DRYWOOD TERMITES IN EICHLERS
:( I live on Lisette in Granada Hills and have been told we have drywood termites. The first company recommended tenting the house, which is a pain since we have children and pets. Another company says they can use heat but that would damage computers and t.v.s. I am getting a third opinion of a company which says they've done five houses on Nanette without tenting. Has anyone here had any experience with dealing with termites? We've had subterranean and were able to treat those fairly easily but now face the challenge of drywood. Any help/info is appreciated.
Hi--
we did the heat treatment in our atrium area. We moved away plants as much as possible and cut back others to avoid the heat. One of our fig trees got a bit of damage but it made it through. The truth of the matter is that I wouldn't know for sure if the termites are gone, but the process was much easier than tenting the home (we made the decision for the same reasons as yours). The heat treatment is focused on only the areas of damage, so you must have quite a lot if they say that your home equipment is in danger of being damaged. nevertheless, I think it would be far more worth the effort to remove your electronics and use the heat treatment than to have to use the tent method and risk having those chemicals linger in all of your home interiors. good luck
Hi ,I had dry wood termites and i used the mirowave system. They heat only were the termites are located which is usually one or two ceiling boards. good luck
I had the airborne and subterranean termites. I went with tenting. Moved all the food and stuff into a neighbors garage and had the thing done. I wasn't sure how far the infestation had gotten so I wanted to be sure.
We had the microwave treatment done for drywood termites, they came back, we had it done again, they came back, and eventually we had to have the place tented. Tenting was a pain, but at least it worked, and it got the bugs everywhere in the house. And there is no evidence that I'm aware of that the gas lingers.
-Andrew
A townhouse I rented was microwaved twice and the termites were still there so I have to say I don't have much faith in that method.
They claim extreme heat or extreme cold can do the trick but sufficient access/expert application is required. Also, it has limitations for large beam structures (trying to raise the internal temperature of the wood suffciently) and for wood on concrete applications (heat sinks). For myslef, itt's not sufficiently proven for Eichler-type construction to risk my investment.
I understand the concern about the gas--I thought I never would have my house tented. However, after dealing with subterranean termites and their damage (a beam) last December, I came to the conclusion I was living in la-la land (not facing reality). My current plan is to tent as soon as I've completed my renovations. It's the only sure way I know that's actually a proven method.
Good luck.
Jake
P.S. Be sure to check out the license of any potential termite inspectors at:
P.P.S. You might find the UC Davies termite info interesting
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES?pn7440.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7415.html
