Termites

[Dennis Lopeman]

I Mill my own lumber/logs (so far) -

The logs have been outside for a while and have termites on the outer rings (the inside core is nice for the most part)

Question is, do you guys use any products, or know of any, that will kill the existing termites on my finished (milled) lumber, so they won't continue to eat it!??!? I did hit some pieces I made with some regular BORG type ant killers...

Or do I now have a LOT of firewood???

[Robin Cruz]

seal in tent in clear plastic in sun and let heat kill them along with hiring pest control to fill with gas or set pans of ammonia inside to vaporize and let it all cook for several days. Try to catch a couple of the termites to put in a container that you can view from outside the tent to help validate the treatment is working. Also put a space heater inside the tent.

Heat alone may do it if you can get up to 120 degree for 30 minutes. A house as to get to 160 for 6 hours for that temp to seep into all the timbers

see here
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...0/HO249239.DTL

[Scott Banbury]

The termites will leave/die as soon as they are cut off from the ground (that's where their nest is). Saw it and stack it and you'll be fine.

[Jamie Buxton]

Timbor. Manufacturer's page: http://www.nisuscorp.com/portal/page...roducts/timbor

Retail source: http://www.pestproducts.com/timbor.htm

[Robin Cruz]

The termites will leave/die as soon as they are cut off from the ground (that's where their nest is). Saw it and stack it and you'll be fine.

lol. Termites will never leave. They will keep pushing terminte poop out the holes they make in the fine cabinetry you make from the wood

[Dennis Lopeman]

Thanks!! That heat treatment might work for me...

I'm actually converting a fiberglass green house (that I paid WAY too much for) into a sort of kiln for drying wood... I can probably get the temperature pretty high in there if I close off the ventilation...

and I will also stack it off the ground, as the other fellow suggested...

A combination of these ideas and the borate stuff should work out fine...

Thanks again.

[Dennis Lopeman]

I see Ace BORG has Borax type products... I wonder if it's as effective at borate... just remember some high school chemistry class stuff... the molecular structure for each will be different...

EDIT: BORAX is a name brand... it's boron/borate based...

"
About Borax
Borax mines one of two world-class borate deposits on the planet and supplies nearly half the global demand for refined borates. The company is the acknowledged world leader in borate chemistry and technology development. Borates are minerals containing boron, the fifth element on Periodic Table. Trace amounts exist in rock, soil and water. Boron is one of seven essential micronutrients for plants, and part of a healthy human diet. Refined borates can be found in a wide variety of household and commercial products, including glass, fiberglass, ceramics, soap and detergents, personal care products, fertilizers and wood preservatives. Borax celebrated 130 years of continuous business in California this year and is part of the world's leading mining company, London-based Rio Tinto. For more information, visit www.borax.com.
"

[Dennis Lopeman]

I'm a big DIY'er... and I have found a number of Uncle Google references for creating your own Borate solutions... and they have been used very successfully... without staining the wood...

I wonder how it effects varnishes and finishing and stuff like that...

If I find that it works well - I will post the formula/method here.

[Dennis Lopeman]

And this looks like a good start:

http://www.getipm.com/answers/termites.htm

New Zealand has been doing this since 1953 - infact I think its the LAW!! I read that somewhere else... They have had a single "reported" problem with termite since then...

environmentally safe... but there's still warning about keeping borates away from children as its toxic if eaten... probably because of its concentration...

EDIT - i removed parts about "safeness" - to be safe! As with any substance, you should always research it so you know what you are dealing with. I have found enough people saying its toxic - but then on the other hand it is environmentally safe... well - I don't want anyone to be confused about the difference between those two things - SO DO YOUR DD (due diligence)

AND Do your DD, of course, to verify that this might be a solution (no pun intended) for you!!

[Keith Marben]

I dont have termites up here in MN, But I do get some carpenter ants when I saw up logs that have sat.

I would hope these little critters arent as volitile as termites. Its seems like sawing disturbs their colony enough that they wont be able to continue living in the lumber.

Just wondering If I should be more concerned than I am.

[Dennis Lopeman]

These solutions state that the kill pretty much all ants... that occur in North America anyway... so carp ants can be controlled too!


Here's what I found on the Chemistry Class material!

"
"Borax" and "Boric acid" are not the same.

Borax is Na2B4O7-10H2O, Hydrated sodium borate
Boric acid is H3BO3
As a source of boron, borax work fine. To kill roaches, you need the boric acid. The drugstore expensive stuff is pharmaceutical grade boric acid ... no need to getthat picky.
"

and so for boric acid:
"Boric acid is quite expensive from the pharmacy. Get the cheap stuff packaged for killing roaches. It is available mail order if you can't find it in local stores, but Home Depot usually has it. Victor is one brand of boric acid for roaches. Do a Google search on Victor boric acid to find mail order sources. "

[Dennis Lopeman]

Geez - I saw this...

"
Remember that boric acid is toxic to pets and has killed a number of children over the years who ingested it."