Termite problem?

[Dwarflord]

I know that termites eat wood. I know that termites live in the ground. I know that termites will "get involved" with wood that directly contacts the ground.
Here is my question:
I have a concrete foundation where at any given point between the top of my concrete foundation and the top of the ground, I have at mininumu, about a 6" clearance. Can/will termites eventually get to the wood of my home and start their eating? They would have to climb out of the ground and up at least 6" of concrete before they get to the wood portion of my home. Is this something that they would do? Should I be concerned about termites coming into my home? Ive lived here over 4 years and have never considered pre-treating for termites. Does anyone have first hand knowledge on the termites "range" of accessibility...?
Thanks.

DwArFlOrD

[Homer Simpson]

I have the same concerns so I did some research recently. Keep an eye out for mud tunnels up your slab to the wood. Termites need to be moist to survive and they use these tunnels to get at the wood.

I thnk my builder pretreated the ground when they built. It's probably a good idea to spray every now and then if you back to woods.

[Zansu]

Also, make sure you don't let plants grow in that range, touching the house, as it can hide the mud tunnels; and don't pile mulch (or dirt) up to the siding--that just saves them the trouble of building the little mud tunnels. I'm more worried about the brick front. I know there are ants trying to live between the brick and the house, I just hopew there aren't any termites. <g>

[neilz]

quote:Originally posted by Homer Simpson

I have the same concerns so I did some research recently. Keep an eye out for mud tunnels up your slab to the wood. Termites need to be moist to survive and they use these tunnels to get at the wood.

I thnk my builder pretreated the ground when they built. It's probably a good idea to spray every now and then if you back to woods.


Spraying the exposed concrete may help, but 9 times out of 10, rain or irregation water will rinse off any insecticide.

Its a requirement by most lenders that the builder pretreats the foundation area prior to pour. You should have been receiving an annual notice from the company that did the pretreat that asks if you would like to pay to continue your warrantee. This is actually cheaper to do in the long run, as this warrantee usually covers retreatment and wood repair if termites are found.

If you havn't renewed the warrantee, and are really worried, I'd check out one of the pest control companies that use the Sentricon termite control system.

What this is, is a system that uses bait stations (small blocks of wood) situated around your home. Normally, these are not treated wood blocks initially, unless termite activity has been found. These stations are monitored on a regular basis, and if activity is found, the plain wood is replaced with a baited wood that consists of an insecticide that can be either a growth hormone, which stunts the growth of any new termite larvae, or an outright insecticide killing off the nest.

This is much safer than having the foundation dug out and flooded, or having an amateur (read: homeowner) spraying chemicals around, usually at rates much higher than required.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999