Termite Mitigation

[Luke Maddux]

I've been in the process of discussing a 15amp power point installation with my landlord for three months now. His latest in a string of concerns is that my woodworking activities will attract termites.

My workshop is on the concrete pad under my Queenslander style home. My spare timber is stored either on shelves or in a large stack which is raised up off of the floor using a couple of pieces of pine. Pretty much all of my timber is native Australian hardwood, with the exception of maybe 5%.

My question is, how can I convince my homeowner that my woodworking activities will not attract termites? The house is made of wood, so it is already susceptible, but what can I say or do that will help him rest at ease that this is not going to add to the potential for termite attraction?

Thanks a lot,
Luke

[Gabriel]

Not understanding the insects, but how about a compromise with him....
Look into how often a spray barrier works, and just to be sure, offer to update it 6 months before it's due?

I have no idea of the cost of such a thing, but it's an idea

Cheers
Gab

[kcam]

[QUOTE=
My workshop is on the concrete pad under my Queenslander style home. My spare timber is stored either on shelves or in a large stack which is raised up off of the floor using a couple of pieces of pine. Pretty much all of my timber is native Australian hardwood, with the exception of maybe 5%.
Thanks a lot,
Luke[/QUOTE]

Get rid of the pine supports, use steel only at least 100mm up....don't leave any timber on the concrete near any joints. I've had two white ant invasions from seemingly safe surrounds and they love pine.
If this does not satisfy your landlord I suggest that you negotiate for a professional inspection and advice in the presence of your landlord.
Good luck

[Kuffy]

my dad lives up at port stevens NSW. his house has "bait pits" (dunno what they are called). you are supposed to put something in there which the termites love to eat so they eat the bait instead of the house. you periodically check the baits to see if they have been eaten. if they have been eaten then its advised to bring pest control out and kill the bugs before they eat the house.

keeping in line with that theory..if you have a heap of timber lying around which will be used for future woodwork projects, you would effectively have bait blocks. the good part is that since you consistently use this material in woodwork, inspecting every last inch of the boards, you would quickly become aware that termites are moving in. termites are bad and do alot of damage...over time. but if you become aware of there presence early you can kill em before they have done any major damage.

so tell him that your woodworking activitys will have the house guarded by a termite guard dog, or he can rent the property to a lil old lady which will first find about the termites after the girder trusses begin to sag or break.

[snapper1]

Only yesterday we had a termite inspection , he said I was doing the right thing
All clear of floor and on steel racks and shelves
No common pine just a bit of huon ; celery top ect.
and keep an eye on it ,in particular near the walls ; do not leave it long term without looking , thats ok by me I am always scratching through it looking for the right or best piece for whatever I wish to do

[Thylacene]

No claims to expertise, and unsure whether termite behaviour is different around the country, but hard won experience working on a mates house.

Termites in the ACT like damp ground and dark. They also travel back to their nest. Where they need to traverse non-timber areas, they will either burrow through the ground or build "mud" tunnels. We found the nest in a tree three houses down the road by "following" the tunnels they had made. After we jacked up the roof and replaced the frames and the subfloor we monitored it for a week, and no sign of them. He does regular sub floor inspections these days. These termites are not the flying variety, they pose another set of challenges.

The advice we received was:

Do not use hollow stands or wooden legs to support timber unless there is an "ant cap" fitted. The caps do not stop them, it just makes it easier to identify that they are on the move.

Fit baits at regular intervals around the building, and use pine in them, and check them regularly.

Do not store timber on the ground, use racks with solid legs.

Don't allow garden trimmings to be piled up for extended periods.

Use french drains to divert water flow around rather than under the dwelling.

Treat sub-floor timbers and floor stumps with termite spray (available at Bunnings) and re-treat every couple of years.

So from this I would suggest that;

Fit some "traps", it is only a matter of digging them in.

Any timber stored for woodworking be on elevated racks, preferably metal.

Don't allow scrap and shavings to accumulate.

Maintain a clean workspace.

Get on the net and find some articles that back up the advice below, and have a discussion with the landlord. Agree to check the traps regularly and comit to storing your stock in a safe and responsible manner, and to not allowing waste/scrap to accumulate.

[Yanis]

Also note that termites hate the light so that if they do attack your wood they will make a "tunnel" from mud and saliva to get to any wood that is on your concrete floor. So if you make sure that the rack is clear from any walls, that is free standing then any termite tracks till be clearly visible.

Termite mitigation is the landlord's responsibility and as such he should be able to show you inspection certificates.

[rustynail]

I think your landlord is justified in his concerns. Wood attracts termites, the concrete slab offers them residency. Unless you are working with termite resistant timbers, without exception, the risk of invasion is always there.

[rrich]

Maybe American English is different. But what I think is that the homeowner is trying to say is, "I want to raise the rent."

[Bushmiller]

Luke

Most of the foregoing comments are relevant. The intoduction of any non resistant timber creates the potential for white ant attack. Not all termites like all species of timber. This is why some people have anecdotes of apparantly opposite experiences. I have seen them ignore and climb over softwood to reach hardwood and vice versa. Victoian Ash is eaten by them all!

The question is what to do about it. I would suggest to reassure your landlord you make sure you keep your store of timber up off the ground either on steel bearers or stumps with ant caps. I was looking at ant caps in bunnings recently and they were about $4. As Thylacene pointed out the caps bring them out into the open where they have to build overland tunnels.

Secondly, get some spray and spray around the bearers and stumps on a regular basis. I would suggest every three months. The bottle probably says six or twelve months, but as a measure of good faith with your landlord and the relatively small outlay I would go with the increased frequency. It also benefits you too or at least your stock of timber.

I can't recall the name of the product now but will have a look later on tonight. Our pest inspector saw the bottle sitting on the workbench and commented that was the stuff I needed for white ant control.

Regards
Paul

[malb]

Not really relevant to your situation, but down here in Vic our termites are extremely mobile and move very fast.

I have lived in Croydon North for 35 years, my grandfather, and uncle moved here in 1914, my father was born here in 1918, I was born in the next suburb while my parents lived here. Originally part of Lillydale shire, we were a known termite zone and council required appropriate precautions around buildings etc. Were hived of to form the Shire of Croydon in 1962, still a declared termite zone, became the City of Croydon, still a declared termite zone. We built in 1983, steel framed house on a concrete slab, cost of termite treatment for building over $700 on a $45000 house, no external timber below 2400mm height.

Got consumed by the formation of the City of Maroondah 20 odd years ago, termites magically disappeared overnight, there were no termites in the City of Maroondah (official doctrine from council). No termites, no termite treatment required, easy peasy, just after softwood frames gained almost total dominance. Thousands of houses and units built on softwood frames since, typically 3 years and there is a big flurry of activity, chippies doing inspections, pest exterminators doing inspections and treatments, chippies rebuilding typically two rooms of a house that have literally been eaten out.

About 10 years ago, the owners of a 3yo house 200m from the family property, and on the other side of a sealed road with kerb and channel had termite issues, usual 2 rooms to reframe etc, then come at me for the cost of repairs because their pest exterminator had tracked the termite tunnel to a 150 yo eucalypt on the family property. They were threatening merry hell through the courts etc, until I asked one simple question, 'What termite treatment was undertaken when you were building?' Response 'None, Not required (council info), no termites in Maroondah.' They were more than slightly shocked when I pulled out the building permit for our place which was conditional on termite treatment prior to commencement of construction, (pouring slab), and the certificate supplied by the pest controller certifying that the appropriate treatment had been undertaken. They walked away looking worried, never to be heard from again.

So it seems that termites can disappear overnight by council decree, but will slowly return to their happy hunting ground unnoticed.

[FenceFurniture]

Yes, I think a multi-pronged approach may be needed to win your LL over Luke.

Suspect rrich may just be on the money with all the hew and cry, leading to you keeping the peace by agreeing to a rent rise.

So, get it inspected with bugalugs there (as suggested) and he (and you of course) can hear what a professional has to say. It's to both your advantages.

Get a bottle of whatever the inspector suggests, follow the other suggestions in this thread, and argue logic (I know you'll do that). If the LL is still an unbeliever, then you can bet he wants more rent to acquiesce the hysteria. If that is the case then ask him how more rent will solve the problem (esp given that the prevention money has already been spent....by you).



....so tell him that your woodworking activitys will have the house guarded by a termite guard dog, Yes, I like this. Damnably logical.


.....or he can rent the property to a lil old lady which will first find about the termites after the girder trusses begin to sag or break.You mean her trusses and girder should still be in good nick?

[Kidbee]

If my memory serves me correct, I thought you were heading back to the USA.

[Luke Maddux]

If my memory serves me correct, I thought you were heading back to the USA.

I am, but that's over 18 months away minimum, and the machine (Sawstop Pro Cabinet) can be converted easily enough. Also considering getting a good combo machine and either selling or converting that when I move.

Life is too short to have crappy machines!

Not to mention I feel like, as it is, he is so worried about termites that he may shut me down altogether, which would be incredibly uncool.

Cheers,
Luke

[Bushmiller]

Luke

Sorry I didn't post this last night. Called "Out of Bounds."

358314

I bought it from a local farm supply store. The manufacturer is:

Barmac
82 Christensen Rd
Stapylton
4207

Tel (07) 3802 5050

I feel sure a call to them will tell you your nearest supplier. For your purposes you don't need any sophisticated spray gear, only a spray bottle. It is applied at a rate of 100:1 with water so this one litre bottle would last you for ever. I can't exactly recall the cost. About $35 to 40 I think, but probably cheap insurance with your landlord.

Here is a link to the blurb on the front of the bottle. Pages 12 & 13 are the relevant parts but you may have to "save" and then rotate them as they are upside down.

http://www.barmac.com.au/labels/Out%20of%20Bounds%2020L%20Termite%20Label%20and%20Booklet.pdf

This is not the only product available for this purpose.

Regards
Paul

[Pearo]

The guy who does my pest inspections, certifications and treatments always makes me create a minimum one inch space between the ground and anything timber (so you can see mud tunnels). His termite treatments (cant remember what product he uses) are good for 8 years, but my old Queenslander that I rent out has some timber on the ground out the back and that gets inspected and treated every 12 months..

[bsrlee]

If I read the initial post correctly, the landlord seems to be concerned that installing a 15 amp circuit will attract termites - you are already doing woodwork and storing timber without any problems.

Try telling him that having a 15 amp circuit installed will only increase the value of his property, ditto 415 volt power. Specially if you are paying for the installation.