In termite treatment, why do they have to drill into the concrete slab foundation of my house?
The last I heard, termites eat wood not concrete! Yet the termite treatment company wants permission to drill into the concrete slab on which my house sits. Why? I haven’t got a successful answer to this.
Filed under: Alternative Medicine
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Here is what your slab looks like before building… http://www.arrow-pestcontrol.com/SLAB.JPG Where all those plumbing areas penetrate the slab there is potential for termite entrance into the home. Here is a close up of some plumbing….you can see where the insulation around the copper has created a tunnel for termite access. http://www.arrow-pestcontrol.com/slab_pipe.JPG
here are some other areas of the home they will probably want to drill http://www.arrow-pestcontrol.com/linda_b.htm
For what it’s worth…if you use a company that treats with termidor they can cut down on where they need to drill to just the areas of activity and you will still have better protection than the protection given with other liquid products where it is mandatory to treat every plumbing penetration
I would call other termite companies and ask them what their procedures are to treat termites and then ask what theyre tryin to do to your house is something that is advisable but call around atleast to 2 or 3 diff companies and see waht they tell you.
termites live in the soil- treatment needs to be added to the soil, NOT the wood.
In order to properly treat for termites they will spray the soil around the house AND drill thru the concrete slab to add pesticide to the soil at the footing level. They are not treating the wood or the concrete. In new construction, the treatment in applied to the soil prior to pouring the slab. Drilling thru the slab is not unusual in situations like yours.
Depending on the level of damage you may also need to replace your sill plate with a treated lumber- this can be done, small sections at a time.
They need to get below the foundation to treat the soil between the house and the bedrock. This area is typically central to the termite nest.