We have a post-and-rail fence dividing our backyard garden from the lawn (total of 8 posts). Termites have invaded the posts and even the rails. What would be the most efficient way to kill these pests?
B.J.
Termites will readily attack wood or other cellulose material which is both vulnerable and readily available. Fence posts buried in the ground are generally prime targets and should always be treated prior to installation or else termites will surely find them at some point in time. It sounds like that time has arrived for your fence but that doesn’t mean the fencing is all bad; just because you see termites it doesn’t mean there is significant damage. A good treatment when termites are first detected can many times keep them away for good and save the targeted wood from being replaced.
Ideally the soil should be treated prior to the fence poles being installed. If they’re already in the ground, you can usually treat them by removing some dirt around the base of the pole and loosening up the soil enough so a good liquid treatment will soak down to where the termites are gaining access. This means a good soil drenching will be required. Most labels like that on CYPER TC TERMITE CONCENTRATE will list 1.5 gallons of mixed product per foot of pole buried. So if the poles are 4 feet down, you’ll need to use 6 gallons of mixed product to get a good treatment in place.
For more information on how to treat around the home or other structures, refer to our TERMITE CONTROL ARTICLE which covers most of what you’ll need to know about this destructive pest. If you have more questions about termites, please give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 and one of our tech reps will be able to further assist.
Comments on termite problem in post and rail fence
guest @ 6:32 pm
We are replacing a few sections of the neighbors fence, sharing our back yard, and saw LIVE, crawling about, termites all in the rotting fence. Should I wait to remove the fence until the large trash pick-up in about three weeks so they can haul it right off or pull the fence now. It will lay in the front yard for three weeks waiting for big trash pickup. Next, should I treat the ground in some way? I absolutely cannot afford a professional. Do I treat before I move the fence? I don’t know if that will disturb them. The house, before I bought it, was treated for termites as one can see where the concrete spots are. My 19 year old son is capable but I don’t know where to start or which to do first. Thank you for your help.
admin @ 6:48 pm
@guest: If you read through our Termite Control Article, you’ll learn that what you’re seeing is basically a very insignificant amount of termites. In fact they are workers and yes they can cause damage but as you’ll learn, they’re very weak and susceptible to the open environment. Once the fence is removed from the ground, it’s only a matter of time before they all die. So if you wanted to remove these sections, you could, and leaving the fence out in the open won’t mean much because again, they’ll mostly die off within a few days. The only exception to this would be if they were somehow able to hide within the fence posts but even then, their chance of living once the posts are removed and transported will get less and less and basically is not really not a concern.
What is important is what you do prior to installing the new fence. As I see it, there are a few options. Believe it or not, the best would be to leave the fence there now and treat it, before you remove anything, so that all the termites currently active will be killed and depending on what product you use, there is even a chance of killing the main nest. That’s because of a product called Termidor which is very slow acting and designed to knock off nests of termites and other pests because of how it works. You can read more about it in our article.
The other option would be to use a more traditional product like Cypermethrin. By treating the ground around the posts you’d effectively be protecting the posts from further damage but this would not kill the nest which could prove important. Remember, as soon as the fence is removed, the nest is going to need an alternative food supply so as I see it, the Termidor is the way to go. Using this product is easy and it sounds like you have plenty of time to take care of the treatment before the fence needs to be carried away. And no doubt doing this yourself would save a bundle compared to hiring a service company.
Lastly, don’t forget the rest of the fence. If you’ve found activity in any part of the fence (which you’ve done), there is a strong chance of more activity someplace else. Because of this potential, I recommend treating as much of the fence as is possible so you don’t find yourself having to replace a lot more due to extensive damage found sometime in the future.
Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:
Termidor: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/termidor-sc-20-oz
You would need at least the gallon size on the following page:
Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin
Termite Control Article: https://www.termites-swarming.com/termite-control