# How to kill termites?



## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

Hey all you experienced log millers:

I just cut open an Ash log and I have found a few termites. Does anyone have suggestions for killing the termites other than drying the Ash in a kiln?

Thanks,
Eric


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I use gasoline*

When I cut into a log that has a carpenter ant condominium I just grab the fuek for the chainsaw and douse them. They quickly drop over dead and the fuel evaporates just about as fast... done deal. Works just as well on termites.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Termites have to go into the ground every day for water. They don't stay in the log like powder post beetles. If you go ahead and saw the log it will disturb them enough to go away. Just go ahead and stack and sticker the wood somewhere off the ground and you shouldn't have any more termite problem. If you don't want to cut the log now put it up somewhere off the ground and spray the log with any insecticide.


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

I second Steve's suggestion. Saw the log and sticker the boards off the ground. Termites have to have water and while they can get it from inside a whole log, the planks will dry quickly enough that they will leave.

Just about any chemical/solvent will kill termites. The chemicals used for termite control around a home are just longer-lasting. A borate is probably the safest, effective treatment for logs/lumber.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I recently re-stacked my fire wood pile and noticed that the ones on the bottom were infested with terminates. 

I did not know about the needing to go in the ground for water like Steve mentioned and thought I could bake them in the sun. So I split the logs and laid them out on a table in the sun. I don’t know what happened to them and thought the birds ate them or maybe the sun dried them up into microscope particles, but anyway they are completely gone after a week out in the sun.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Termites are smarter than you think. If you disturb them they usually get the H out of there. I pulled the siding off a customers garage a few weeks ago and it had a massive infestation of termites. The next day I had to do a lot of digging out of the rotten wood to find only a couple.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*they problem is...*

If you don't kill them immediately, they will just find a new home. When working any placve they may appear I find it best to spray them or douse them on the spot, immediately. What good does it do to have them relocate?


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> If you don't kill them immediately, they will just find a new home. When working any placve they may appear I find it best to spray them or douse them on the spot, immediately. What good does it do to have them relocate?


 They don't actually relocate because their home is in the ground. You can kill every one of the termites you see on the wood and there are hundreds (thousands?) still in the ground for every one you kill. To keep them out of the wood there either has to be a barrier (chemical or mechanical) between the ground and the wood or the wood has to be placed where it isn't in close proximity to the ground. They will build mud tunnels from the ground to the wood if it is too close.

No harm in killing the ones you see but they will leave on their own if they can't easily get to moisture.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

ETWW said:


> I second Steve's suggestion. Saw the log and sticker the boards off the ground. Termites have to have water and while they can get it from inside a whole log, the planks will dry quickly enough that they will leave.
> 
> Just about any chemical/solvent will kill termites. The chemicals used for termite control around a home are just longer-lasting. A borate is probably the safest, effective treatment for logs/lumber.



I have sawed the logs and stacked them on a concrete pad with stickers. The concrete pad is attached to the foundation on my house. I don't want the termites moving into my crawlspace and using my joists as a food source.

The Borate sounds like a good idea. Is this what you are referring to? http://www.amazon.com/Bora-Care-Natural-Termite-Control/dp/B00474IPIO

It looks like the instructions are to just mix it with warm water and spray the lumber with it. That sounds pretty simple. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Eric


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

This looks like an interesting product:

http://nisuscorp.com/remodelers/products/BORA-CARE

I may have to use it in my crawlspace.....

Thanks for all the input,
Eric


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

I use Timbor and spray my lumber immediately after sawing it when stacking and stickering. Timbor is cheaper than Boracare but Boracare is better for existing infestations as it penetrates more deeply into the wood.

Yep, just mix it and spray it on...all sides of the lumber. I started out using a 2 gal pump sprayer but now use a 15 gal battery-operated sprayer I got at Harbor Freight. I haul the tank in my little lawn trailer and hook the leads to the battery on the lawnmower.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Just keep in mind what ever you put into the wood you will end up breathing when you use the lumber.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

I used the Bora-Care product on all the lumber I cut from the termite infested log. I will keep checking the stacks for evidence of continued termite life, but so far they all appear to be dead. 

The Bora-Care was easy to use. It worked fine in my 1 gallon insecticide sprayer. Warm water and a power drill mixer turned the gelatin like Bora-Care product into a nice mixture for the sprayer.

The label said to wait 15 minutes after spraying for the mixture to dry and soak into the lumber. I actually let it sit for over an hour in my backyard laid on a tarp. Then I flipped over all the lumber and sprayed the back side. I let that sit for about 90 minutes. I then stacked, stickered and strapped the lumber for drying. 

I ordered the Bora-Care from a vendor on Amazon on Sunday. It cost about $70 per gallon. The Bora-Care arrived on the next Thursday! (Four days after ordering it.) 

Hopefully, I won't have another log with termites, but if I do get one, I know what to do now.

Thanks again to everyone for their helpful comments.
Eric


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

From reading this thread it reads like many of you are not aware of Dry Wood termites. These species of termites do not need contact with the damp soil. They live and exist entirely above ground.

George


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

GeorgeC said:


> From reading this thread it reads like many of you are not aware of Dry Wood termites. These species of termites do not need contact with the damp soil. They live and exist entirely above ground.
> 
> George


 I'm aware of them just like I am aware of the Formosan termites that are such a problem in New Orleans. However, Dry Wood termites are pretty much confined to coastal areas of the Southern U.S. and California. They are not normally found in areas that experience freezing temperatures. It's pretty safe to say that what he has is subterranean termites.

The OP lists his location as Portland, Oregon which is not normally subject to Dry Wood termites. (Portland and Dry doesn't sound right, anyway. :no


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## dat (Nov 11, 2010)

I use permethrin sfr in a pump up sprayer, mixture can vary, outside I mix 3 oz to a gallon of water, inside I mix 1 and a half oz to a gallon. spray what ever you stack it on very well, then you don't have to really spray the wood itself. safe on and around dogs, safe for cats after dry. don't chew on the sticks you spray


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## Yarrin12 (Oct 27, 2015)

I think you should get professional help in this as there might be more termites over there. I suggest you to hire the best Termite inspection Port Macquarie firm for that. Their work is highly professional and very affordable too.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Steve Neul said:


> Termites have to go into the ground every day for water. They don't stay in the log like powder post beetles. If you go ahead and saw the log it will disturb them enough to go away. Just go ahead and stack and sticker the wood somewhere off the ground and you shouldn't have any more termite problem. If you don't want to cut the log now put it up somewhere off the ground and spray the log with any insecticide.


Dry wood termites do not have to go to ground. They can and do exist entirely above ground.

George


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

GeorgeC said:


> Dry wood termites do not have to go to ground. They can and do exist entirely above ground.
> 
> George


George:

I think you are correct. I cut done the ash tree in February 2015 and moved it to my yard about 500 feet away. When I milled the log into lumber in August 2015, the termites were still alive and kicking. I mixed up the Bora-Care and it killed all the termites upon contact. I haven't seen any termites around that lumber since.

I cut down a dead Walnut tree in August 2015, also. It had some termites in it. I was completely out of Bora-Care, so I tried some Ortho Home Defense product that I got at Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ortho-Ho...oor-Insect-Killer-with-Wand-0196910/203052911) for $15. The Ortho Home Defense definitely killed the termites, but not as quick as the Bora-Care. I keep checking the stacks of wood for signs of termites, but so far, I have found none.

Eric


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

Yarrin12 said:


> I think you should get professional help in this as there might be more termites over there. I suggest you to hire the best Termite inspection Port Macquarie firm for that. Their work is highly professional and very affordable too.


I am always skeptical of posters that have only one post which endorses a particular product or service provider. In my 40 years of working with "Professional Service Providers", I have found that the ones that have to "blow their own" horn, usually don't meet my expectations.

But, in order to appease the poster, (if he or she ever returns). I will post that I recently pulled up a linoleum floor to put down hardwood flooring. Carpenter ants started coming out of the floor. I used the Ortho Home Defense on the ants. It took about 24 hours to get rid of all the ants. I wanted to make sure the ants were gone for good, so I called in an exterminator. The exterminator billed me $370 to get rid of the ants and guarantee they would be gone for at least a year.

In playing "Monday morning quarterback", the $15 of Ortho Home Defense would have probably been enough to get rid of the ants. Especially, since I sprayed the foundation with it. But the $370 was worth spending to keep the wife happy. How does that saying go? 

*"HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE!"*

Eric


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