Caught a Soldier Termite in House This Morning

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No doubts on proper ID, it's a match. Here's the thing about Soldier Termites from what I just read. They protect an established colony. Here's an additional tidbit specific to our situation in this house: Just bought it December, and it passed the pre-purchase termite inspection at that time by a local pest control company.

So, this is somewhat troubling. I'm having another inspection done, have a company coming out this afternoon. If an established colony is found and there is any damage that is shown to be old enough to have been existing before the house passed the pre-purchase termite inspection, we're going to consult with an attorney about holding either the pre-purchase inspection company liable for repair costs or the previous owners, whomever the liability might fall upon.

Of course, any colony could be recent enough (in past couple months) that it's on us. I guess we'll be finding out soon.
 
Did he have a helmet on?
04.gif
 
Originally Posted by Reddy45
You've had a lot of issues with your new house right?


Some issues. But the place passed all the pre-purchase inspections, and it's not that old built in 2003. The company that did the pre-purchase termite and wood destroying insects inspection in December is a smaller local/regional but is reputable and long standing.

Being that the suspect is a non-winged soldier termite, however, is not good. He didn't just blow in through an open window. He belongs to a colony somewhere close.

At the minimum, I expect to be buying a prevention treatment contract if no infestation is found. At the worst, a long standing infestation will be found and it's lawyer consultation time if it can be shown that an infestation was present before we bought it. We may have no case or we might have a case, but I'd def be buying an initial legal consult to know where we stand if that scenario unfolds.
 
Originally Posted by Jimkobb
Did he have a helmet on?
04.gif


Originally Posted by PimTac
Run it over with your new RAV4.

You guys are killin' me over here, stop cracking me up
lol.gif
 
In my DE home we have an inspection and termite warranty. We keep it under the termite warranty and if any are found, then the treatment is no cost.

Termites are a normal part of nature. Just not in your house. But to do damage to home they need to find wood in contact with the ground or build a mud tunnel over masonry which can be seen when looking for one. The termites do not just crawl up a foot of concrete looking for wood. Must crawl inside mud tube.
 
Originally Posted by LoneRanger

Originally Posted by Jimkobb
Did he have a helmet on?
04.gif


Originally Posted by PimTac
Run it over with your new RAV4.

You guys are killin' me over here, stop cracking me up
lol.gif


You guys missed the obvious: He needs to warm up the tires of his bike.....
 
Originally Posted by Donald
In my DE home we have an inspection and termite warranty. We keep it under the termite warranty and if any are found, then the treatment is no cost.

Termites are a normal part of nature. Just not in your house. But to do damage to home they need to find wood in contact with the ground or build a mud tunnel over masonry which can be seen when looking for one. The termites do not just crawl up a foot of concrete looking for wood. Must crawl inside mud tube.



Foundation walls in crawl space have blue insulation sheathing board on them. Probably made the pre-purchase termite inspection more difficult, but I would also think that a pest control specialist encounters insulated foundation walls often and so knows how to still check for mud tubes running between the sheathing board and the blocks.
 
LoneRanger,

In GA, a "Termite Specialist" will charge you $1,000 automatically to remove the blue foam. Not even want to perform an inspection...

I think (google search) that they/termites do not eat the blue board but can tunnel through.

Seems to be a boogie-man in the Southern areas, yet thousands of houses in 90s-2000s where built using some.

I think some guys here know couple resources for DIY pest control.

EDit: It just hit me: Do you have access to a FLIR camera? I think they would be visible (tunnels and termite movement, especially at night as warm spots)
 
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Only the exterior foundation walls have the blue foam board. There are several foundation walls inside the perimeter of the exterior walls that are bare. Piers were not the foundation technique used. My former house had piers supporting the house within the perimeter of the exterior foundation walls and made for a much more open and easily inspected crawl space.
 
Originally Posted by LoneRanger
Foundation walls in crawl space have blue insulation sheathing board on them. Probably made the pre-purchase termite inspection more difficult, but I would also think that a pest control specialist encounters insulated foundation walls often and so knows how to still check for mud tubes running between the sheathing board and the blocks.

They should stop the insulation board or crawl space wall covering 4" from the top to allow for termite inspection.

For block foundations they should build it in a certain way so the termites cannot make a mud tube inside the block. I forget the methods, but there are some accepted methods.
 
Originally Posted by LoneRanger
Originally Posted by Reddy45
You've had a lot of issues with your new house right?


Some issues. But the place passed all the pre-purchase inspections, and it's not that old built in 2003. The company that did the pre-purchase termite and wood destroying insects inspection in December is a smaller local/regional but is reputable and long standing.

Being that the suspect is a non-winged soldier termite, however, is not good. He didn't just blow in through an open window. He belongs to a colony somewhere close.

At the minimum, I expect to be buying a prevention treatment contract if no infestation is found. At the worst, a long standing infestation will be found and it's lawyer consultation time if it can be shown that an infestation was present before we bought it. We may have no case or we might have a case, but I'd def be buying an initial legal consult to know where we stand if that scenario unfolds.


I'm not sure about your state, but generally there's no such thing as "passing" an inspection. They only inspect what's visible. Usually with inspections, their liability is limited to the price of the inspection. Same deal with the house, it's always an as is purchase. You'd have to prove the owners knew about the termites and lied to you in order to get anything. Even if they were there and the owners didn't know, there's usually no liability.
 
Keep us updated. We are in central Indiana and termites are a fairly common thing here. We had a termite contract where they monitor sentricon stations but it got way too expensive plus I found that they were not checking each station every time they came out. I will monitor them now, at least I know I will open each one up.
 
Originally Posted by oldhp
Water board him and make him tell you where the colony is.


crackmeup2.gif
 
Originally Posted by Wolf359
I'm not sure about your state, but generally there's no such thing as "passing" an inspection. They only inspect what's visible. Usually with inspections, their liability is limited to the price of the inspection. Same deal with the house, it's always an as is purchase. You'd have to prove the owners knew about the termites and lied to you in order to get anything. Even if they were there and the owners didn't know, there's usually no liability.

Plan B = hit up the home warranty the sellers put on it.
 
I went to harbor freight and bought some cheap auger style long drill bit and a bunch of small funnels

Amazon has Taurus Sc same chemical as Termidor and also bait station for the yard. In the summer when it is dry I drill holes in the dirt all around the foundation, about 1 foot apart, stick in cheap funnels from harbor freight. Then mix 4 Gallons for every 10 feet and keep filling the funnels until it is gone.
While those funnels are draining, I drill the next 10 holes. I go under the house and do the same thing there. Do it every 10 years. I also treat any stumps same way. I put out some bait stations, and check them annually. You know It is working when you have no ants. You start seeing ants time to renew treatment. Actually past time. Same stuff they use for fleas.

Rod
 
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