Drywood Termites. Termites that do not require a water source other than the atmosphere and the moisture within the timber in which they occur.
Drywood Termites. Termites that do not require a water source other than the atmosphere and the moisture content of the timber in which they occur. Excessive Moisture Conditions: Presence of moisture that is conducive to timber pest activity. Frass: Dust and droppings produced by borer activity. Fungal Decay: Loss of strength due to destruction of cellulose and or lignin by wood decay fungai. Note: Fungai decay is commonly but incorrectly called “wet rot” and/or “dry rot”. Inspection: Close or careful scrutiny of an item carried out in order to arrive at a reliable conclusion as to the condition of an item.
Drywood Termites. Local treatments vs. whole house fumigation Where the colony is clearly limited to a local area and the wood members are accessible, a local treatment strategy may be appropriate along with the explanation that there may be other colonies, which will not be affected. Where there are multiple colonies located in multiple sites throughout the structure, fumigation is appropriate. Situations that don’t fall under the first two descriptions, should be treated by fumigation; or a local treatment should be performed with the caveats that the treatment may not work, and there are likely other colonies which will not be affected. • Fumigation Vikane or methyl bromide are most commonly used. In some situations heating the entire structure may also be effective. • Local treatments A wide variety of local treatments may be used depending on the circumstances. Drilling into the termite galleries and injecting an insecticide Injecting a borate insecticide foam into the wall void Injecting liquid nitrogen insecticide into the wall voids Registered alternative devices: additionally there are a number of other strategies, which are often used in conjunction with local pesticide applications, or in some cases used alone. These devices are currently undergoing a registration process to document efficacy and proper use. These devices include: Microwaves Heat Electricity Breakdown of treatments for drywood termites: • Approximately 75% of treatments are local. • Of the 75% local treatments, about 5+% are from alternative devices. • The other 25% of treatments are fumigation.
