Termites in your walls
When you have termites in your walls what do you do?
Call a professional or take care of it yourself?
If you have a light infestation, you can do it yourself.
However, it is important to read this article in full before you make your decision.
There is a big difference between a Major infestation and a small infestation.
When termites in your walls are a small infestation is mentioned I am talking about only part of one wall.
Although I am going to give you my opinion which is based on actual termite experience.
Any termite treatment you do is solely at your own risk.
Most important to realize this must be your decision because it is your home to protect.
Termites in your walls Major infestation
First let us be clear if you have termites in your walls and it is a major termite infestation.
Most likely you will require tenting and fumigation.
Termite Professionals with the proper equipment provide this service, commonly using sulfuryl fluoride, which is an odorless gas. The gas penetrates through small cracks, openings in light switches and holes.
Where it will attack the nervous system of the termites.
When a professional tents your home it will remain tented about 48 hours.
Never enter a tented home.
Termites in your walls? How do you know?
Unfortunately, in most cases before you realize you have termites in your walls.
It will be when you see the damage starting to show or the signs listed below.
That is why it is important for you to know the tell-tale signs of termite presence in your home.
The sooner you know they are there, the faster you can try to mitigate the damages.
Telltale signs of termites in your walls
- Droppings that look like sawdust or fine peppery looking sand
- Tracks/trails eaten into wood or drywall
- Small holes resembling small nail holes
- Color change and loose paint on drywall
- Wood that feels weak or sounds hollow
- Wing droppings (Flying termites)
- Doors or windows not closing properly
How did you get termites in your walls?
Basically, termites can enter your home from below or above, termites can fly, or live underground until the find a place to call home. They do not wait for you to open a door to let them in, any crack, hole, or wood to eat through will do.
This will make sense to you
It will be necessary to read the whole post, that when you will understand
what I am saying here does make sense.
Professionals and contracts
While like any profession there are good and bad termite companies. Do your research, beware of contracts and their terms.
Being in business a long time does not necessarily mean they are a good company.
Solid reputation, long term and recent positive reviews can be helpful.
Spraying around baseboards
While it is common to spray around baseboards for termites in the walls, this a waste of time.
When there are termites inside your wall, and they are halfway up in the wall eating your two-by-four studs.
Regular sprays on the outside of the wall or baseboard will NOT help.
Here is why
Simply because the spray cannot reach them to be effective.
Because your wall is like a sealed box between the studs. You have studs that go from the floor to the ceiling.
Wood across the top and bottom of the studs, effectively sealing the wall.
Common sense tells us, if spraying the baseboards worked, you would never have to tent a home to treat termites.
I have seen the failure of this process.
I have seen companies spray around the baseboards for three years, and the termites
stayed alive and well inside the walls in the same area for the same three years. Which is proof it does not work.
I have heard the excuse they keep coming back, no, in most cases they never got rid of them in the first place.
Longer they live in the wall
When termites continue to live in your walls, damages will increase.
Resulting in having the home tented as your last choice.
However, by the time you get to tenting, there are damages resulting in expensive repairs.
Disclaimer:
I have no control over how you do your termite treatment.
You must decide on the extent of the area requiring treatment.
The success of your treatment is also reliant on what you use and the application of treatment
You assume all risk for any treatment you undertake.
How to treat minor termite infestations
If you have a small termite infestation and are going to try to treat the problem yourself.
First you need to decide how far the termite damage goes. Walls you can treat, ceilings are difficult.
Once you are certain you know how far they have spread, you will have to treat about three feet or more past each end.
There is a couple of reasons, because we want to make sure they have not spread out further than you believe.
We also want to treat to prevent them from expanding.
First, we need to find the studs in the wall.
Why do we need to find the studs?Because we must find the studs in the wall and decide how far apart, they are.
This is important for our treatment to work.
To start we need a strong magnet and a small piece of paper.
The goal is to be at least two studs or more wider than the damaged area on each side.
We must cover an area wider than the damages because we cannot see how far they have progressed.
If in doubt treat the whole section of wall.
Where to start
Using the magnet wrapped once in the paper (prevents marking wall).
Start at one end three feet or more past the damages and lightly move the magnet side to side up and down until it sticks.
When it sticks that is the nail in the stud. Mark with small piece of painter’s tape.
The stud goes straight up from the floor to the ceiling.
Continue from the outer edges working inward with the magnet until you find the next stud, mark it with the painter’s tape.
Now measure the distance from tape to tape which is the nails in the center of the studs.
This is the center-to-center distance of your studs.
Now you can use these measurements to find and mark the other studs.
Continue until you are three feet or more past the other end of the damages.
Next mark with painters tape down eight to ten inches from the ceiling on the wall.
Do this at each end of the damages.
Make sure any termite treatment you choose meets you and your family’s safety expectations.
Base your product on research. There are good products available to you.
(There are websites that claim their product are professional grade.)
Tank style bug sprayer or spray bottle
Pest Pistol Powder Duster (for applying powder)
Borax Powder (There are other natural products) most need a follow up treatment.
Depending on product you decide to use for treatment the following is what you may need
You do not need both types of termite treatment products
Termite treatment concentrate. You can find products online, read reviews. and safety information.
Sorry while I know termite products that work, I cannot suggest a product because of liability.
- Ladder
- Drill and drill bit the same size as the nozzle of the sprayer.
- Patching paste.
- Putty Knife
- Touch up paint.
- Painter’s tape
Preparing for treatment
Condensed version of below, you need to drill at the top in between the studs.(middle of the two studs). All the way across the damages.
While using your previously markings with the lower painter’s tape, which is each stud.
You want to find the center between the studs.
With the drill bit the size of the sprayer nozzle.
Drill a hole at the center measurements between the studs at the eight-to-ten-inch distance you marked from the ceiling.
Do this between each section of studs two studs or more past termite damage on each side. Depending on your center to stud measurements.
Do not worry about holes they are not that hard to fix.
Decide on which product you want to use.
Borax Powder or termite spray (there are also other natural products that help)
When using termite spray with long life span only needs one treatment.
Borax powder and most natural remedies will need follow up treatments.
When using Borax powder, you can use dry as a powder using Pest Pistol Powder Duster.
You can also mix Borax Powder with water (one teaspoon to one cup of water) then you can use sprayer.
Applying product
Use rubber gloves, goggles, and mask depending on product spray or dust in the hole.
Certainly, have the nozzle set for wide fine spray moving nozzle to point in different directions. Do not over spray.
Any sections with electrical outlets or switches should have the power turned off and if possible, pulled out from the wall a bit.
When you apply product at the top and in a wide pattern it will follow gravity to the bottom covering most areas in that section.
Temporarily cover holes with painters’ tape to block any odors and let dry before repair.
When using Borax powder do not fill holes yet. Re-dust with the Borax in a couple of days using the same holes.
Termite spray follow directions on container
Termite spray may work in two stages, killing all exposed termites first then the rest as they come out of the wood.
Repair Holes and touch up
With a putty knife and patching paste fill the holes in two to three applications, letting dry in between applications.
On the final filling smooth out even with wall. When surfaces are rough copy texture with paste.
If after painting, patch looks a little smoother than other painted areas,
dap paint on with brush a couple of times this will give it more texture.
