Formosan Termites Entering The House !!!

[vulcanman]

Has this happened to anyone ?

Last night, I noticed formosan termites (wingless) falling down from our ceiling AC register and bathroom exhaust fan mount. I saw (and killed) about two dozen of these last night !

We have a big oak tree right next to the house.

This happened last year around this time, and our Termite control guy (we have a contract) came and inspected the house and said there was nothing to worry. He said its probably coming out of the tree ... but he never could explain how these things get into the house.

Our house is 12 yrs old and made of Vinyl siding. We are in the Southeast part of the US.

But I am worried ... for one thing, its creepy seeing these things falling down from those ceiling fixtures. I feel like we are starring in a Hitchcock film.

Anyone experienced this ?

 

[Rubycon]

You have reason to be concerned if you're seeing this. If there is sufficient moisture a secondary colony can exist within your dwelling and these guys can cause structure damage faster than any other species of termites!

 

[ElFenix]

a formosan terminte popped out of your air conditioner?

 

[Modeps]

We had swarmers in our house two years ago... called Terminix, they treated the house... we haven't seen anything since. That being said, pro termite treatment isnt cheap but at least there's no bugs eating the wood.

 

[vulcanman]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
a formosan terminte popped out of your air conditioner?

I don't believe they are coming through the AC duct ... but rather crawling out from the slight opening where the duct makes contact with the ceiling drywall.

 

[vulcanman]

Originally posted by: Modeps
We had swarmers in our house two years ago... called Terminix, they treated the house... we haven't seen anything since. That being said, pro termite treatment isnt cheap but at least there's no bugs eating the wood.

Well the thing is ... we have NEVER seen a winged swarmer. I am told a winged swarmer is an indication of infestation inside the home. But that still does not answer how these things make their way in.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: vulcanman

Originally posted by: Modeps
We had swarmers in our house two years ago... called Terminix, they treated the house... we haven't seen anything since. That being said, pro termite treatment isnt cheap but at least there's no bugs eating the wood.

Well the thing is ... we have NEVER seen a winged swarmer. I am told a winged swarmer is an indication of infestation inside the home. But that still does not answer how these things make their way in.

Best bet is to call a pro immediately and have them take a look.

 

[Rubycon]

They can get in through the tiniest cracks. If you have an active colony nearby workers can get into your house looking for food (wood). If there is sufficient moisture a secondary colony can be established or they will build tubes out of mud. A good barrier treatment will prevent this, however. Those (workers) cannot survive without moisture for long so it does not sound like this will just go away on its own. If they are coming in around a vent/register you may want to remove it and see if you can find any signs of activity.

 

[E equals MC2]

Okay time to take action. Your home is too $$$ to risk this.

Call Terminix (sp). They do free home-visit inspection. My dad had one done.

 

[oddyager]

My folks had an infestation recently as well. Disgusting to say the least. We traced the termites to their hive and found a good 20 foot section of an unused support beam (we had treated wood reinforce that area and wanted to remove the beam but for some reason forgot about it) filled with them. We tore it down and burned it in the backyard so hopefully that was it. Gut feeling we'll need to call in the pros one way or another...