Wood Destroying Pests

1. Wood Destroying Pests Riley County Extension Master Gardener Training Alan Ladd, Ph.D. Riley County Extension Director

2. Wood Destroying Pests • Carpenter Ants • Carpenter Bees • Termites

3. Carpenter Ants • Largest common ant • ¼” for an adult worker ant • ¾” for the queen • Do not eat wood, but excavate galleries to raise young

4. Carpenter Ants • Controls • Look in the lawn for the mounded nest • Sprays • Dursban • Malathion • Sevin • Inside the home • Sanitation • Spray with Dursban or Baygon

5. Carpenter Bees • Often mistaken for bumble bees • Carpenter bees are large, black and yellow in color with a black shiny tail section • Usually active during May and June • Found on decks, shed ceilings, wood siding, etc.

6. Carpenter Bees • Control • Painted wood may help reduce numbers. • Treat entrance holes with insecticidal dust such as Sevin. Poof the powder into the holes to kill adults and eggs that hatch later. • Seal holes with caulk immediately so that it will not be used by other bees in future years.

7. Termites Antennae not elbowed Two pair wings of equal length Eyes absent Waist thick Ants Antennae elbowed Two pair of unequal length Eyes present Waist thin Identifying Termites and Ants

9. Signs of Termite Activity • Swarming on side of house

10. Signs of Termite Activity • Mud Tubes - foundation wall

11. Signs of Termite Activity • Mud Tubes - tube “etching” on foundation walls

12. Signs of Termite Activity • Mud Tubes - tubes on interior wall

13. Cellulose based items Wood Paneling Sheetrock Paper Styrofoam Damage

14. Damage Amounts • 60,000 workers consume • A. One foot of 2’ X 4’ in one day? • B. One armful of wood in a week? • C. One foot of 2’ X 4’ in five months? • D. Entire house within one year?

15. Damage Amounts Answer • C. One foot of 2’ X 4’ in five months

16. Detecting Damage • Untreated foundation subfloor

17. Detecting Damage • Garage door frame

18. Termite Control • Do not panic • Professional inspection • Don’t make hasty decisions

19. Termite Treatments • Conventional • Baiting and Monitoring • Treatment Cost • Contract Maintenance

20. Conventional Treatment

21. Baiting and Monitoring • New in 1995 • Monitoring stations around perimeter of building • Termites eat on cellulose in tube • Replace cellulose with insect growth regulator

22. Baiting and Monitoring

23. Baiting and Monitoring • Useful for special concerns • Water wells • Cisterns • Extensive drilling through flooring, etc. • Heating & air conditioning ductwork located under/in a slab floor • Liquid treatment is not acceptable to homeowner

24. Chemicals Used Against Termites • Pyrethroid termiticides primarily repel termites. • Dragnet® • Demon TC® • Talstar® • Chlorpyrifos kills termites when they contact the treated soil. • Dursban® & Equity®

25. Chemicals Used Against Termites (cont’d) • “Non-repellent" termiticides kills termites more slowly after they come in contact with the chemical. • Phantom® • Premise® • Termidor®)

26. Barrier Sheets • Impasse™ System • relies on the pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin which is "locked in between" the two outer polymer sheets to stop termites

27. Barrier Blocker • Impasse™ Blocker • Coupler with lip to put around pipes entering the house to create a barrier

28. Non-Chemical Controls • Stainless Steel Mesh - Termi-mesh®

29. Non-Chemical Controls (cont’d) • Sand • 16 grit placed as a barrier • 4 inches deep X 20 feet out from foundation

30. Non-Chemical Controls (cont’d) • Stone - Granitgard® • too large and heavy for them to shift • too hard for them to dissolve with their saliva • too closely packed to provide a way through it

31. Yes Conventional Bait and Monitor Mesh May be too expensive compared to conventional and bait systems Limited use in Kansas Impasse New construction only No Sand Stone Do-it-yourselfer No nothing – not an option! Control Recommendations

32. Treatments For The Future? • USDA researchers have developed a new termiticide containing low concentrations of naphthalenic compounds (similar to mothballs). It is not on the market yet! • Can the same product be used for wood preservatives to replace heavy metals such as arsenic, chromium, and copper? Time (and research trials) will tell.

33. Questions and Answers

34. Thanks • “Termites,” K-State Research & Extension publication MF-722 • “Biology and Control of Subterranean Termites,” North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service publication ENT/rsc-21 • “Termite Baits,” North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service publication ENT/rsc-20