Termite solution for new doors

Expat13

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Jun 7, 2008
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My new condo has "roble" doors which I believe is oak. Anyway, I see some signs of termites at the bottom of one. My fumigator says his system may not control this so any other products or solutions to nip this in the bud?
 

drdirectional

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Aug 6, 2011
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Are you sure they are termites? Termites don't normally go for oak, its too hard. Sounds more like wood worm. Is there dust on the floor? Woodworm is very hard to get rid of. Most often its best to throw away the infected piece before it spreads. There are chemical treatments out there but it will probably have to be applied several times and its never guaranteed to work. Ask a couple different fumigators.
 

Expat13

Silver
Jun 7, 2008
3,255
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48
Are you sure they are termites? Termites don't normally go for oak, its too hard. Sounds more like wood worm. Is there dust on the floor? Woodworm is very hard to get rid of. Most often its best to throw away the infected piece before it spreads. There are chemical treatments out there but it will probably have to be applied several times and its never guaranteed to work. Ask a couple different fumigators.

Yes could be the wood worms. Where and what product do I buy for this?
 

drdirectional

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Aug 6, 2011
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Million dollar question! I would first ask a few other fumigators if they have commercial products with them, you can also buy online. Try a google search for woodworm treatment there are plenty of chemicals you can order. Ive never seen them in any ferreterias in my area however quite possible to find it in Santo Domingo or Santiago. Ive never had the woodworm problem but have had to deal with massive termite infestation. It was not cheap and involved drilling holes in the floors and walls and injecting pressurized chemicals. From stories Ive heard about the woodworm most people end up tossing the infected piece. You said your condo is new, maybe you have a warranty with the developer to have the door replaced or treated at his expense.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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Mahogany (caoba) or at least a type of caoba that the door to my house im Miami was made of was seriously eaten by those critters here in FL. The previous owner told me it was caoba, and it had a mahogany smell when I sanded it. In any case, I bought a new door, also caoba and spent a week applying a whole quart of anti bug stuff to it. That was 20 years ago. There are several types of mahogany, maybe some are more resistant than others. The stuff I applied to it smelled very potent. I stood the door on its end and sides so the stuff could sink in well. Lamentably, I do not recall what the name of the product was. It smelled like MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), so I imagine that was the solvent used. Odds are you could remove your door, treat it and replace it, but you would want a replacement door while you were treating it.