Termites found a new home

[John Kogel]

Subterraneans are kind of rare on Vancouver Island. We have more of the Dampwood termites that attack wood that is already rotting. So I was a bit surprised to find these mud tubes in the middle a dry 5 year old crawlspace.

There is a shrinkage crack between the concrete skim coat and the footing. I wonder if there is an old log or stump under the house. There are no signs of termites around the exterior foundation. Just this one attack. They found a crack between the top plates of the stud wall.

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[inspector57]

I'm not a pest control guy, but that looks like a VERY large colony. I would be looking for lots of hidden damage.

Is a soil termiticide pretreatment not required in your area?

[John Kogel]

I'm not a pest control guy, but that looks like a VERY large colony. I would be looking for lots of hidden damage.

Is a soil termiticide pretreatment not required in your area?

Nope. Subterranean termite attacks are rare, so there's no real need for treatment as a rule.

[ghentjr]

As a licensed supervisor pest control guy I think your statement does not make sense. They are there, they got there, they did and are doing their thing and I would venture based on the size of mud they have swarmed a number of times. Subs have been found in northern areas of Canada and VC has more moderate temps so no reason they would not survive there.

[kurt]

A function of global warming? There are a lot of invasive species finding their way into areas that climate kept them out of previously.

Tree beetles in the West and New Jersey are a couple examples. Maybe termites are finding their way north.

[John Kogel]

Yes, we probably should be working to eradicate them in the pockets like this one, where they obviously are established. But like true Canadians, we are going to wait and see. Maybe they'll fly away. [:-party]

People won't pay for treatments until they've got the termites, I'm afraid.

In the last decade, we allowed a mountain pine beetle invasion that has destroyed millions of acres of forest. Nothing was done to stop the spread of the beetles when they first started to spread. We waited for a colder than average winter to finally slow them down.

[Rob Amaral]

That strip of electric heat was one of the inviting reasons.. ..

[John Kogel]

That strip of electric heat was one of the inviting reasons.. ..

Thanks, Rob. That is a common setup here for newer crawlspaces; Concrete floor, perimeter insulation and a baseboard heater or two, hopefully with a thermostat near the hatch. A lot of home owners have never touched the control since they moved in. Sometimes they are cranked on full, but quite often the seller has left the heat turned off to save money.

Anyway, I love these crawls, especially when there is a clean strip of carpet to lay on.

Are you saying that subs are attracted to heat? I know ants like a warm nest, didn't know that about termites, but saw the mud tube here from the dirt to the heater, which was on.

[ghentjr]

Warm and humid is what subs like. Plus a food source, of course.

[hausdok]

We have subs in the Seattle area but we generally only find them in West Seattle. Not sure why; maybe they can't qualify for an exit visa.

When it comes to termites the Pacific Dampwood Termite is the big dog here but I'd bet death watch beetles and carpenter ants do more damage than termites here.

OT - OF!!!

M.