We are building a home and want to treat our studs prior to drywall.
2006-08-17 04:17:35 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
This may be an occasion where it is more cost-effective to hire a professional. They will have access to more potent products and they will know what is permitted for use in your area and what is most effective for the kinds of termites that might invade your home. Here are a couple of links that might help.
2006-08-17 04:30:35 · answer #1 · answered by just♪wondering 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best time to treat for termits is before the slab is poured. Termits come in through cracks or openings in the slab. For example the openings for sewer and gas lines. The next most common spot is around the outside of the slab. Keep in mind that termites need a path to the ground for moisture.
The best product I've found is called Surrender, termite poison. It's not readily available in all states, and you should use caution how and where you apply it. Around your slab, you should trench a couple of inches and pour a 1 percent solution into the trench. Then cover it. This stuff doesn't degrade in sunlight and will last a long time. I would not use it inside my home around food surface or around pets.
I have not personally done this, but if I had a home under constrution, I would paint the studs with the same 1 percent solution, and allow it to dry before the sheet rock was installed.
Also if you have access to the plumbing where it comes through the slab, you could pour some into the crack where the pipes come through the concrete.
Another product that may be easier to find is made by Spectracide, called Dursban. It is a good insecticide for both termites and roaches, and is not quite as nasty as the Surrender. You will probably have better luck finding this.
This product will degrade in light over time, so you will need to re-apply it. I use a 1/2 percent solution around baseboards, under sinks, and under appliances, and the only bugs I find are dead ones.
Again, I think you could trench around the slab, and apply around pipe openings, and on the stud surfaces before the sheetrock is applied.
One other thing you might consider, is asking a professional pest control company to give you a bid and see if they offer some type of lifetime or long term warranty. You may be able to roll the cost of the professional treatment into your mortgage. It might add only a couple of dollars to your mortgage.
2006-08-17 14:17:35 · answer #2 · answered by richard Alvarado 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hear copper sulfate is pretty good. Comes as a powder, and is DEADLY TOXIC when it's wet... not good for plants, insects, humans, or animals.
You'd have to soak it in water just so you can brush it on though, and once the termites find a spot that hasn't been treated, they might be able to eat the interior out of the boards. Plus, if there's a leak, you might be killing yourself.
I'd get pre-treated studs, or at least buy a professional brand of termite treatment, which will have similar drawbacks to the method I already mentioned... hence pre-treated studs, which are impregnated with the chemicals specifically designed to get rid of termites would be best.
2006-08-17 14:09:58 · answer #3 · answered by ye_river_xiv 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The main thing is, keep it dry. Termites love wet wood. If you are building on concrete, put down a moisture barrier before you put down the bottom plate. A half inch of Boric Acid on top of the bottom plate just before the drywall install should take care of the termites and any other creepy critter, but it is absolutely safe for humans and pets. Hope this helps
2006-08-17 11:37:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can use Copper Naphthenate. But the label says outdoor use only. The smell is overwhelming. It's the same chemical they use in pressure treated wood. It will be a termite repelant. And will kill termites if they eat the coated wood. This may not completely protect your home. The best thing to do is have periodic inspections by a licenced pest control company. It's good to protect your home, by why treat with chemicals if you don't have to?
2006-08-17 14:05:49 · answer #5 · answered by droolie_da_dog 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that would be a waste of ur time and good money.....termites come from the ground into ur house...they leave ur house every day and go back to the nest....what draws termites to ur house is moisture in the wood not the wood its self ( per my pest control company)....spend that money on making ur foundation well ventilated, 6 mil poly installed under house as vapor barrier, and getting on a goo yearly termite program.....
lic. gen. contractor
2006-08-17 12:33:05 · answer #6 · answered by bigg_dogg44 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here is an idea: If you see a termite call a pest control center. (and kill it)
2006-08-17 11:23:03 · answer #7 · answered by Professor Chris 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call in a professional.
2006-08-17 11:24:02 · answer #8 · answered by mytrollinid 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋