Most homes that have problems with subterranean termites are fairly simple to fix. But, every now and then, we run across a case that no one has been able to solve. Termite Terry loves to take on tough cases and this month, we’re going to share a story of how he solved one of these mysteries.
One of Termite Terry’s favorite cases involved a home in Walnut. The homeowners showed him where the subterranean termites had eaten through the wall in the living room. This problem had been going on for years. They tried hiring several different termite companies to come out and perform termite treatments. However, none of them were successful because the termites never went away.
“Termite” Terry as Columbo
Termite Terry arrived at the scene, made a scale drawing of the home and started his investigation. There were no signs of termites anywhere except in the living room wall. So, he focused his attention in that area. The foundation area, located outside of the living room, was exposed and it was easy to see that no termites were coming up from there. So, he went inside to look further. With permission from the owners, he pulled up the carpet in the living room. The home had a solid concrete slab foundation and Termite Terry thought that maybe the termites were coming up through a crack. That lead went nowhere – there were no cracks and no signs of termites. Termite Terry was stumped and could feel the signs of a tension headache coming on. At this point, he just started staring at the house. Nothing seemed to make sense. There were no termites coming up from the exterior and there was no way for them to come up from the interior. Subterranean termites can’t just live in the wall the way that other types of termites can – they live in the ground and they have to come up into the home’s framework to eat the wood.
There was a window and sliding door at the rear of the living room. He checked those areas and once again, came up empty handed.
Termite Terry went back to look at the wall where the termites were living. There were no windows or doors in that area to inspect. But, then he looked further down the wall and noticed a fireplace.
There were no signs of termites around the fireplace on the inside. He even pulled up the carpet in that area to check and still found nothing. So, he decided to go outside and look further.
The chimney was attached to the outside of the house, about ten feet from where the termites were located. At first glance, there were no signs of termites around the chimney. However, after peeling back the metal flashing that was used to cover the gap between the chimney and the wall, Termite Terry found what he was looking for.
As it turned out, the subterranean termites were coming up between the exterior wall and fireplace. Apparently, no one else had bothered to look in this area or they would have known what to do.
These termites were treated by injecting materials directly into this crack, at the bottom of the chimney. The area was thoroughly drenched to ensure complete coverage. In addition, Termite Terry had the walls treated with a foam solution of the same product to ensure complete eradication.
Termite Terry said, “You know it’s kind of funny. You can treat a house all the way around the outside and inside, but if you miss the target, you’ll still have a problem. It’s kind of like someone pointing a gun at your foot; if they miss hitting your foot by an inch, you won’t feel anything. Subterranean termites are the same way; if you miss the target by an inch, they’ll just keep on coming.”
Have a problem with termites and need help?
Call us at (949) 631-7348 and we’ll be happy to schedule an appointment at your convenience.
