Do I need to pay for preventitive termite treatment?

[Ó Flannagáin]

My house is concrete on the bottom half then the upstairs is wood frame. The termite guy wants almost $400 to spray with a preventitive annual treatment. Is there somewhere I can buy this spray online and do it myself?

[zoebisch01]

Any home improvement store should have it for like under $20. Just follow the instructions.

[Ó Flannagáin]

Nice

Good thing is I don't have to worry about subterranean termites

[Evan!]

Nice

Good thing is I don't have to worry about subterranean termites

You still should be concerned about concrete termites. They can chew through a 4-6" slab-on-grade in under a month.

[Ó Flannagáin]

Shut the fuck up, no way. You're trollin'

[Ronthered]

Shut the fuck up, no way. You're trollin'

Wish he was, I have a slab and had an infestation

[Ó Flannagáin]

What kind of mother fucking creature eats concrete? Fuck all that.

[Lerxst]

Nice

Good thing is I don't have to worry about subterranean termites

They like those worm things in tremmors?

[Ó Flannagáin]

Kind of, the first house we put an offer on had them and luckily we got out of it. Those fuckers are a lot harder to stop because they come out of the damn ground.

[Lerxst]

Shit...if Alex P Keaton's dad couldn't stop them with that elephant gun, you're screwed!

[Evan!]

Fucking graboids...always fuckin with your day.

Nah, concrete mites are much smaller (~1/4-1/2" long) and burrow into concrete, causing it to crack...in addition to (obviously) breaching your underslab vapor barrier...which means vapor/water problems and possible slab failure, depending on how big the infestation is.

[Big_John]

I heard that you can use radishes to ward off termite infestations, but I don't remember how you apply them. I'll see if I can find the link for you.

[Ó Flannagáin]

Thanks john, ill google too

[zoebisch01]

Yeah they eat sheetrock too. My uncle had that happen there in FL iirc.

[Ronthered]

Yeah they eat sheetrock too. My uncle had that happen there in FL iirc.

Sheet rock? I always heard to have your bathrooms checked if you have Cement backer board..

[Evan!]

I've never heard of them eating gypsum wallboard, but the damage is usually very apparent by the time they've destroyed the slab, and by that time the homeowner has taken care of the problem.

[zoebisch01]

I'm just going by what he said. I think he had to replace an entire wall, iirc. They eat the cellulose in it.

[Evan!]

I'm just going by what he said. I think he had to replace an entire wall, iirc. They eat the cellulose in it.

You sure they were concrete mites?

[zoebisch01]

You sure they were concrete mites?

Never said they were concrete mites :o

[Evan!]

Never said they were concrete mites :o

Oh, you're talking about regular termites?

[zoebisch01]

Oh, you're talking about regular termites?

Yarg!

[Evan!]

Yarg!

I figured you were just jumping in on our elaborate "Concrete Mites" ruse, but I guess not. Ruses like that aren't as much fun in the age of google, anyway.

However, there ARE bees who burrow into mortar (http://www.google.com/search?q=mortar+bees&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a). My mom has them on her stone chimneys...so weird.

[zoebisch01]

I figured you were just jumping in on our elaborate "Concrete Mites" ruse, but I guess not. Ruses like that aren't as much fun in the age of google, anyway.

However, there ARE bees who burrow into mortar (http://www.google.com/search?q=mortar+bees&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a). My mom has them on her stone chimneys...so weird.

Those little suckers are built like tanks! Lookit the hind legs on that thing:

http://www.southribble.gov.uk/upload/public/docimages/Image/n/p/v/mortar%20bee%20(200%20x%20149).jpg

At any rate, good ruse. I didn't even stop to "google" it. I have seen some weird shit, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was something that eats concrete. They found those bacteria that eat metal or some shit and then the ones that live in pH < 3.

[No Fish]

Treat for termites. Even if you are on a slab with a concrete bottom, they just climb up the wall or find some other way in. I figure that they would find your house tasty. The right stuff will keep the ants and other pests out too.

If you ate more radishes, you would know this already.

[zoebisch01]

If you ate more radishes, you would know this already.

I know, right! Some people.

[Ó Flannagáin]

:(

You guys are scaring the shit out of me with concrete eating bugs and shit.

[DonkeyShoes]

Earwigs crawl into your brain through your ear at night and lay eggs...

[PseudoChef]

RE: Those fucking Bees - a useless anecdote:

An entire public playground/jungle gym thing that I used to take my daughter to had to be torn down about a year ago because those bees had burrowed in it and made a nest or something. It was wood though; that concrete shit is crazy.

[zoebisch01]

RE: Those fucking Bees - a useless anecdote:

An entire public playground/jungle gym thing that I used to take my daughter to had to be torn down about a year ago because those bees had burrowed in it and made a nest or something. It was wood though; that concrete shit is crazy.

Man we have those carpenter bees here. Those things can drill through wood like lightning! I was really amazed at how fast. I know this because the facia on parts of the house are painted pine and are now riddled with holes. The cat loves to eat them though. :D

[Evan!]

:(

You guys are scaring the shit out of me with concrete eating bugs and shit.

Nah, there are no bugs that eat concrete far as I know...but there are certainly bees that burrow into mortar. Dicks. My mom sprayed for 'em, but they're still there.