Termite Swarms

Woody13

New Member
Original Poster
It's that time of year again, time for the termite swarms. Each spring, winged reproductives leave their nests in search of new nesting areas. Millions of them descend upon my region every year. Tonight, I saw the first swarm of the season as the termites were climbing the screen on my back porch.

In defense, I went into "blackout" mode. I turned off all of my exterior lights. Termites are attracted to light. I have turned off most of the lights in my house. The rooms that are still lit have blackout shades so no light escapes through the windows. From the exterior, my house exhibits no light.

Tomorrow I break out the big guns! I have both Bifenthrin and Chylorpyritos (Dursban) termite killers. Although Dursban was banned back in 2002, I stocked up knowing full well that I would have a use for it in the future. I've got enough to last the next ten years. I'll spray the entire perimeter of my house as a prophylactic treatment.

All intruders must be eliminated. No exceptions! :lol:
 

TAC

New Member
Good Luck Woody!

No termites here, but one of our neighbors made a deal with a pest company to spray for gypsy moths. So, for $150 we got all of our trees sprayed. Not a bad deal.
 

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
You are pretty anti-buggy for a Spider. :lookaroun

Seriously, termites are getting worse. The formosan termite is becoming more widespread and from what I hear from my friends in the bug business, it would curl a person's hair to know of the number of subterranean termite colonies per acre across the southeast.

Hasn't some Disney property shown effects of termite infestation before? Didn't we see that sometime in the past year?

Oh well. . . I know this. Don't mess with Woody's house. :animwink:
 

Woody13

New Member
Original Poster
Termites in the wild are fine. Termites are not welcome in my house. When we first moved into this house over twenty years ago, I went into the central bathroom and saw a bunch of small winged bugs in the toilet. I looked at the ceiling and saw the same insects crawling around. I found out the next day, they were termites.

It was in May of that year and a big termite swarm had occurred. The termites had landed on my roof and then found their way into my house via the bathroom fan vent on the roof. After speaking with several locals, I found that this was a common occurrence during swarm season.

I modified the vent to exclude the unauthorized entrance of any other unwanted guests. I then (as now) laid down a protective perimeter of Dursban around my house to discourage the termites from any nest building. I live on a sandy peninsula. We have no soil, just sand. Therefore, it drains water rapidly and is not a good habitat for termites.

However, builders often tend to bury scrap wood in the sand rather than pay to have it put in a dumpster. These old scrap lumber piles are ideal nesting sites. Also, with all the trees that were killed during the last several hurricanes, there are lots of decaying stumps.

Termites nest in the ground and they get into your house via mud tubes that they build from the ground and up the side of your house. Or they can enter via a small crack in your foundation if your house is build on a slab. I have found the best way to deal with them, is to make them look elsewhere for their home.

Dursban stinks but the smell only lasts for a few days. Bifenthrin is odorless. I mix them up in an Ortho Dial n' Spray hooked up to the hose and spray down the entire perimeter of the house. I spray three feet up the walls and three feet on the ground. No termite or carpenter ant can invade that perimeter without suffering extermination. Roaches aren't crazy about it either.

I just finished my perimeter spraying so tonight, I can turn on all the lights again confident that if another swarm occurs, I am safe! :wave:
 

speck76

Well-Known Member
Woody13 said:
Tomorrow I break out the big guns! I have both Bifenthrin and Chylorpyritos (Dursban) termite killers. Although Dursban was banned back in 2002, I stocked up knowing full well that I would have a use for it in the future. I've got enough to last the next ten years. I'll spray the entire perimeter of my house as a prophylactic treatment.

All intruders must be eliminated. No exceptions! :lol:

does it work on humans too?

If so.....bring some on your next trip to Orlando....I know of some people that should not be breeding
 

Woody13

New Member
Original Poster
speck76 said:
does it work on humans too?

If so.....bring some on your next trip to Orlando....I know of some people that should not be breeding
It's funny you should ask because, yes Dursban is highly toxic to humans. Dursban is the product name for the chemical chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos is one of the class of chemicals known as organophosphates.

In World War II, organophosphates were used as nerve gas agents in chemical weapons. Dursban, and other organophosphates, are highly toxic to mammals, with a chemical characteristic that leads them to dissipate very slowly once introduced to the body. The symptoms of organophosphate poisoning start with extreme excitability and shaking, and move on to convulsions, paralysis and death.

The EPA ordered the use of Dursban phased out in the United States. The pesticide has been removed from consumer retail shelves, and since 2002, has been reduced to very specific commercial applications. The phase-out was ordered primarily because of environmental concerns regarding mammals and marine animals, and to reduce exposure risks for children.

Needless to say I am very careful with the storage and use of this chemical. I'll bring a quart down on my next trip. :D :wave:
 

MKCP 1985

Well-Known Member
Woody13 said:
It's funny you should ask because, yes Dursban is highly toxic to humans. Dursban is the product name for the chemical chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos is one of the class of chemicals known as organophosphates.


Needless to say I am very careful with the storage and use of this chemical. I'll bring a quart down on my next trip. :D :wave:

The guy who used to spray my house with Dursban once described it as such: "For a couple of hours, it will smell like a wet horse." I think that was pretty accurate.

As for strength, it is good stuff.

Now about those Disney termites . . . anybody?
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom