach. Of course, you get what you pay for. Decent sprayers usually run over $100, and put out over 65 psi, but I am seeing more and more of them that are running under $100, but I have no idea how good they are or how much pressure they have. Let me know if you have areas of the house that are fairly high up. If you do, then I can tell you an easy way to treat these areas, without using a ladder. Just e-mail me if you want to know how to do it. My e-mail is guyspestsolutions@gmail.com. If you e-mail me, please remind me of your UA-cam name, so I know who you are. Also tell me you are looking to learn the secret on how to treat high up place on your house quickly and easily, without using a tank sprayer. I have reasons for not talking about it here. Be well my friend.
Good day! Thanks to your videos.please educate me about the digging of trench on the perimeter of my house. I would like to ask regarding the 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep from the wall. My question is can i dig deeper than 6 inches? let's say 10 to 12 inches deep,because i think the deeper the better.Please correct me if i'm wrong. Thank you in advance and GOD Bless you.
That all depends on where you live. If you live in the US, then six inches is all that is required. The termites do not travel any deeper than that. However, if you live in some other areas of the world, then termites can behave quite differently. Also, keep in mind that drywood termites fly to your home and do not travel underground, so they must be treated differently.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Thank you guy! I live in the Philippines. I am sure that the termites i have presently in my house are subterranean termites. I alreary started digging a trench around my house but not yet finished.Unfortunately the type or the consistency of the soil is saturated,I'm planning to replace the saturated soil with loose/sandy soil around the perimeter trench and by doing that i'm sure of the absorption of anti-termite solution,Guy what do you think of my plan of replacing the soil? And do you recommend to dig deeper than 6 inches here in the Philippines?And does the subterranean termites enter homes in one entry tunnel only and then they scattered when they are already inside our home?Anticipating your usual prompt response in this matter. Thank you very much and GOD bless you Guy.
@@parakgale5021 I am not an entomologist. I specialize in termite species in the US only. That being said, I can tell you that you have 54 species in the Philippines, four of which are known to be a common problem with regards to invading homes. If you are seeing mud tubes, then they are subterranean, and trenching should get it done. However, you added a new wrinkle with the soil being saturated. If your trench has water in it, then that could be problematic. Even if you fill the trench with looser soil, the ground water is probably still going to get into the trench. However, if there is no water in it, then you may be able to go ahead and use the dirt you have. You need to be careful because you don't want the termiticide diluted by ground water and you don't want the termiticide leaching where you don't want it. If your soil is very dense and will not absorb water, then using a more absorbent soil is a good idea. I honestly don't know how deep termites will go in the Philippines. My guess would be that they would not travel too deep because there is no food in the ground, but I could be wrong about that. I know that in Australia they often dig all the way to the footing. So, I suppose, if you dig down 12 inches, it can't do any harm. Just be sure to treat all the fill dirt. I am also guessing that the termites there will also attack from more than one entry point, which is why you need to trench around the entire building. Also, look for nests inside the building. Here we call them "cartons." They only exist for one species here and you may have a similar species there. They will literally colonize in your walls and do not need to return to the ground like other subterranean termites do. So, check to make sure that you don't have anything like that going on. I use a moisture meter to see if there is a higher reading in some areas of the walls. If there is, then I drill a hole above the affected areas and I have a look with a borescope. If I find a carton, then I remove the drywall and then remove the carton. I wish I understood more about the different species you have, but there are over 2000 species in the world, and I cannot possibly be familiar with them all. I think you are on the right track though. You have a solid plan, so I would go for it and see what happens. The worst that happens is you fail, and then you can always bring in a pro.
Be well my friend.
Thank you for the comprehensive explanation you have shared. GOD bless.
@@parakgale5021 You are very welcome. I hope it works out well for you. Be well my friend.
If I just have it under some some floor boards in an isolated what would you suggest to treat
The first thing you need to do is make sure that these guys are actually drywood termites and not a species of subterranean termites. Figuring out the species is actually pretty easy and I have a video on how to do that. I will provide you with a link below. After watching this video, you should be able to identify the species. Just get back to me after you watch it and let me know what you found out. At that point, I can tell you exactly what you need to do. Let me know if you have any problems identifying the species, but I do not think that you will. It is much easier than you may imagine. Also, please tell me where you live. Location matters. Be well my friend.
Video on how to identify termite species: ua-cam.com/video/dIs_a0nfVjg/v-deo.html
Guy.. what about using sound to find the infested areas? Termites make alot of sound when they eat, couldnt you use a stethescope and listen to each beam?
That can work sometimes, but it's not reliable. Drywood termite galleries can be as small as the size of a peanut. Also, they can be in the ceilings or really high up in the wall where the wall meets the ceiling joists, and you can't get a stethoscope into areas like that easily. Then there is the problem of competing noise. Things like the HVAC system running or even outside noise can sometimes get picked up in the walls, making it hard to hear the termites. So, this can be another tool that you can use, but you will most likely miss galleries. I really wish it was that easy, but finding all the galleries is almost impossible. I hope that helps. Be well my friend.
Yes so I have termites that are coming in my windowsill exterminator coming out however I know you mentioned having the house covered in a tent but that's not affordable for me at this time so what I've been doing for the last couple of days is spraying the windowsill with some Clorox in it I've seen one or two in the last couple of days but I am not a person to live with bugs and hopefully the Clorox will help me until the exterminator gets here what is your thought on
Unfortunately, the Clorox is not going to be of any assistance at all for drywood termites. If you cannot afford to get the house fumigated then the next best thing is to follow the advice in this video. You should also start a preventive treatment immediately. I will give you a link to that video. This will not fix the existing problem, but it will prevent more termites from entering the house from the outside, thereby slowing the progress of the infestation somewhat. I recommend starting a savings account for the fumigation. Try to get it done as soon as you have the money saved up.
Be well Rosemary.
Video on how to prevent drywood termites: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
Nice video. Thanks for making it.......How does fras fall down past a blanket of insulation batting?
Hi Mike. That is a good point and yet another reason why tapping on the walls is far from a reliable way to find drywood termites. The good news is that the interior walls are typically not insulated, so it works best on those areas. The exterior walls are definitely more of a problem. You see, this is why the pros cannot guarantee that they will find all the galleries. There really is no perfect way to find all the galleries that are behind drywall and it's the reason why I tell you very early in the video that the only sure way to eliminate a drywood termite infestation is to tent and fumigate the entire home. Still, fumigation is expensive and a lot of folks cannot afford it. I was not even going to do this video because I understand that I cannot give folks a sure-fire way to eliminate drywood termites 100%. My goal is to always give everyone a 100% guaranteed solution to a problem and I knew that I could not do that with drywood termites. However, I had so many people ask me to help them that I finally decided to make the video, knowing full well that there is no way to find all the galleries. The treatments that I recommend always work 100% of the time. It's just finding the termites that is the problem. Even if you use an inspection scope on the exterior walls, the frass may not make it to the bottom of the wall void because of the insulation. Also, as I pointed out in the video, listening for hollow sounds in the wall studs is far from reliable as well. Let me tell you Mike... I am always honest about this stuff and I will always give you the straight story. You are totally correct. I wish I had more to offer, but it is what it is. If you can afford to fumigate, then that is definitely what you should do. This video is just for people who simply cannot afford to fumigate. For those folks, this is the very best option available. Albeit not exactly perfect. In any event, after you treat for drywood termites, you should start doing the prevention treatment that I explain in my other video. That treatment is pretty much a 100% foolproof method of stopping drywood termites from ever entering your home again. It's cheap, it's easy to do, and it is very effective. I will place a link below for it in case you missed it. Thank you so much for the comment. I wish I had more for you. Be well my friend.
How to Prevent Drywood Termites video: ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for the great answer.
I listened to your detailed treatment option for treating all the studs. You said to drill holes 4" apart and 1-1/2" deep in every single stud.
Most of the holes will not actually hit any galleries. So, are there any residual benefit to injecting the foam where there are no termites? In other words, does the foam remain forever in the stud in the event a future termite colony tries to live at that particular location?
If there are residual benefits, does the foam under pressure, actually seep into the wood beyond just the small drilled hole before it comes back out? Wondering if the injected foam may make pockets of poison that may be of benefit in the future years.
@@mikem54321 You are correct. Most of the holes will not hit anything. The only reason for doing the entire stud is because you don't know where all the galleries are. If you don't inject the foam every four inches, then there is a chance that you will miss a gallery that you did not find. Now, you don't need to do every stud if you don't want to. You can treat just the studs that you think are infested. Of course, there is a good chance that you will miss galleries this way. If you treat every stud, then you cannot miss a gallery. The foam has about a 90-day residual, so after that it is no longer effective. This treatment is designed to just eliminate existing galleries and it does not prevent new ones. After you get rid of all the galleries, then you need to do the treatment in my video on how to prevent drywood termites. That treatment will prevent drywood termites from ever infesting your home again. However, it must be done every 90 days. If you have not done so already, please watch that video as well.
I hope that helps.
ua-cam.com/video/neNsmVbj8Pc/v-deo.html
@@GuysPestSolutions Thanks for the reply. Pity the foam does not last in the 2x4 forever as a future barrier to colony formation. It would make the idea of drilling a huge number of holes very worthwhile.
@@mikem54321 There is a way to permanently treat your home for every species of thermite there is, but you really need to know what you are doing to do it. Most pest controllers won't do it. A lot of them don't even know about it. I will place a link below in case you are curious to see how it is done. I have never done it myself because it is fairly new and came out after I retired. Anyway, have a look and see what you think. Be well Mike.
ua-cam.com/video/kXQTc9wwCfQ/v-deo.html
are there any recommended pesticides we can find at the big box stores like home depot/lowes?
There used to be, but not anymore. I recommend that you just order what you need from solutionsstores.com and if they will not ship to your state, then try domyown.com. Solutions is a bit less expensive, but they do not ship to every state. Shipping is free with both companies.
I hope that helps. Be well my friend.