Tag Archives: termite treatment

Termites, Lumber “Extras” and a new Kit

This Wednesday the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about subterranean termites eating the posts, the best resource to acquire commodity items like OSB, and providing a kit sized 16′ x 32′ x 10 height.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: What do you do about subterranean termites eating the posts.? Where I’m at they eat treated lumber. DAN in FRAZIER PARK

DEAR DAN: Inorganic arsenic based pressure preservative treatments are toxic to any type of termite. Even so, a pre-construction termite treatment should be done (read more here: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/09/pre-construction-termite-treatment/), as termites will build around poisonous wood in order to get to materials they may find as more pleasing to their palates. If you are seeing termites eating treated lumber, it is due to non-arsenic based treatments.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Are you able to supply the osb 7/16 sheathing boards the insulation foam boards and interior wall lumber boards to my order if I purchase the custom design package deal to up grade and custom my order. RAFAEL in ANTIOCH

DEAR RAFAEL: Thank you for your continued interest in a new Hansen Pole Building. All of those items are considered ‘commodity’ items and while we can provide them, our clients typically have found it more practical to acquire them from vendors such as your nearby The Home Depot.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Could you provide a kit 16′ x 32′ x 10 height? ROBERT in GASTONIA

DEAR ROBERT: We can provide any dimensions up to 100 foot clearspan width, lengths only limited by your property and heights up to 40 foot sidewalls or three stories (50 foot sidewalls and four stories with fire suppression sprinklers). Depending upon how you will be using your new building, multiples of six feet in width and 12 feet in length are usually your most cost effective.

Post Too Deep, Termite Treatment, and Column Treatment

This week Mike the Pole Barn Guru answers reader questions about adding length to endwall post set too deep into ground in order to attach to end trusses, how to best prevent termites after slab and skirt have been poured, and if a UC-4B treatment would suffice on a “half wall” RV storage unit.

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: If you put couple of the laminated post too deep on an end wall can they be added upon to make them work and still be strong enough? A stupid rookie mistake on me. ALAN in KELSO

DEAR ALAN: Provided they are not corner columns, it might be possible, however would require engineering approval in order to do so. Engineer will need to know how far below end truss top(s) of columns will be.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: Hi. I forgot to put termite treatment on the pad before building my 40×60 in Maryland. I now have 5″ concrete floor on inside and a 3 foot concrete skirt around the outside. My pad was crushed concrete aggregate and I have 2 foot round concrete footers around the poles. Would you recommend doing a typical treatment of drilling 6 inches from the wall and down 18 inches to fill w liquid or could i put the liquid on the outside of the 3 foot skirt? I’m assuming better to do this on the outside of building than on inside, agree? JAVO in PRINCE FREDERICK

termitesDEAR JAVO: I have, for better or worse, always lived in pretty much “The Great White North”, where termites are never a problem. In termite prone locales, pre-construction treatment is obviously a best case scenario (for extended reading: https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2019/09/pre-construction-termite-treatment/). In your circumstance, it would be best for me to defer and direct you to your local pest control experts, as they will know what best will meet your needs.

 

DEAR POLE BARN GURU: I am building a post frame pole barn with half walls to store an RV. I am planning on using 6×6 UC4B (CCA) posts suspended in a concrete footing/collar. They bottoms of the posts (gravel floor) will be exposed to weather (North Alabama) during blowing rain. My question is would a post protector or post sleeve be necessary or beneficial to protect against rot? And if so would a post protector need a weep hole with washed stone in this scenario? BENJAMIN in CHEROKEE

DEAR BENJAMIN: As long as you are using UC-4B rated treated timbers, and maintain proper termite treatments to your soil, rot should never be an issue. Half-walls can be problematic, as they do not allow for transfer of wind shear forces through siding to ground. You will want to make certain to build from engineer sealed site specific plans to ensure structural adequacy.

Termites in Your Pole Barn

Even the best of pressure preservative treatment chemicals are not going to entirely eliminate the possibility of termite infestations. No, the termites are probably not going to touch the pressure treated materials, but usually building owners are unwilling to invest in all pressure treated wood for their pole buildings.

So, what to do with the nasty things?

A product called Termidor, which is a very effective for subterranean termites, should be used. Termidor is a brand name under which BASF sells the product known as Fipronil. Termidor is used as a barrier treatment for termites. The product is used to apply a barrier to prevent termites from attacking structural wood. Termidor does not repel termites. Instead, termites enter the treated area and receive a lethal dose of the insecticide. Termites contaminated with the chemical can transfer the insecticide to other termites. Thus termites that never came in contact with the treated surface will die.

Dig a trench around the perimeter of your pole barn. Using a small shovel, remove the surrounding soil until you have created a trench approximately six inches deep and six inches wide.

Pour five gallons of water into a bucket. Add four fluid ounces Termidor Suspended Concentrate and mix well. Transfer the solution to the trench. Use one bucket of termite treatment for every 10 feet of trench. For example, for a pole building 20 feet long, two buckets of Termidor will need to be poured into the trench on this side.

Cover the trenches once they have been flooded with Termidor solution. Scoop the dirt back into the channel and gently pat down with the back of the shovel, pushing it into the termite treatment. This fresh soil should soak up any remaining Termidor. If there is no standing liquid once the trench is backfilled, add more Termidor solution to ensure complete coverage.

Treat any adjacent structures in a similar manner for the greatest overall effect. However, if the building rests on a concrete slab which lies against the foundation of the pole building, the solution needs to be applied beneath the concrete. Using a power drill and a ½ inch drill bit, drill holes 10 to 12 inches apart and approximately 4 inches away from the wall. To ensure the optimum absorption rate, use a bit at least 12 inches long.

Apply the Termidor in the same quantities as before, using one bucket of mixed solution for every 10 feet. Insert a large funnel into the holes and slowly decant the solution into the funnel, allowing adequate time for the treatment to be absorbed by the surrounding soil. Seal the holes with a cement patching kit or polyfill once the application is complete.

Termidor should only be used outdoors. It can take up to 90 days for Termidor to take full effect.

If dry wood termites are present inside the pole barn TIM-BOR® Professional Solution should be used. Two applications of a 10% liquid solution are normally required.  Apply TIM-BOR®  Professional  solutions  by  brush  or  spray  at the  rate  of  5  gallons  of  liquid  solution  per  1000  square  feet  of wood surface  area, thoroughly  wetting  wood  surface  area.

Keep these and all chemicals out of reach of children. They may be fatal if ingested or inhaled in sufficient quantities. Additionally, it is possible to absorb toxic amounts through the skin. When applying, wear a long sleeved shirt, full-length trousers, gloves, goggles and a protective face mask.