You can safely treat around the tree and in the exposed galleries to knock out the termites and save the tree. In fact, you will be doing the tree a big favor. Termites will readily take advantage of trees which have been weakened or under stress and can live just under their bark causing damage. Some trees seem to be immune to this behavior and in some regions there are plenty of dead trees to keep local termites satisfied but in some areas, live trees are readily infested and die much sooner than normal.

The easiest thing to do is get some of the Termidor featured in our Termite Control article and spray it over all the exposed bark where you either see termite mud tubes, galleries or damage. You can also spray or pour some around the tree base and let it seep into the soil. This will stop the infestation as explained in the article.

Our termite control article does cover a lot of information. But that's mostly because termite control can be tricky – especially to someone that hasn't done anything like this before. The good news is that with the products available today, you can do a good treatment with the right equipment and advice.

First, I suggest you review our article in close detail so you can determine if it's something you are willing to try. If you think you're willing to spend a few hours it will definitely save you a bunch of money. Most of our customers walk away very satisfied with the results once they learn how much getting it done professionally was going to cost compared to the amount of work they had to do. And if you have any questions along the way, we're just a phone call away at 1.800.877.7290. Our technical reps will be able to walk you through whatever is required for your home and between our telephone assistance and our web site, you should be able to tackle most any pest related problem including termites.

Termites do nothing but forage around looking for food and they typically do this under ground. Foundation walls which can run deep into the ground will many times cross paths with these foraging termites. Solid poured concrete walls won't let them enter but cinder block foundations are subject to cracks which can let them get inside. The good news is that if the wall is accessible from your unfinished basement, you can drill some holes through which you can pump some termiticide as explained in our termite control article.

Once you've got access holes, treat with Termidor and use the Foaming Tool to get the best coverage. And treat as much of the home as you can since once termites find a house, it's likely they'll enter at another location if the house isn't properly and thoroughly protected.