Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 16, 2009 08:41am | #1

   If there is no ground contact, I think what you have is what are called "dry wood termites" (I had them in a home once, not fun!).   Here's a background article from my alma mater U.C. Davis.

   For houses, they fumigate with Methyl Bromide, nasty stuff but works like a charm.  Not for the DIYer though.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
2. 
   KeithNewton | Oct 16, 2009 01:55pm | #2

   What FG said only applies to certain parts of the country. Since you have not filled out your location on your profile, everyone will have to just guess, rather than give you real meaningful information. Please do that now.

   For the rest of the country, all you have to do is treat the soil under the stack to kill termites. You should be able to get something at any good hardware or farm store.

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Oct 19, 2009 07:52am | #6

   "For the rest of the country....." 

   FG lives in the extreme Northwest of the US.  I think all of the South has termites that are not subterranean.

3. 
   forestgirl | Oct 16, 2009 07:06pm | #3

   Following up on Keith's point, click here for an incidence map of drywood termites.  Note that the big white area is "Rare", not "non-existant".  My home was slightly outside the Moderate zone in Northern California, but that didn't protect me, LOL.

   I see your user-name Down-South as a pretty good indicator of your geographical location.  Right?  I used to be a down-souther m'self, but lost the accent some time ago.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   Down_South | Oct 17, 2009 07:15pm | #4

   Thanks for the info forestgirl.  I want to reply to you and KeithNewton in this message.  I'm from North MS.  I didn't  explain how I stacked the wood earlier.  The boards are above a concrete slab foundation.  I put down pressure treated 4x4's and stickers.  Then, I proceeded to stack that walnut and sticker it.  Thanks again for the info given and any more you can give.

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 18, 2009 12:10am | #5

   So there's zero ground contact.  They have to be drywood termites I'd think (no, I'm not an entomologist).  Sprinkling stuff on the concrete won't do any good.  Are you sure they are boring into the wood??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Oct 19, 2009 07:58am | #7

   The only zero contact that I can think of is if it is a boat. Everything rests on something.  I'm thinking you mean wood against earth.  Actually subterranean termites can form a tube and go up a story or two of solid concrete or concrete blocks before finding any edible parts.  They must have a way down back to the ground though or they will die.

   Edited 10/19/2009 12:59 am ET by Tinkerer3

2. 
   Ray | Oct 21, 2009 03:25am | #11

   Don't trust a concrete floor, I live in Alabama, darned termites made it through hairline cracks in the shop floor & ate the wood out of the eye in a sledge hammer and a pick.  They also came thru the floor and into a styrofoam ice chest to eat a bunch of magazines I had stored in it. . . My workbench legs are on pieces of flashing, big tools are on fiberglass roofing shingles and a slab of hardie board.

   It's a constant battle.

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Oct 21, 2009 04:35am | #13

   Are you sure they came in through cracks in the concrete floor?  You live in an area where a non subterranean termite can walk in through the front door and start chewing.  But yes, subterranean termites can go through very small cracks in concrete.

   Edited 10/20/2009 9:37 pm ET by Tinkerer3

4. 
   MrSQL | Oct 20, 2009 04:42am | #8

   bora-care,  it's basically a boric acid and ethyline glycol mix.  totally safe

    

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 20, 2009 05:36am | #9

   "...and ethyline glycol mix.  totally safe."  Beg to differ.  Ethylene glycol is very toxic to dogs and cats.  Cats may not be likely to eat the stuff, but some dogs lick up anything they find that looks remotely digestible.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   MrSQL | Oct 20, 2009 07:41pm | #10

   the way it is mixed you wind up with a chemical reaction and the resulting product is  non-toxic 

1. 
   Tinkerer3 | Oct 21, 2009 04:31am | #12

   "ethylene glycol" 

   A very toxic compound.  I can see where you could mix it with other products to make it unpalatable or even dilute it down to the point of less toxicity but how could you mix it to be non toxic?  Any way, I would suggest you not drink it.

2. 
   forestgirl | Oct 22, 2009 04:23am | #15

   "the way it is mixed you wind up with a chemical reaction and the resulting product is  non-toxic"  Mr SQL, re: the toxicity of BoraCare -- I had a little time this afternoon and took a look at the MSDS for BoraCare.  The quote below is from that document:

   Ingestion: SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL ATTENTION   If the victim is drowsy or unconscious, place on the left side with the head down. Do not give anything by mouth. If victim is conscious and alert, vomiting should be induced for ingestion of more than 1 - 2 tablespoons for an adult, preferably with syrup of ipecac under direction from a physician or poison center. If syrup of ipecac is not available, vomiting can be induced by gently placing two fingers in back of throat. If large amounts are ingested, treat for borate toxicity. If possible, do not leave victim unattended.

   Note to Physician: Treat for exposure to glycols. Contains borates. Monitor electrolytes.

   I hope you don't feel I'm pickin' on you.  It just that it's very important, IMHO, to provide valid information when it comes to comments about safety in a widely-read forum such as Knots.  I will stand by my caution about having this stuff around pets.  I have no idea if it's as "attractive" to pets as anti-freeze is, perhaps not, but I'd err on the side of caution myself.  You'll notice that they recommend inducing vomiting for ingestion by a human of more than 1-2 Tbs of the product.  For a pet, it would be a fraction of that.  It's pretty apparent that BoraCare is not a benign product.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

   Edited 10/21/2009 9:30 pm by forestgirl

2. 
   Down_South | Oct 22, 2009 12:24am | #14

   Thanks for the answer.  Could this treatment mess up the finish later on?