Omg - I think we have a termite or ant problem 😱

[Mdragger88]

This is where my computer cabinet sits. I originally noticed the holes in the flooring from the chair legs & assumed that when i was vigorously cleaning my porch a few months ago (which is on the other side of the wall) that I inadvertently sprayed water behind the siding which got the floor wet & allowed the laminate to crumble when it dried. The floor was never wet & the holes had no moisture in them but since I wasn’t ready to pull up the entire floor I was just going to live with for a while.
A few weeks ago I got an internet upgrade & had to move the cabinet so the guy could drill behind it etc. & I bumped the trim with it & it crumbled. I didn’t notice the trails in the wall at this point. It’s been bothering me since the trim is soft so today I inspected more thoroughly & saw the wall I am leaning towards ants until i get deeper (aka rip the wall apart) since there is a crack in the bricks outside of this area that i have noticed ants around when i spray but I haven’t ever seen an ant indoors so I figured my bifen was working. I’ve got some Taurus/termidor & boracare on order & will open the wall up once i have it in hand. I need y’all to talk me off the ledge Sadly for the flooring this area is the beginning so i have to take all the flooring in the whole room & the other room to get to this

 

[homegameroom]

I'm so sorry to see that. That's terrible! Insects can do some damage for sure!

 

[Westphal]

You'll find out once you rip open the wall, but I'm afraid that looks like termite trails. We had them in our first house, and they ate up a lot of the wood studs and even a main cross beam in the basement. We had no idea they were behind the walls until we had an inspection to put our house up for sale. It took several thousand dollars to repair the damage. We've had termite traps and inspections in our 2nd and current houses, cheap insurance to prevent that catastrophe.

 

[Mdragger88]

Our home was treated for prevention when we moved in but it’s been 8 years. We’re definitely going to be re treating the whole house. I have all those holes filled with mortar everywhere so i can use those as my guide. Along w/ placing new monitoring stations.

 

[Newdude]

Oh NO !!!!! I was busy over the weekend and somehow missed this. Good vibes and low damage wishes will be coming your way as you explore further and start repairing.

I give to you, old friend, my most magical of well wishes........ The coveted rainbow farting unicorn.

 

[Arizonarob]

I give to you, old friend, my most magical of well wishes........ The coveted rainbow farting unicorn.

Great, make the guy’s house smell like skittles, so even more critters show up.
Good job dude.

 

[Newdude]

Great, make the guy’s house smell like skittles

*Gal’s house.

 

[Mdragger88]

*Gal’s house.

This

 

[Arizonarob]

Gal’s guy’s whatever, critters don’t discriminate, nor are they sexist!

 

[Newdude]

Glad to know they’re equal opportunity termites.

 

[Mdragger88]

I just wanted to update this thread - I know it’s been a while.
We had termites in 2 adjoining rooms!
I poked holes in the affected walls & injected termidor foam - then we waited before opening the walls (you’re supposed to wait at least 2 weeks so they all transfer the poison to one another & die).
I suspect when they got disturbed by the chair poking the hole in the flooring they moved to the other location.

Next - we treated the whole perimeter of our house, shop, & pool with Taurus (generic termidor) via the holes that already existed in the slabs & around the deck by rodding.
All of these items were purchased on domyown.com * note they aren’t able to ship to all states due to local laws.

FFW to more temperate weather in September and we began to demo & reveal the true damage

They consumed the innards of multiple laminate flooring boards - the shiny tops & undersides were in tact. They entered through the cut ends. Luckily no base plates were damaged just the trim boards & a few 2x4’s that were able to be sistered so we didn’t have to remove the siding. Thank goodness!
Throughout this process since I had to repaint/re do both rooms - so the paint would match i went ahead & started replacing receptacles ( i have already replaced all the switches & light fixtures in the whole house) - this led to replacing every rec in the whole house


I am super thankful this dead short never caused a fire ! That breaker has never tripped the entire time i have lived here.
I feel like this has likely been this way since 1974 when they twisted that ground. Most all of the receptacles were also original to the house & they just crumbled in my hands. I am embarrassed that I didn’t get to these before now. Its all back together now thank goodness!
But what a messy time it has been. Sheet rocking /mudding/sanding in your occupied house is for the birds.
Next up - new panel !

 

[Mdragger88]

Finished rooms!! No dust !

 

[Newdude]

I feel like this has likely been this way since 1974 when they twisted that ground

Think they did that with a drill ? I can’t see anyone feeling the need to spin it an extra dozen times. Lol.

That breaker has never tripped the entire time i have lived here.

It sure did the first time. After that the grounds past that spot were open.

What would you do had you installed that and the breaker tripped, but reset fine ? Would you go pull every inch that you had access to for a visual inspection, or simply go check for power at each location on that circuit ? I bet ALOT of folks would shrug their shoulders and think, Meh, everything works.

 

[Mdragger88]

Every ground in this house is twisted like that- I assume it was an overzealous apprentice
I found several wires w/ cuts from removing the romex sheathing when installed but they weren’t touching anything thankfully. I have one of those marvelous sylvania/ challenger panels but replacing it has always been lower priority than other things in life because it doesn’t nuisance trip or feel warm - now i know its because it won’t ever trip! It’s about to go!
I have replaced every fixture & switch as well as done the bathroom, kitchen & outdoor receptacles & added gfci’s over time but just hadn’t made it to the rest.

 

[Newdude]

If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been finding the exact opposite with only a quarter twist. And some, Meh….. they are kinda close to touching so when we shove them back I there they’ll probably touch.

 

[markayash]

Our first house had aluminum wiring. When we sold it the inspection found a junction box to the pool room and said the wire wasn’t up to code.
When I rewired it and opened that junction box the wire nuts were 90% melted and black. It’s a miracle it didn’t catch on fire.
They had aluminum and copper twisted with a reg wire nut.

 

[markayash]

Finished rooms!! No dust !
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Did you use your pool chemicals on the bugs.
I have heard Borox kills ants, not sure about termites, my dad use to tell me to sprinkle it around my house

 

[Mdragger88]

Did you use your pool chemicals on the bugs.
I have heard Borox kills ants, not sure about termites, my dad use to tell me to sprinkle it around my house

I used termidor/ Taurus- its what professionals use for subterranean termites.
Theres a specific amount & dilution that u use per foot depending upon how you are applying it (trenching, rodding, or injection)
It’s not just something you spray. But it remains persistent in the soil for 10 - 15 years.
You can use a borate mixture to treat wood & to prevent termites & mold as it penetrates the wood - there’s even a premade mixture called boracare that is for spraying when your house is in the stud stage as you need to spray the entire stud.
People also use it on log cabins & wood barns.
Its especially useful for drywood termites in things like old furniture. If i ever build a house I will use it in conjunction with the termidor perimeter treatment.