Termites Subterranean
How do I know if I have them?

On a pier and beam foundation, one that you can crawl under: Crawl under the house and look for a dirt looking tube against the beam or piers. Imagine a wooden pencil cut in half with the lead removed and changed to dirt. It is really not dirt, but the droppings of termites. They must have a high humidity and a temperature environment as close to 70 degrees as possible. This tube accomplishes this. The worker termite commutes between the nest in the ground, probably was a tree stump at one time and a source of cellulose. Break any tube that you see, there should be tiny white critters that look like larvae. These guys are the termite workers that eat the wood. They return to the nest, regurgitate what they have eaten and feed it to the queen and the real larvae. There is usually a covering over the outside of the beam that makes outside visible inspection impossible.
On a slab type foundation, clear the dirt and debris away from the edge of the slab. You will probably break any tube that may be on the edge of the slab. It is best if you clear the dirt away with a knife blade, rather than a hoe. With a knife you may feel the tunnel before or as you break it. Keep an eye on the dirt as you dig it away, you may see the worker termites as you are digging. I carry a Leatherman tool on my belt to use for digging. If you don’t see any coming over the slab, go back and inspect it another day, it is normal for termites to rebuild the tunnel overnight. There are probably some in the house, they must get back to the ground, nest. Go inside the house, look at the ceiling wall joints, look for the tunnel that you were looking for outside. The termites eat the paper from sheetrock. I have seen paint falling from the wall because the paper that had held it was gone. Look in particular on outside walls, walls on crack in the slab, additions and bathrooms particularly around the bath tub faucets. There is usually a square of concrete, about 12”, missing from the slab. The trap to the bathtub is in this hole, direct access to the ground, unseen, undisturbed. In the spring it is normal, if there are termites in this area, for termites to swarm out of these walls. That is, some workers grow wings and fly (swarm) out of the wall. They are looking for another source of cellulose, dirt, etc to further propagate the species. In about three years this nest will be ready to swarm. If you own a home and care about it, you should follow the above information at least three or four times a year.
The only sure way to protect your home from termite infestation is to treat the wood with borate. Few pest control companies can do this. Probably less than one percent of pest control operators attempt this treatment. The only borates available, in the past, were difficult to dissolve in water. Those that would dissolve in water had antifreeze with them to help in this process. ESP has over the last ten years devised a method of dissolving the borate so that it will penetrate into four two by sixes screwed together. We are now ready to make this process available to Pest Control Operators. The reason that we are doing this is that few homeowners have the equipment to mix and apply the borate. We spray a complete structure as the building is being built, at dried in. This will protect the building against all termites, not just subterranean. Along the coasts, there are Drywood Termites and the most voracious of all, the Formosan Termite. The Formosan is ten times more prolific and much larger than its cousins. Our borate is labeled as a termiticide, insecticide and fungicide. Molds and wood rot are prevented and/or remediated with this treatment.
Chlordane was removed from the market in 1989. This poison has not only affected termites, but has been responsible for making many chemical sensitive persons life HELL. This poison is now becoming inactive as far as termites are concerned. It can still affect multiple chemical sensitive persons. Most termiticides available since then only have a life of 5-7 years. Borates will be effective as long as it is not exposed to continuous running water. If it is leached from the wall, it would likely be infested with mold. After this is remediated it could be retreated as the wall would most likely be opened to remove infested building materials. Stainless steel screen in and on the slab or traps for the termites installed in the yard will not protect your home as well as borate will.