Termites

[Rob]

I am in the process of replacing a small section of plywood floor in the rear bath. Had some dry rot from leaks. The rest of the floor in the trailer seems solid.
Unfortunately I found evidence of termites.
Has anyone delt with this problem? What is the best treatment?

[BobbyW]

I found Termites living in my Globetrotter when I removed my floor. They were still chewing away on the floor. the Gulf coast is notorious for termites.

Here is a very informative link that I found;

http://www.epestsupply.com/drywood_termites.htm

-BobbyWright

[j54mark]

I think if it were my trailer, I would try penetrating epoxy. Rot Doctor (http://www.rotdoctor.com/) has extremely good penetrating powers. It will also seal up the areas where they have worked.

Failing that, I would see if somebody would fumigate it.

Mark

[Rob]

Thanks for the advise guys. I went with the glue 'em suggestion.

I called Rot Doctor. They were very helpfull and knowledgable. I ordered a gallon of the stuff and it was easy to apply and I'm happy with the results.

I would recommend Rot doc. for those areas on the subfloor that appear to have have some water damage. Believe me, I learned that if you can see a little damage on top it's probably worse under the surface.

Rob

[68 Suburban]

Rob, How much coverage did you get with that 1 gallon?

[Rob]

I could have used about another quart. I just used less in areas where the floor was in good shape.
The product really penitrates well so you could use 2 gallons on a 25' trailer with a floor in poor condition. The damage on my floor was in the rear bath area and in a few spots under windows.

I was really impressed by the Rot Dr. product. I used a small bottle of another brand and didn't like it at all. It didn't penitrate well and required drilling holes in the wood to get it to the bad areas.

Rot Dr. was really easy to work with. I highly recommend using a quality resperator though. When the product is curring the smell is really strong. I used one but when I was finished I took it off and about fell over from the smell.

Rob

[Jim Clark]

Originally posted by Rob

Unfortunately I found evidence of termites.
Has anyone delt with this problem? What is the best treatment?

I live in New Orleans and we have the worst termite infestation in the nation. I am currently arranging to have some rental property demolished because it is damaged beyond repair by termites.

Termites need water to live. Repair all your leaks. Most termites return to the ground for water, they construct a mud tube from the structure to the ground as they run from light. In a trailer they have only a few place to do this so move the trailer and check all your ground contact points. Treat the infested area with a termercide. More than likely the queen is in a nest in the ground or a infested tree. As long as you don't have a secondary nest ( Another Queen ) in your trailer you should be ok. BTW a queen termite is one of the worst looking creatures you will see. I had one for a pet for awhile.

BTW the area where the house I am tearing down is located will become a swimming pool with my Globetrotter as the pool house.

[BobbyW]

Good advice Jim. Sorry to hear about the rental property.

Something else I picked up a few years ago is not to park a trailer or boat directly on the dirt. Instead get several 12 X 24 X 4"concrete foundation blocks and park the wheels and hitch on these. This way when mowing the lawn or just a quick check on a regular basis for the evidence of termites traveling up the blocks helps. Also just spreading a little insecticide granules around the blocks keeps the bugs out.

-BobbyWright