termite problems...anyone but me?

[wenjam]

Okay..I have lived in base housing for about 3 months. First there were the mosquitoes breeding under our house...which has been taken care of. NOW..we have flying termites coming into our house from under every window in our house...every night. So bad the past few nights, that it took me and my hubby 2 hours to vacuum them up. Called the "bug people" here on Kadena, and they say it is common for this time of year. But, to be in my house this bad?? Does anyone else have this problem? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Daniela]

Yup,
had the same problem when I was on Shields. Bug spray, let dry, vaccum, and wipe what ever is left over. I was in the 1500's house number btw.
Sorry don't know what else to tell you

[wenjam]

Bug spray won't kill them ...that is what I have been reading. The housing did not believe me when I said termites....she thought they were flying ants...DUH!!! big difference. They say they are attracted to light, so I guess I am going to have to live in the dark, and have lots and lots of candles.

[Daniela]

My company sells spray for termites. It's in the PX.

[wenjam]

They are supposed to come out and see if they can find the "nest" in our yard....if we can't find that, they will just keep coming back...the spray will only be temporary.

[DoctorP]

We had them bad in our old house. We still have them here, but not as bad. They are not the same thing you are thinking of when you think termite. They are not as dangerous to your home, just an inconvenience.

They are coming in through the closed windows? Or through the screens? There is a spray out in town that works well. I don't have a picture of it with me now, but I'll try to get you one if I still have the bottle.

[Daniela]

They are supposed to come out and see if they can find the "nest" in our yard....if we can't find that, they will just keep coming back...the spray will only be temporary.

Yeah, but you wouldn't have them flying around in your living room.

[P_chan]

Once I went up to manza resort for dinner on sunday night I noticed that they were flying around everywhere. I had to close my windows because it was so bad.

[wenjam]

It is not just one or two...the amount we have in our house a night is crazy...I would say anywhere from 300-500 or more a night...they come in from downstairs sliding doors in back and front, and the window in the living room, and even started coming in from upstairs window...had to do a thorough cleaning every night for the past 3 nights in all 3 bedrooms. It is out of control.

[DoctorP]

It is not just one or two...the amount we have in our house a night is crazy...I would say anywhere from 300-500 or more a night...they come in from downstairs sliding doors in back and front, and the window in the living room, and even started coming in from upstairs window...had to do a thorough cleaning every night for the past 3 nights in all 3 bedrooms. It is out of control.

If it is that bad, and they don't do anything about it, take a photo and turn it into the IG along with your complaint. Someone will be out to fix it soon!

[wenjam]

they are trying to fix it..trying to get in touch with the contractor that deals with the bonds on these places....But...like I said...they said it is common this time of year...I just don't think I sould have to deal with it this bad....One or two every now and again is no bother. But this every night thing is horrible, and exhausting. Housing will NOT move us either...not even in their vocabulary to even talk about it...Found out from all my neighbors that the people before us moved out due to the big bug problem going on in this house...how comforting!!

[wenjam]

We had them bad in our old house. We still have them here, but not as bad. They are not the same thing you are thinking of when you think termite. They are not as dangerous to your home, just an inconvenience.

They are coming in through the closed windows? Or through the screens? There is a spray out in town that works well. I don't have a picture of it with me now, but I'll try to get you one if I still have the bottle.

They are coming in through closed windows, and doors....creeping through the door tracts.

[badkitty]

If they care coming throught the screens you need to replace them. Have you visited Eagle Hardware to see what aids that they have available?

[wenjam]

If they care coming throught the screens you need to replace them. Have you visited Eagle Hardware to see what aids that they have available?

not coming through the screens...crawling through the sliding door tracts!! They have the shi*iest seals on these houses...I should not have to worry about having a "bug farm" in my house......

[Old guy]

they are trying to fix it..trying to get in touch with the contractor that deals with the bonds on these places....But...like I said...they said it is common this time of year...I just don't think I sould have to deal with it this bad....One or two every now and again is no bother. But this every night thing is horrible, and exhausting. Housing will NOT move us either...not even in their vocabulary to even talk about it...Found out from all my neighbors that the people before us moved out due to the big bug problem going on in this house...how comforting!!

Sounds like one of those movies where the house is haunted and the bugs/pests just keep getting bigger and uglier until the demons start showing up and eating the family dog etc.

[wenjam]

Sounds like one of those movies where the house is haunted and the bugs/pests just keep getting bigger and uglier until the demons start showing up and eating the family dog etc.

Hey hey....I have a dog..not funny...I hope my house is not like the Amityville Horror....I actually visited that house in PA......hope I didn't bring back anything with me.....:scared:

[Sex Wax]

This time of year, there is like a week or so that they get really bad as they are swarming. you will see clouds of them on some of the roads in some areas. They will die off soon. Or go back to eating the wood in your house.

[badkitty]

Hey hey....I have a dog..not funny...I hope my house is not like the Amityville Horror....I actually visited that house in PA......hope I didn't bring back anything with me.....:scared:

What iasked was have you been to Eagle Hardware to see if they have anything to help you?? I took the liberty to walk across the hall to Eagle Hardware and they have 3 different types of weatherstripping to hopefully seal your doors and windows, maybe that will work.

[Sex Wax]

you can also just tell the kids you'll give 'em a nickel for each one they catch. It's a real fun game. I'm out $5.

[wenjam]

What iasked was have you been to Eagle Hardware to see if they have anything to help you?? I took the liberty to walk across the hall to Eagle Hardware and they have 3 different types of weatherstripping to hopefully seal your doors and windows, maybe that will work.

we have weather stripping...it does not keep out the bugs that can slip through ANY crack in your sliding door tracts.

[badkitty]

we have weather stripping...it does not keep out the bugs that can slip through ANY crack in your sliding door tracts.

Have you gone to the BX to try spraying??

[wenjam]

yes..the entamologists said not to spray for some reason....I am going today to get a bug zapper, and spray....We will see how it works.....Just hope it keeps them out of our bedrooms.

[wenjam]

Called for help...came out, and said..oh, it is common for this time of year...it will go away in about a month or two. There is nothing we can do for you....And they also told me not to spray. We do have new weather stripping....we don't have a problem with anything else...just the termites.

[Takako]

Did you place the new weather stripping yourself or are you hoping "someone" did? If there's a will, there's a way. Seal the window with plastic, like they do in the winter time. I would go with the previous recommendation and video/photograph then send to IG.

[wenjam]

Did you place the new weather stripping yourself or are you hoping "someone" did? If there's a will, there's a way. Seal the window with plastic, like they do in the winter time. I would go with the previous recommendation and video/photograph then send to IG.

New ourselves...they are not coming from the sides of the door...they are coming from the bottom tract......Like I said....nothing else it getting in here..just the little flying termites...I have a vacuum full of them.....from the last 3 nights....How in the heck do you seal a window with plastic....I am from FL...and here, the winter does not get cold enough to put plastic on windows. can you seal a sliding glass door tract with plastic? If so, let me know.

[macker]

Go buy a HUGE Iguana.. That will sort the bastards out!!

maybe a chameleon or two also...

[Daniela]

New ourselves...they are not coming from the sides of the door...they are coming from the bottom tract......Like I said....nothing else it getting in here..just the little flying termites...I have a vacuum full of them.....from the last 3 nights....How in the heck do you seal a window with plastic....I am from FL...and here, the winter does not get cold enough to put plastic on windows. can you seal a sliding glass door tract with plastic? If so, let me know.

When this happened to me they were not coming from under any windows or the outside for that matter.
Husband and I could not figure it out. It seemed to be from under the floor and through the baseboards.
As I said earlier; I sprayed along the baseboard where they were coming from and they died as soon as they "hatched" from wherever they were coming from.
Did you ask them why you shouldn't spray? That would have been my first question. In either case. I worked for me and happened only that one time.
Good luck

[Sex Wax]

Q: Why are infestations often discovered during March - May?

A: Spring typically is when large numbers of winged termites, known as "swarmers," emerge inside homes. In nature, termites swarm to disperse and start new colonies. Triggered by warmer temperatures and rainfall, the winged termites emerge from the colony and fly into the air.

The swarmers then drop to the ground, shed their wings, pair off with a mate, and attempt to begin new colonies in the soil. Few swarmers emerging outdoors survive to start new colonies. Swarmers emerging indoors are incapable of eating wood, seldom survive, and are best removed with a vacuum. They do, however, indicate that an infestation is present.

- http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef604.asp


I told you. I have been here 12 years. Happens around the same time every year. Go driving up north, and you will drive through thousands of wings lining the roads. It swirls like snow. Bug sprays and weather stripping wont do much. In a little while, they wont be as bad. They are good scource of protein, so you might as well find a good receipe.

[okisteve]

yes..the entamologists said not to spray for some reason....I am going today to get a bug zapper, and spray....We will see how it works.....Just hope it keeps them out of our bedrooms.

They have entomologists at the BX?? Well, as I said before, support the troops.

I suspect that spraying is the only real solution, assuming we're all talking about the flying white ants/termites (shiroari). I was against doing it but when we had the house torn apart for remodeling anyway and were living elsewhere I gave in. Expensive, but apparently effective for the past 3 years.

[DoctorP]

ok, one last comment to try and help you. Some of the sliding doors can be adjusted. There is a set screw that allows you to raise/lower the door. You might want to do this to see if it will close any gaps you have around the door.

[wenjam]

Thanks to all that have helped...went and got a zapper, and bug spray..working so far...we will see.

DocP...I will look at that adjustment on the slider in the morning...thanks for the heads up.

[P_chan]

I think I got lucky and since my apartment is high up in the air that he termites and other flying bugs seldom make it up this high. Though I haven't seen too many of those termites in the sunabe area yet.

[Old guy]

Thanks to all that have helped...went and got a zapper, and bug spray..working so far...we will see.

DocP...I will look at that adjustment on the slider in the morning...thanks for the heads up.

If you really have LOTS of them dump out the zapper once in awhile. I used one of those one year :argh14: and it was non-stop ZZZTTTT and when it did slow down it was because it was packed full of dead ones hehehe.

[Old guy]

Hey hey....I have a dog..not funny...I hope my house is not like the Amityville Horror....I actually visited that house in PA......hope I didn't bring back anything with me.....:scared:

Your right, I like dogs. Let's say the demon devours a left-over roast in the fridge instead.;)

[DoctorP]

in my place we really dont have much of a problem.. just a few gnnats here and there that i have no idea how they get in..


if you live off base, they are coming through your kitchen or bathroom drains...they don't use p-traps here in Okinawa and the bugs are able to fly up through the drain lines. If you are on base, I am unsure how the units are piped, so you would have to check yourself.

[wenjam]

If you really have LOTS of them dump out the zapper once in awhile. I used one of those one year :argh14: and it was non-stop ZZZTTTT and when it did slow down it was because it was packed full of dead ones hehehe.

We actualy left the bottom off the zapper...WOW!! There was a huge pile of them on the ground....sprayed the door tracts, and only saw a couple in the house last night....

[Burado]

We actualy left the bottom off the zapper...WOW!! There was a huge pile of them on the ground....sprayed the door tracts, and only saw a couple in the house last night....

Put em in a bowl with milk... just like rice krispies! :thumbup1: