Huge Termite Nests found in Garden! What to do?

[meanwhile]

We used old poplar wood beams to build raised beds. We found two very big nests of Termites. Some are swarming. I don't want to use chemicals since that will ruin the garden! But....I have to do something. Also, the garden where the Termites are is right next to my house and it is wood and not treated for termite either.

Any suggestions? Will boric acid kill them?

Should I pull the wood beams out of the garden and burn them.....oh I would hate to do that but I cannot have the termites get in my house.......

[gobug]

Boric acid will kill the garden and last forever. If you exposed the actual nests, you could use boiling water. Bust the nests open. My thought is if you exposed 2, there are many more. The termites will be a risk to your home regardless of what you do with the existing wood beams. You need a long term strategy to deal with them.
Gary

[Danaus29]

Get the termite bait stations they sell at Lowes. If you are dealing with subterranean termites the only way to kill the colony is to get poison to the queen which is hiding way down deep under the ground. With the bait the workers will carry her the poison and feed it to her, killing the whole colony.

[MO_cows]

Call in a pest control expert. We tried the "do it yourself" bait stations and they didn't work. More damage done, costing more money, by the time we figured that out.

[meanwhile]

Thanks - when I arrived home (the boys had called me to tell of the discovery) the boys had already made a mess spraying the nests with yellow jacket spray........which of course did nothing. We are calling the Termite man and will see what he says. I do not want all that stuff poured around my house or garden so I will have to just see what options we have. Thanks.

[geo in mi]

Originally Posted by gobug

Boric acid will kill the garden and last forever. If you exposed the actual nests, you could use boiling water. Bust the nests open. My thought is if you exposed 2, there are many more. The termites will be a risk to your home regardless of what you do with the existing wood beams. You need a long term strategy to deal with them.
Gary

OMRI allows boric acid for structural insect control, as long as it does not come into direct contact with any food item that is to be considered organic. This is because it is a synthetic. In the natural form, borax is allowed as a soil ammendment or fertilizer to correct boron deficiency. Of course you wouldn't want to sprinkle Terro(which contains boric acid crystals as the main ingredient) all over your active garden spot, but it slowly oxidizes over time. The chemical formula is H3BO3

http://chemicalland21.com/industrial...RIC%20ACID.htm

Basically, anywhere you have wet wood, you have termites as a very natural part of the environment. No need for 'termite panic'. Learn how to do a visual inspection of your home, eliminate rotting woodpiles and old barn beams used as bunkers, and you're good to go.... And call in the exterminator if you need one for your home.

geo

[gobug]

geo is correct. The link about boric acid is a good one.

Baits do not kill an entire colony. It may eliminate one squadron of termites assigned to forage for food in the area with a bait. It can take a while and require continued effort. With an exterminator you get a contract for multiple visits each year and multiple bait stations.

Nissus makes a variety of boric acid products. BoraCare is one which will be absorbed by the wood and penetrate far enough to give some long term protection. By "some", I mean that your ability to apply a thin layer requires access to the wood surface. If I were building a new structure, I would treat all the wooden materials prior to assembly. This would be cheap and quick. It would be very different in an old structure. Especially in a termite heaven.

In CO the dept of Ag licenses all pest controllers. I don't know who does that in your state, but they are a great resource for you. Call the EPA and they will tell you who they interface with in your area. You will be able to get excellent information regarding your specific area.

Moisture is a significant issue. New house versus old house still effects the effort and cost. Plumbing and septic are pathways for the termites. Wood should be kept off dirt.

Add to the scenario your landscape. Where the surface moisture runs does impact other termite issues. This would include roof runoff, as well as property slope, trees (especially old stumps), cisterns, wells....

Good luck.
Gary

[meanwhile]

Thank you for the link. I appreciate it. Today we did decide to use Boric Acid and I took it and applied in the large cracks (in the beams used to build the raised beds) just enough to filter down in the cracks. This way I will not have the Boric Acid directly in the planting bed. I covered each section with wire or wire racks "just in case" to keep the cats from licking at it.......not sure that they would but "just in case" we covered it up......and now we will just watch and see what happens.

We do already have those Terminex thing-a-ma-jigs that they set in the ground and the man said there are no Termites in those and so the house is OK. He said it is all my "fault" since we use wood chips extensively in the yards and gardens (tons and tons and dump trucks full every year!) and that I should burn up all the fire wood in the wood sheds.....burn up all the beams in all four gardens.......burn up all the Locust Logs used for bank erosion control........just burn up all the wood in sight..........I declined to do so......and hence the Boric Acid in the cracks......and we will just see what happens.

Thank you very much everyone.

[salmonslayer91]

iwouldnt burn it all either especially since it isnt a really huge problem yet and now that you have caught it in time you "should" be able to maintain the population.

"burn it, burn it all"
"uhhhh are you kidding me?"