TreeTopKid
ArboristSite Guru
I attended a talk by Grady J Glenn PHD BCE on termites which was one of the most interesting sessions I've ever attended, and I thought I'd share a few things that you may, or may not know.
Formosan Subterranean Termites (Coptotermes Formosanus were first found by the Houston ship canal in the 1920s. They were imported from Asia.
They were first identified within Harris Co Texas in 1956. They had remained pretty much contained to areas around the ship canal until then.
By 1980 there were three counties identified as having Formosans, by 2001 there were 15 counties identified, and by 2009 there were 29 counties identified, and yes it is only going to get worse.
They thrive best in conditions with a minimum relative humidity of 62%, and an average mean temperature of 14.3 deg C/57.7 deg F. ( They just love it here in the South!).
There favorite food is hardwoods ( although they will eat anything containing cellulose) especially Pecan, and Oak. If you look at the grow zone map for Pecan trees it almost mimics the infestation zone of the Formosans. They enter the tree from the ground and eat out the heartwood. The tree looks healthy until a storm comes along then it blows over often with catastrophic results.
Research has discovered that Public enemy number one is landscape timber, especially old railway ties. Wherever there was new construction, and the subsequent landscaping the termites would follow. How do they eat through the Creosote coated railway tie? They don't they get in via a nail hole or such like, and then eat all the untreated wood from the middle. They then move from your garden to your home from underground tunnels (there have even been instances of them coming along sewer pipes, and up toilets! Yes this is TRUE! I've seen the photographs) where they set about your wall studs chewing them up, mixing it up with saliva, and fecal matter to produce a substance called Frass with which they reconstruct your wall cavity space with block shaped living quarters called cartons. (yes the wall studs are all gone!).
They then move on from there cozy new home in search of more 'food'. Usually the first thing the homeowner notices is some kind of structural collapse.
I colony has 10,000,000 workers, and if they queen dies they can simply make a new one from a worker. Approximately 10% of the colony is made up of soldiers so natural predators such as native termites, and ants can quickly be taken care of.
The take home fact from this day with Dr Glenn was that the money spent on treatment from your local structural pest control engineer is money well spent. All of those expensive bait traps that you see at your local DIY store are basically useless. However any arborists that are using Imidacloprid you can bait those same traps with this and it should work a whole lot more effectively. NOTE : THIS IS ONLY LEGAL AT YOUR OWN PLACE OF RESIDENCE. There is NO GUARANTEE'S or WARRANTY that this will work I'm just passing on what I learned to anyone who wants the information. Imidacloropid is one of the chemicals used commercially to exterminate termites.To bait termites commercially, and effectively you are best advised to call your local structural pest engineer because prevention is better than cure.
There spread throughout the south and deep south is continuing in an upward trend they love the damp humid coastal areas. Places like New Orleans, Galveston, and La Porte have been absolutely ravaged. Don't let yourself become a victim.
Formosan Subterranean Termites (Coptotermes Formosanus were first found by the Houston ship canal in the 1920s. They were imported from Asia.
They were first identified within Harris Co Texas in 1956. They had remained pretty much contained to areas around the ship canal until then.
By 1980 there were three counties identified as having Formosans, by 2001 there were 15 counties identified, and by 2009 there were 29 counties identified, and yes it is only going to get worse.
They thrive best in conditions with a minimum relative humidity of 62%, and an average mean temperature of 14.3 deg C/57.7 deg F. ( They just love it here in the South!).
There favorite food is hardwoods ( although they will eat anything containing cellulose) especially Pecan, and Oak. If you look at the grow zone map for Pecan trees it almost mimics the infestation zone of the Formosans. They enter the tree from the ground and eat out the heartwood. The tree looks healthy until a storm comes along then it blows over often with catastrophic results.
Research has discovered that Public enemy number one is landscape timber, especially old railway ties. Wherever there was new construction, and the subsequent landscaping the termites would follow. How do they eat through the Creosote coated railway tie? They don't they get in via a nail hole or such like, and then eat all the untreated wood from the middle. They then move from your garden to your home from underground tunnels (there have even been instances of them coming along sewer pipes, and up toilets! Yes this is TRUE! I've seen the photographs) where they set about your wall studs chewing them up, mixing it up with saliva, and fecal matter to produce a substance called Frass with which they reconstruct your wall cavity space with block shaped living quarters called cartons. (yes the wall studs are all gone!).
They then move on from there cozy new home in search of more 'food'. Usually the first thing the homeowner notices is some kind of structural collapse.
I colony has 10,000,000 workers, and if they queen dies they can simply make a new one from a worker. Approximately 10% of the colony is made up of soldiers so natural predators such as native termites, and ants can quickly be taken care of.
The take home fact from this day with Dr Glenn was that the money spent on treatment from your local structural pest control engineer is money well spent. All of those expensive bait traps that you see at your local DIY store are basically useless. However any arborists that are using Imidacloprid you can bait those same traps with this and it should work a whole lot more effectively. NOTE : THIS IS ONLY LEGAL AT YOUR OWN PLACE OF RESIDENCE. There is NO GUARANTEE'S or WARRANTY that this will work I'm just passing on what I learned to anyone who wants the information. Imidacloropid is one of the chemicals used commercially to exterminate termites.To bait termites commercially, and effectively you are best advised to call your local structural pest engineer because prevention is better than cure.
There spread throughout the south and deep south is continuing in an upward trend they love the damp humid coastal areas. Places like New Orleans, Galveston, and La Porte have been absolutely ravaged. Don't let yourself become a victim.
