I have termites running through the main beam in my house. We cannot afford to have the house treated and we have wood beam ceilings in our house. Needless to say the droppings are falling all over the house. I was wondering if there was a non toxic way to eliminate these creatures from our beams without going to the great expense of hiring someone to do this for us…. I live in California and termites are common place here even after a house had been tented they usually come back… Any help would be appreciated and if you could cc your responses to Thbinx@aol.com I would appreciate it due to the fact that my computer is old and wont allow me to read this page at home. Thanks so very much Robin @–>—
I would get that professional quickly. You can’t afford to have your house eaten by termites. After they are done seal the wood. Ask the professional for guidance. Otherwise I would replace them with steel beams. Do a web search to determine why the termites come back in your area. It could be dampness. Check with professionals in another state they may offer a more permanent solution. Let us know what you find out. Good Luck.
I live in a “termite area” as well. We once thought we had termites (false alarm that time) and the inspection people advised that some of the old house (of which mine was one) were painted with a creosote substance that if left undisturbed protected the wood. Recently I was looking for large quantities of tung oil (for unrelated project). While discussing “my” situation with the guy at the paint store he suggested that the treatment of the wood might work as a deterrent to termite infestation. He was going to do some research on the topic. I have not had occasion to either talk to him or do any research. It is possible that you might be able to use that once you have gotten rid of the termites. Sometimes the infestation can be limited to certain boards. A professional can advise you on that topic. The inspection is often free. We have had very good experiences with companies we’ve called. They have given us advice for free when there was nothing to treat. I don’t feel they have attempted to hustle us at all. Good luck.