Termites anyone?

[san]

Hello West Seattle! I am a new home owner and am a little horrified about a new, likely termite discovery. :( I have scheduled an inspection, and have become increasingly nauseated at the prospect of infestation, damage, costs to exterminate or repair. . . Has anyone had any experience with this? Could really use some advice. ( or just a stiff drink!) thanks!!

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[squareeyes]

I have firsthand experience!

According to an entomologist I spoke with in Puyallup about five years ago, WS is the northernmost area that has subterranean termites (let’s call them ST’s). They apparently have no interest in any areas east of here. ST’s need food and moisture, so if you have areas of standing water around your house try to fix that. Also remove any wood that may sit close to your house.

In my case, I discovered ST’s when they ate through a bit of caulk at the doorway of my mudroom. Mudroom has a cinderblock foundation (bad!), and the ST’s came up through the holes in the cinderblock and ate most of the mudsill and partway up the vertical supports. A handy friend removed the drywall inside and a few rows of siding outside to effect repairs and we tried to fill in as many cinderblock holes with quikcrete that we could access.

Cascade Pest Control was the only company I found in Seattle that deals with ST’s. He had to dig a shallow trench around the affected area, mix up several gallons of Termidor, and fill the trench with it. Termidor doesn’t repel ST’s, they go through the treated soil, and take it back to the nest where it kills everyone. It continues to work for five years. Next summer will be five years for me so I plan to have Cascade back for another treatment, just to be safe. It’s not cheap – cost around $400 just to treat around the mudroom, would be $1200-$1500 to treat around my 800 square foot house. If I remember correctly, Cascade will guarantee for five years if you treat around the entire structure, in my case I only did the one room so no guarantee.

I could go on for an hour about ST’s. I find them both horrifying ($$$) and fascinating.

If the inspector you used at time of purchase didn’t notice any damage to the mudsill in the crawlspace perhaps this is an early discovery. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.

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[Katherine]

Are you sure it’s termites and not carpenter ants? A good pest control company should be able to tell you. Either way, much sympathy. As an inexperienced home owner, you might consider joining Home Owners Club. They recommend contractors who’ve done good work for other members. And contractors are more likely to make good any problems so they don’t get taken off the recommended list.

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[san]

Thanks for the responses and advice. I found out today that it was/is termites :(

The inspector found a few spots and we are on the road to repair. I am so bummed, because we had a thorough inspection prior to purchase, and nothing was even noted. The termite company that was out today seems to think this was a problem long before we closed. It just put me in a terrible mood. I guess we ( my hubby and I ) should be grateful we were smart enough to ( or able to! ) start a “House Crisis” savings account before buying. These little turds aren’t cheap to remedy. Honestly, we didn’t even realize how prevalent they are in Washington state. So, homeowners— add this to your list of things to sweat over! Thanks for all your good words and thoughts.

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[cemuzu712]

A good pest control professionals or company can identify there are termites of ants, so first, you need to contact any termite experts or inspector who have experience of years. Could responsible for that at a time limit. I think most individuals face this problem in their home but at the building time if we inspect them it is easy to get rid of them.

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[cemuzu712]

Hello,
Termites cause billions of dollars in harm every year in the U.S. They fundamentally feed on wood, yet in addition harm paper, books, protection, and notwithstanding pool liners and filtration frameworks. Termites can harm living trees and bushes, yet more frequently are an auxiliary intruder of woody plants as of now in decay. While termites may swarm structures whenever, they are especially pertinent when purchasing or moving a home since a termite review/invasion report is ordinarily a state of offer. Other than the money related effect, a huge number of winged termites developing inside one’s house are a candidly doing whatever it takes also the possibility of termites quietly devouring one’s biggest venture.

Termite pest control Sydney

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