TERMITES

[RXX 1,955]

My barn is a pole barn. 84' long with 6X6 pressure treated poles every 12'. 2-ish years old. Built on the grounds of my old barn, which had termite damage. In hindsite, I or the contractor should have made an issue of this, but I do not remember even thinking about it.

I poured a concrete floor pretty early on to make a 12X24 slab and had left some stakes from the forms in the ground for several months. When I finally pulled them up, there the bastards were.

So recently I placed bait stakes outside 2' out from each post, and 6' apart in the area corresponding to the area where I found them.

I have an 18' stretch where the stakes indicate heavy activity. The poles are the only wood in contact with the soil, except for the stakes, which have since been pulled up.

So I am going to get Termidor SC and treat it myself. I can read the directions, warnings, etc, duh. Has anyone done this and have any advice?

[DBLXX 2,054]

Doesn't matter really....eminent domain should be your #1 concern because the bullet factory will own your entire piece of land soon enough.

[RXX 1,955]

Doesn't matter really....eminent domain should be your #1 concern because the bullet factory will own your entire piece of land soon enough.

Eminent domain should be high on everyone's list of concerns.

[RXX 1,955]

http://reclaimdemocracy.org/independent_business_walmart_eminent_domain/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/08/19/donald-trumps-abuse-of-eminent-domain/

http://knoxvilletennesseerealestateblog.com/1969/12/31/tva-eminent-domain-abuse/

Edited October 24, 2015 by RXX

[Zero Knievel 1,091]

Nuke it from orbit. Only way to be certain.

[Furbird 761]

Termites are everywhere, but they only attack wet or rotting wood. Pressure treated lumber is something they don't mess with that I've seen, especially not new. They're probably multiple colonies all over your yard and you don't even know it, as they are chomping on old dead tree roots from trees you may have not ever knew existed. I re-sided my garage earlier this year, and when I tore off the old stuff, there was evidence of termite damage. Terminix didn't catch it in initial inspection a few years ago, but their treatment they had done damn sure killed them all. I was replacing everything they were chomping on anyway, so no harm no foul, but they are sneaky little bastards. That's why they say they can do tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage before you'll see any evidence of activity. My garage is open stud and you couldn't see any evidence of them being there from inside or outside the garage.

Now carpenter bees will swiss cheese anything. I had those little suckers in my treated fence posts less than a year after install. Ridiculous!

[cecome 183]

do they make the vinyl or fiberglass options that could be used as an alternate to the posts you had?

[blackhawkxx 2,431]

Pressure treated lumber is something they don't mess with that I've seen, especially not new.

This has been my experience also.

[RXX 1,955]

I can't say they are in the PT wood, I only saw them in the stakes close to them. The stakes were not pt. The bait stations were positive in the area outside of the barn close to where the stakes were.

do they make the vinyl or fiberglass options that could be used as an alternate to the posts you had?

Only thing I can think of would be steel. These posts are 6' down and 16' high.

Termites are everywhere, but they only attack wet or rotting wood. Pressure treated lumber is something they don't mess with that I've seen, especially not new. They're probably multiple colonies all over your yard and you don't even know it, as they are chomping on old dead tree roots from trees you may have not ever knew existed. I re-sided my garage earlier this year, and when I tore off the old stuff, there was evidence of termite damage. Terminix didn't catch it in initial inspection a few years ago, but their treatment they had done damn sure killed them all. I was replacing everything they were chomping on anyway, so no harm no foul, but they are sneaky little bastards. That's why they say they can do tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage before you'll see any evidence of activity. My garage is open stud and you couldn't see any evidence of them being there from inside or outside the garage.

Now carpenter bees will swiss cheese anything. I had those little suckers in my treated fence posts less than a year after install. Ridiculous!

I have those bees covered. I hand painted about 98% of all the lumber lumber used in the construction, all 4 sides. So far, I have had 2 excursions by the little bastards. (In the 2%) Treated both holes and sealed them. Guess what seals the hole PERFECTLY? A spent 9mm round.

Well, I assume a live round would also, but tapping it in would be dicey.

[Furbird 761]

Google "carpenter bee trap" and you should find a link on how to build a cheap trap for them. Basically it's a miniature birdhouse with a coke bottle attached to the bottom. They get in the hole, then realize there is nothing to bore into, so the easy way out is into the coke bottle. They can't fly back out because of the taper and can't climb the sides, nice and clean. Bottle fills up, unscrew it, dump it, screw it back on. Easy peezy lemon squeezy.

[TuffguyF4i 1,605]

Google "carpenter bee trap" and you should find a link on how to build a cheap trap for them. Basically it's a miniature birdhouse with a coke bottle attached to the bottom. They get in the hole, then realize there is nothing to bore into, so the easy way out is into the coke bottle. They can't fly back out because of the taper and can't climb the sides, nice and clean. Bottle fills up, unscrew it, dump it, screw it back on. Easy peezy lemon squeezy.

I made of old hardwood flooring. I catch tons of carpenter bees.

[Pat830 887]

Those carpenter bees weren't around when we were young, at least when us old fucks were young.

Snuck over on an import container of some sort no doubt, just like the emerald ash borer and Barack Obama.

[RXX 1,955]

Those carpenter bees weren't around when we were young, at least when us old fucks were young.

Snuck over on an import container of some sort no doubt, just like the emerald ash borer and Barack Obama.

I can't say youmare right, but I sure as shit never saw them before I moved to Tennessee. Bumblebees, yes.

[RXX 1,955]

Those carpenter bees weren't around when we were young, at least when us old fucks were young.

Snuck over on an import container of some sort no doubt, just like the emerald ash borer and Barack Obama.

I can't say you are right, but I sure as shit never saw them before I moved to Tennessee. Bumblebees, yes.

Nope, they are native.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee

[blackhawkxx 2,431]

Those carpenter bees weren't around when we were young,

Same here.

[Furbird 761]

Obama did it.

[Pat830 887]

Those carpenter bees weren't around when we were young, at least when us old fucks were young.

Snuck over on an import container of some sort no doubt, just like the emerald ash borer and Barack Obama.

I can't say you are right, but I sure as shit never saw them before I moved to Tennessee. Bumblebees, yes.

Nope, they are native.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee

Never noticed them until a few years ago, they are quite the pest around here now.

[TuffguyF4i 1,605]

I'm telling you. Make the traps. They work great.