Billy from Kenney Illinois writes
My home was built in 1923 and has a full basement with brick walls. I started removing some wood walls and noticed live termites where one of the wood walls was attached to the brick. The termites were entering right where the brick wall meet the concrete floor through a cracked mortar joint. This entry point is aprox 4 feet below grade. I have ordered product to do a perimeter treatment of the house. Is there anything special I need to do in addition to the standard perimeter treatment since the termites are entering the basement so far below grade?
If you are doing a perimeter treatment and there is a basement below grade, then the recommended treatment would involve rodding in addition to the standard 6 in x 6 in trench. A professional company would use a long rod attached to a truck spray rig to inject more termiticide every 12 inches to a depth of at least 4 feet. Since a homeowner does not have those tools, you could use a hollow rod or pipe, or a long drill bit (18-24 inches) to help create space to force more termiticide into the ground, ideally at least what you would use for regular treatment, which averages about ½ gallon of solution every 12 inches.
Answer last updated on: 07/24/2018
