Fight termi(te)nators

Jagvir Goyal

After the completion of house and its occupation, a house builder is very particular about the appearance of the house. A door and window fitting, not functioning smoothly is got repaired immediately, a stain on the wall is noted and washed off at once and every nook and corner is kept spick and span. With the passage of time, the attention weakens, interest declines and lethargy creeps in. In a few years, the house loses its new and fresh look and this is the time when dangerous and damaging “infiltrators”  enter the scene. Cracks, rust, seepage, mold are some of the key damaging factors for a built-up structure. But the most dangerous, dreaded and irritating one is the termite infestation. A householder has to be extra vigilant to trace these and take remdial measures quickly. 

Termite is a highly intelligent insect that attacks silently and moves under cover. Unless you are extremely watchful, you come to know of its existence only when it has already destroyed some of the best provisions in the house. Indians are wood lovers and termites feed on wood. 

Where to look? 

Examine the bottom of wood chowkhats (frames) carefully. Examine each and every wooden door and window frame with equal attention. Look for loose soil particles at the foot of door frames and bottom joints of window frames. Sharply knock at the bottom and vertical members of window frames and vertical members of door chowkhats. All should be solid. If any one of these sounds hollow, then there is chance that it is under attack. If you’ll sharply tap a member that has been eaten by termites, its surface, smartly left untouched will crumble into dust in your hand. 

Cupboards: Examine the gap between the bottommost shelf of wooden cupboards and the floor below by throwing good light in this space. Normally, a two inch gap is left there. If termites have travelled from the wall or floor to wood, you’ll notice the signs of termites in the gap.  

Similarly, check this gap in the kitchen also. Examine the junction of walls and ceiling in each room and see that no termite dust is emerging from any corner. Many find it amazing to find termites travel to ceilings. This is possible as sometimes the soil put on top of the RCC slab before laying tiles or stone terrace is “infected”. So, at the time of construction pay attention to where the soil is being sourced from.

Treatment

In case any signs of termite colonies are noted, immediately call the local agency for termite treatment and ask them to give a treatment to the affected area. Attacked wood pieces should be removed and disposed off as these may be infested and using them anywhere else may prove risky. Ask the termite treatment people to drill holes around the affected area and inject anti-termite solution through them. Replace the affected pieces with new ones. Give treatment to open areas in front and back of the house. If the house has not been built on the adjacent plot, apply anti-termite solution throughout along the side wall of the house.

— The writer is former HoD and Engineer-in-Chief, Civil Engineering Department in a Punjab PSU