Termite behavior

[Bain]

I'm wondering if anyone understands the ethos of termites. As you can see in these photos from my morning appt., many of the shelter tubes are several feet long and are hanging vertically from the beam. Were these termites simply in search of more wood, or was there something else going on? Oh, and they entered the floor system by traveling up the foundation wall and sneaking through the cavity behind the foam insulation. Another reason not to use the stuff, aside from the poisonous vapors it emits when on fire.

Oh, and Mike. If this should have instead been posted in the WDI forum, I apologize.

Download Attachment: DSC02468.JPG

568.92 KB

Download Attachment: DSC02470.JPG

568.01 KB

[Jeff Remas]

These are called drop tubes and they are going down towards the ground in search of moisture. Common

[Bain]

Why would they stop, Jeff? After journeying so far? How come none of the tubes actually extend down to the ground?

[Jeff Remas]

Drop tubes are often lighter in color than the utility tubes because they contain more of the wood fiber taken from the structure. Don't forget they part of what they are using is their own feces for tube construction.

Subterranean Termites know they will die without moisture and most colonies are in the ground and only travel to the wood and back again. They may not give up but they may have already died from lack of moisture, found an alternative route back to ground or they are not done yet.

[Brian G]

Jeez. I've never seen that before. They only go up and down solid surfaces around here.

Brian G.

[kurt]

I built a house on St. John, USVI about 25 years ago. Houses down there are built on cast concrete cisterns, exactly like a bsmt. here, but w/a concrete floor slab on top AND they store water in it. Houses down there are darn near solid concrete; the only framing lumber is all treated.

Termites in this house went around the termite shield(s), went across the foundation, went up the inside of the cistern (can't inspect in there 'cause it's full of water), got in under the ceramic tile, found their way across the house to end up directly under one leg of the DR table, then came up through the tile grout, into the table leg & proceeded to eat the DR table. We found them one day when the table collapsed.

Termites get in. I don't honestly believe it's possible to keep them out. Gotta kill 'em w/poison. Personally, I like Termidor; Sentricon was the stuff, now Termidor.

[Jeff Remas]

Termidor is the way to go

[mgbinspect]

Yeah, that's one of those "Uh, oh..." crawlspace door revelations I was talking about, now. The million candle light comes on and you see those babies hangin' here and there. "gulp"

Or, worse yet when you see tubes on the surface of attic framing... "Now, if they've made it all the way up here, what am I standing on, anyway? Exit, stage right!... I can't wait to see this crawlspace."

It's kinda funny. The worst cases are typically rentals. Tenants! Until the termites are actaually raiding the pantry nothing is said.

[hausdok]

Thread edited for relavent content. (Some of us got a little too close to bawdry on this one folks!!!) OT - OF!!!

[Les]

Your editing skills are one of the reasons I respect you. You are not much fun sometimes, but always tasteful!

[Bob White]

I wuz gonna go off on the use of the word "bawdry" --- (surely you meant "bawdy") --- 'til I looked it up

My dict. sez bawdry's archaic and obsolete, but yet a word. I learned someting new today.

[hausdok]

Well Bob,

Now you know why my soldiers used to say Sgt. O is older than dirt.

OT - OF!!!

m.