Termites in Dallas

[Frank the Tank]

Anyone have any experience with termites? We have noticed some ant like bugs in out bathtub and a tree in front of our house looks like it has been attacked by termites. Is this going to be real expensive? Is it usually covered by homeowners insurance?

 

[utahorn]

I live in Arlington and pay $170.00 per year for a 2000 sq. ft. house, our fence and a 144 sq. ft. shed.

If you see small dirt mounds going up the side of your house (I have one part that has a wooden exposure), you probably have termites. Also, look behind the washer, dryer, and fridge. I never noticed termites on my trees.

This was not covered by our insurance but we had been in the house for 15 years before noticing the termites. If we had bought additional insurance upfront, it might have been covered so check with your insurer.

 

[Frank the Tank]

No dirt mounds that I have seen, Hopefully I am wrong. We are having DFWpest come out and give us a free estimate. Hopefully they will say that we are crazy.

 

[badexcuse]

Frank - check out this link. Couple of things - odds are what you've found in the tub are termites. It is swarming season, and they'll get in the attack and fall from the bathroom vents. Fairly predominant in N TX. Good luck.Termites

 

[Frank the Tank]

WHat I found in the tub was carpenter ants. But the tree in front is infested with termites. He thought the house was ok though. Now it is time to tell the neighbor that he needs to have his tree removed. It is on his property but hangs over my yard providing most of our shade, should be a fun conversation.

Anyone know anything about carpenter ants?

 

[wolfman]

Carpenter ants can be as destructive as termites. Have a n exterminator kill them as soon as possible. They will eat the wood in your house. I had some a few years back. They pest control guy treated the house with granules 3 or 4 times before they were wiped out. They put the granules into the interior walls of the house, in most cases by removing electrical socket covers and putting the granules in there. It seems like the treatment was around $150. Not cheap, but a lot cheaper than termite treatments.

 

[badexcuse]

carpenter ants are almost as destructive as termites, but they're much easier to get rid of. The problem you're likely to have with the tree is that those termites are going to move elsewhere, and it could potentially be your house. Damn things are like fire ants, you don't get rid of them, you just relocate them.