At some point or the other, we have all been victims of these tiny creatures called termites in our homes and even office. They eat away our favaourite and prized pieces of furniture and turn them into dust havens. While majority of plywood brands today come with termite proof qualities, it still somehow manages to rummage through and get to some of our other furniture and even wooden flooring. SURFACES REPORTER brought on board Mr. Punit Mehra, Sr Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Fevicol (Terminator) who advices on tracking termites and tackling them.
WHY ARE TERMITES SO DANGEROUS
Termites are regarded as detritivores, or detritus feeders. They feed on dead plants and trees as well as dead parts of living trees, including wood and wood in the soil. Thriving easily, even the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has attributed the termite infestation for large scale uprooting of trees during the recent events of small scale thunderstorms.
The ability of Termites to work unnoticed can lead you to be off your guard, but termites have a proven reputation for the vast devastation they are capable of causing. There is a very methodical manner in which termites go about their business, starting from the formation of colonies. And once a termite infestation has been identified, it can be difficult to determine how long the colony has been established in the home.
TYPES OF TERMITES
Classified into three groups – Damp wood Termites, Dry wood Termites and Subterranean Termites, they are capable of causing damage worth billions of dollars’ each year by eating away at the wood in homes, from roofs down to foundations.
The most destructive of the three are the Subterranean Termites who are capable of severely damaging timbers within a house in just three months! subterranean Termites form their homes in the soil where they are structured into colonies comprising king, queen, workers and soldiers. Through tunnel, they look for a food source and the moment they have access, there is no limit to the scale of damage they are capable of causing.
WHAT ALL IS AT RISK
Termites thrive in warm, moist and dark areas and a sight you would have witnessed during the monsoons is that of winged termites swarming around windows and doors. They are highly attracted to bulbs and other sources of light and are called reproductive termites. once a colony has matured, these reproductive termites fly out, discard their wings and after mating, they identify a new breeding site with the specific aim of creating another colony. In this organized manner, they spread infestations in numerous locations.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF TRACK A TERMITE HILL AT YOUR PLACE
If you come across a termite colony, never attempt to get rid of it by yourself as termites have the ability to quickly relocate to some other part of your home. Therefore, It is best to contact a licensed pest controller immediately in order to adopt the right form of eradication. It is important that such areas are pre treated with sufficient quantity of an anti termite solution so that termite attacks are prevented.
COST OF TERMITE TREATMENT
The coverage of terminator (FEVICOL) by brush application is Rs 200- 215 sq ft per litre per coat and the Cost of Terminator Wood Preservative (FEVICOL) is Rs 304 per litre.
SAVING YOUR WOODEN FLOOR FROM TERMITE DAMAGE
The wooden flooring are prone to termite infestation as it gets damaged due to termites which travel from ground soil to lift walls to the casing of electric wiring, telephone cables, utility pipes etc. to wood panels on walls and floorings. In case the wooden flooring is already infested, the entire flooring will have to be replaced and treatment of soil and individual flooring panels has to be done.
However, if your floor is lucky enough not to have been infested yet, the ground soil on which wood panels can be treated with Terminator structural Preservatives (FEVICOL). Similarly, the lower wooden panels resting on the ground also can be treated with two to three coats of Terminator Wood preservative (FEVICOL) to have an infestation free surface.