termites

Hello all ! I have a 1997 Sunbird with OMC hull and have recently discovered a termite infestation that has destroyed the wood in the back 2 storage compartments. I also found a "nest" in the upper corner of the inner transom wall. The inner transom fiberglass appears sturdy with no soft spots anywhere. My questions are A) how do I tell if the transom is wood or composite, B) if the transom is wood with fiberglass covering, how do I tell if the termites have invaded the wood and C) anything great to kill these termites? We saturated with a solution from the hardware store last week and still found live ones today.

thanks for any advice !!

PS The boat is in South Louisiana so we not only have the subterranean termites, but also the super evil, and hard to get rid of, Formosins!

 

"White ants" or termites are endemic in most parts of Aus. Galleries and tunnels can go for many meters, and it there is wood and they like its "taste" consider it well and truly consumed. Some "exterminators here claim to use sensitive sound detection & ir to find colonies in homes etc... The view here often is "If termite infestation is found it is probably buggered - wood wise"

I am sorry to be the presenter of bad news, but here they are really nasty little buggers. Copper-arsenate is used to pre-treat some timber used in houses. If you can get it (VERY NASTY for humans too) it may kill them...

Some people use "bait" - the sort of wood they LOVE - drill a couple of holes and put a plug of that in - if it is eaten within a week or two it is serious. The termites may have other entry/exit holes and "nests" so look for a poison that they will take to the nest to feed the lavae/pupae stage and those termites that look after the young/queen...

 

There's two types of termites, dry wood and subterranean, both are nasty little beasties. dry wood leave little dropping, usually found in corners and on ledges. The subterranean type leave a mud tube (they're light sensitive), which can climb up a fair distance to get to wood.

It's a different chemical to kill each and you should talk to a bug guy to see if you can get some of the stuff that really works. Most over the counter stuff doesn't, unless you hold their little asses down and give them an ***** personally.

Dry wood usually requires tenting, mud builders poisoned bait.

 

Thank you Par...

 

Heat would be fairly easy to do with a boat. Google 'exterminating termites'. This came from a California state site, I have read elsewhere the time needed to keep the killing temperature is 30 minutes at 120 degrees or 20 at 130. A half hour or longer at 130 ought to ruin their day.

http://www.pestboard.ca.gov/forms/factsheets/termites.pdf