Why spraying the wood you can see rarely works
Most of the termites that damage houses here are subterranean. The colony lives in the soil, sometimes some distance from the house, and the workers travel up through cracks and mud tubes to feed on wood before going back. Spraying or painting the wood they are eating kills the ones inside it at that moment. The colony, and the queen laying eggs in it, is somewhere else and carries on.
Some people pour gasoline, kerosene or used oil into the holes. It is a fire risk inside a house, and it does not reach the nest either.
What reaches the colony
Two treatments do, and both start from the soil. Soil treatment puts a termiticide into the ground around and under the foundations, so termites crossing it die or carry it back. Baiting sets stations around the house that the workers feed from and share with the rest of the colony. Soil treatment works faster; baiting suits houses where drilling is awkward. Damaged wood gets replaced or treated alongside either one, since treating wood alone protects the wood and leaves the colony alive.
Neither reaches drywood termites, which live inside the wood itself with no contact with the soil, so they need a treatment aimed at the wood.
Which of the two a house needs depends on how it is built and where the termites are coming from, which is what an inspection answers.
What you can do before an inspection
- Leave the mud tubes and the damaged wood as they are, and take photos. They show the inspector exactly where the termites are active.
- Move firewood, lumber, old boxes and anything wooden off the ground and away from the walls.
- Fix leaking pipes, aircon drips and gutters that soak the wall. Damp wood and damp soil draw termites in.
- Keep garden soil, plants and mulch from piling up against the wall or the wooden parts of the house.
- Knock on door frames, cabinets fixed to the wall, the ceiling and the space under the stairs, and note anywhere that sounds hollow.
When to book an inspection
If you have found mud tubes, hollow-sounding wood or piles of wings inside the house, book an inspection. We find where they are coming from and how far the damage goes, then recommend the treatment that fits the house.
We cover Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Tarlac and Olongapo. Send a message through the contact form with your town and what you have found, and we will get back to you to set a time.