Not sure if it is or not and I am not in the mood to deal with a sales pitch from an overly aggressive pest control company...

This morning my wife noticed 2-3 "mud tubes" on the foundation of our home. They were all very small and so dry that they brushed off with my fin fingertip with no signs of any live insects. I had seen one of these elsewhere months ago, brushed it off and it has not returned but I think I am going to place some baits just in case.

Always something!

We are on the other side of the valley from you, but we’ve had good experiences with Convenient Termite & Pest Control in Mesa. Our neighbor has termites and the home owner continues to drag his feet on treating them so we have an ongoing protection plan set up. They’ve been pretty fast and relatively affordable.

quote:

Originally posted by Kravashera:
We are on the other side of the valley from you, but we’ve had good experiences with Convenient Termite & Pest Control in Mesa. Our neighbor has termites and the home owner continues to drag his feet on treating them so we have an ongoing protection plan set up. They’ve been pretty fast and relatively affordable.

Thank...I will look into that after I try the indicator baits. I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:
I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

When we built our house in Wickenburg, we had the builder (exterminator subcontractor) lay perforated tubes under the slab. They terminate in 3 hose bib type connectors at one end in the stem wall. Our local guy pumps in Termidor every other year, a total of 70 gallons. Besides the termite treatment, it also brings up all sorts of weird (and big) bugs.
 

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:
I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

When we built our house in Wickenburg, we had the builder (exterminator subcontractor) lay perforated tubes under the slab. They terminate in 3 hose bib type connectors at one end in the stem wall. Our local guy pumps in Termidor every other year, a total of 70 gallons. Besides the termite treatment, it also brings up all sorts of weird (and big) bugs.
 

This is brilliant!

This house I bought built in the mid 60's has the holes drilled all around it, signs it's been treated.
Nearly anywhere "bait" would be put would test positive .... But that doesn't mean termites are in the house. I don't have any dirt tunnels up the brick.
I just don't know what to do ....

quote:

Originally posted by Haveme1or2:
This house I bought built in the mid 60's has the holes drilled all around it, signs it's been treated.
Nearly anywhere "bait" would be put would test positive .... But that doesn't mean termites are in the house. I don't have any dirt tunnels up the brick.
I just don't know what to do ....

I am going to start with baits near where I saw the tunnels but I found a few sites where I can buy Termador and treat myself by digging a 6" X 6" border around the foundation and dumping 4 gallons every 10'...it is labor intensive for sure but far cheaper than a pest control co will charge me for the same thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by Kravashera:
We are on the other side of the valley from you, but we’ve had good experiences with Convenient Termite & Pest Control in Mesa. Our neighbor has termites and the home owner continues to drag his feet on treating them so we have an ongoing protection plan set up. They’ve been pretty fast and relatively affordable.

Thank...I will look into that after I try the indicator baits. I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

Termador is good stuff. But, the company that treated my property had a 4' long wand that they stuck into the ground and it had a nozzle at the end that sprayed it out at high pressure from a gasoline pressurized pump, as the guy pushed the wand up and down the entire depth spraying it and did it about every 18".

In Australia they bury a continuous length of soaker hose around the entire foundation of the house and then fill it with termite liquid every so often (year or so) as a constant treatment.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by Kravashera:
We are on the other side of the valley from you, but we’ve had good experiences with Convenient Termite & Pest Control in Mesa. Our neighbor has termites and the home owner continues to drag his feet on treating them so we have an ongoing protection plan set up. They’ve been pretty fast and relatively affordable.

Thank...I will look into that after I try the indicator baits. I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

Termador is good stuff. But, the company that treated my property had a 4' long wand that they stuck into the ground and it had a nozzle at the end that sprayed it out at high pressure from a gasoline pressurized pump, as the guy pushed the wand up and down the entire depth spraying it and did it about every 18".

In Australia they bury a continuous length of soaker hose around the entire foundation of the house and then fill it with termite liquid every so often (year or so) as a constant treatment.

Problem wit this in AZ is the soil is hard and rocky, digging is a major PIA

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:

quote:

Originally posted by Kravashera:
We are on the other side of the valley from you, but we’ve had good experiences with Convenient Termite & Pest Control in Mesa. Our neighbor has termites and the home owner continues to drag his feet on treating them so we have an ongoing protection plan set up. They’ve been pretty fast and relatively affordable.

Thank...I will look into that after I try the indicator baits. I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

Termador is good stuff. But, the company that treated my property had a 4' long wand that they stuck into the ground and it had a nozzle at the end that sprayed it out at high pressure from a gasoline pressurized pump, as the guy pushed the wand up and down the entire depth spraying it and did it about every 18".

In Australia they bury a continuous length of soaker hose around the entire foundation of the house and then fill it with termite liquid every so often (year or so) as a constant treatment.

Problem wit this in AZ is the soil is hard and rocky, digging is a major PIA

Not sure what they do in your area. The one they used here was pretty small in diameter, maybe 1/2" thick and the end was pointed and the handle had a hold for both hands and a trigger and the guy just pushed it down and pulled it back up while holding the trigger down. I would imagine the termador would seep down into the soil if you did the trench you mentioned. You might be better with a long drill bit for soil and drilling holes every 18" and filling them with termador. I guess see what the commercial guys use in your area.

Like this one
https://store.doyourownpestcon...ol-484-slab-injector

The commercial guys usually drill the stem wall and spray the holes. It's easier than trying to drill AZ so called "dirt".
Good ones will also trench and soak but they aren't cheap and most don't do it.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:
I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

When we built our house in Wickenburg, we had the builder (exterminator subcontractor) lay perforated tubes under the slab. They terminate in 3 hose bib type connectors at one end in the stem wall. Our local guy pumps in Termidor every other year, a total of 70 gallons. Besides the termite treatment, it also brings up all sorts of weird (and big) bugs.
 

Termidore will last for over 10 years

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Kevmo:
I also see that I can buy Termador online and apply myself

When we built our house in Wickenburg, we had the builder (exterminator subcontractor) lay perforated tubes under the slab. They terminate in 3 hose bib type connectors at one end in the stem wall. Our local guy pumps in Termidor every other year, a total of 70 gallons. Besides the termite treatment, it also brings up all sorts of weird (and big) bugs.
 

Termidore will last for over 10 years

For the price he charges for 70 gal pumped in ($70), a bit of overkill doesn't hurt in this very termite-rich environment. Plus it takes care of some other nasties, like this Giant Desert Centipede, which I am told has a very nasty bite. This guy was about 9" long, but he's all shrunk up after absorbing 1.5 cans of Wasp and Hornet spray.
 

 

I’d be running like a little girl if I saw that centipede.

quote:

Originally posted by Haveme1or2:
This house I bought built in the mid 60's has the holes drilled all around it, signs it's been treated.
Nearly anywhere "bait" would be put would test positive .... But that doesn't mean termites are in the house. I don't have any dirt tunnels up the brick.
I just don't know what to do ....

It was not normal practice to treat the dirt before building a house in the 60's, builders do treat it now for termites usually. If you have holes drilled/patched then it was treated at some point in time. Termidor is generally considered to be very effective for 10 years, possibly longer.

If you have subterranean termites in your house, generally you will see signs of them inside. Usually black granules that look like ground up black pepper/sand along baseboards in an area or a few area's. but generally next to walls. Most termite places will come out for free and check and then quote a fix. Check your water heater, it might have a sticker on it (they generally do those here if the building has been treated) and it will have the date and type of treatment.

I thought that the tubes just help them get to their food source safely. You may want to treat the wall spaces too.

 
When we built the house and had tubes laid under the slab, we also had tubes put into the walls. They terminate in two boxes on the outside wall where you can inject pesticide into those tubes. PestTubes was the original contractor, and I had him come out (from the Valley) to service the tubes exactly twice, before I fired him. He was always trying to up-sell services and was generally an ass. I hired a local contractor (still use him to this day). He uses all the same chemicals, and said the wall tubes were completely unnecessary, just a gimmick. As long as one keeps the slab tubes serviced and a good perimeter spray barrier, they'll never get into the walls. We've had no problems since, in this desert termite-rich environment. The local guy is much cheaper, and I get all sorts of local info (and gossip) when he visits. Such as when he's seen the first rattlers emerging in the Spring. He's out there every day, all around this area. I am a firm believer in the under-the-slab tubes. They bring up all sorts of weird creatures when he injects 70 gallons of Termidor into them, as well as keeping the termites at bay, down where they would nest.