Termite Prevention

and
Control Methods
• Termites cause extensive damage to buildings
each year.
• Costly rebuilding is often necessary to repair
their damage.
• On the other hand, if evidence of termites is
found, there is no immediate cause for alarm.
• It usually takes several years for a building to
become structurally weakened as a result of
termite feeding.
 TYPES OF TERMITES
The type of insects known as termites cause
maximum damage to the buildings. Termites are
divided mainly into following two types :
(a) Dry wood termites
(b) Subterranean termites
Dry wood termites Live in wood and do not maintain
contact with the ground. They normally build nests
within the dry timber members like door window
frames, wooden furniture etc. and destroy them
gradually. They are, however, not as common as
subterranean termites and they cause lesser damage
to the buildings.
TYPES
• Subterranean termites on the other
hand are mainly responsible for
causing damage to the buildings and
its contents. Unlike dry-wood termites
they live in soil and require moisture
for their existence. They build
underground nests or colonies and
form mud-wall tunnels or runways
(tubes) which serve as protected
shelter for their movements
 TYPES OF ANTI-TERMITE
TREATMENT

The anti-termite treatment in buildings

may be broadly divided into two
categories:
(i) Pre-construction treatment
(ii) Post-construction treatment
 PRE·CONSTRUCTION
TREATMENT

This treatment is carried out right from the

stage of initiating the construction activities
for the building. The various operations
involved are:
(1) Site preparation.
(2) Soil treatment.
 Site preparation
• This consists in removing stumps, roots, logs,
waste-wood etc. from the site where the building
is to be constructed.
• In case the termites mound are discovered
within the plinth area of the building they should
be destroyed by use of insecticide solution.
• For this treatment, holes should be made into
the mound at several places by use of crow-bar
and the insecticides taken in the form of water
suspension or emulsion should be poured into
the holes.
• The quantity of insecticide solution to be
used will depend on the size of mound.

For a mound having volume of about 1 cu.

m, 4 litres of an emulsion in water of one
of the following chemicals may be used:
Chemicals: concentration by wt.
(i) DDT ……………………..5%
(ii) BHC …………………….5%
(iii) Aldrin …………………..25%
(iv) Heptachlor……………..25%
(v) Chlordane …………..…5%
 Soil Treatment
This operation consists in poisoning the
soil underneath the building and around
the foundations of the buildings with
insecticide solution consisting of anyone of
the following chemicals in water emulsion.
• Chemical Concentration by wt.
• (i) Aldrin…………………. 0.5%
• (ii) Heptachlor…………... 0.5%
• (iii) Chlordane…………… 1%
• For soil treatment to be fully effective, the
chemical water emulsion should be applied in
required dosage on entire area of ground
covered by the building. To ensure uniform
distribution of the chemical emulsion, a watering
can or Hand operated compressed air sprayer
can be used.
 AREAS TO BE TREATED
1. Treatment of wall trenches, column pits and
excavation for basements.
2. Treatment of top surface of plinth filling.
3. Treatment of junctions of the wall and floor
4. External periphery of building
5. Treatment of soil surrounding pipes and conduits
6. Treatment of expansion joints
.
Termite Damaged Wood
(1) Treatment of wall trenches, column pits and
excavation for basements
(i) The bottom surface and the sides (Up to a
height of about 300 mm) of the foundation
trenches, column pits and basements should be
treated by applying chemical water emulsion at
the rate of 5 liters per sq. m. of the surface area.
(ii) After the foundation for the walls, columns,
piers and retaining walls of the basement come
up, treat the back fill earth in immediate, contact
with each side of the foundation with the
chemical emulsion @ 7.5 liters per sqm. of the
vertical surface of the foundation masonry
 (2) Treatment of top surface of plinth filling

• Prior to laying the sand bed or sub grade for the

ground floor of the building, top surface of the
consolidated earth filling within the plinth walls
should be leveled and treated with chemical
emulsion to 5 Liters sqm. of the surface.
• If the consolidated earth fill does not allow the
chemical emulsion to seep through, 50 to 75 mm
deep holes are made at 150 mm centers both
ways with crow bars on the earth surface to
permit easy seepage and to achieve uniform
absorption of the chemical emulsion by the earth
fill.
 (3) Treatment of junctions of the wall and floor

• The junctions of walls and the floors require special

attention to ensure effective soil treatment.
• For this it is important to establish vertical continuity of
the poisoned soil barrier on inner wall surface up to top
of consolidated earth filling in plinth.
• This is achieved by making 30 mm wide and 30 mm
deep channels at the junction of walls and columns with
the earth filling in plinth.
• Holes are thereafter made in the channel at 150 mm
apart up to ground level with crow bar and then chemical
emulsion is poured in the channel @ 7.5 litres per sq. m.
of the vertical wall or column surface. After the treatment
the earth should be immediately tamped back into the
holes and channel.
 (4) Treatment of soil along external
periphery of building
• . Despite the treatments given above termites are liable
to gain excess in the building from ground surface
around the external periphery of the building.
• In order to check this, 300 mm deep holes at 150 mm
centre are dug all along the external perimeter of the
building (parallel to the external wall) and filled with
chemical emulsion @ 2.25 litres per linear metre.
• After the treatment the earth should be tamped back in
the holes. In case the building is to have apron on the
external walls, the area of consolidated earth filling over
which the apron is to be constructed should be treated
with chemical emulsion @ 5 litres per sq. m. prior to the
construction of the apron.
 (5) Treatment of soil surrounding pipes
and conduits
• In case some pipes or conduits enter the
soil inside the area of foundation or come
in contact with the soil on the external
periphery of the building, the soil
surrounding pipes/conduits should be
treated with chemical emulsion for a
distance of 150 mm and 300 mm
respectively from the point of entry in the
inside/outside area.
 6) Treatment of expansion joints.
• As a special precaution, the expansion joints
are given additional treatment by applying
chemical emulsion @ 2 litres per linear meter
after the sub grade for floor on either side of
expansion joints has been laid.
• This treatment is in addition to the
treatment which is necessarily provided to
the structure up to top of consolidated earth
fill within plinth in accordance with stage of
Treatment of top surface of plinth filling .
 POST CONSTRUCTION
TREATMENT
• This treatment is applied to existing buildings which have
already been attacked by termites.
• It is observed that even after their entry in the building, the
termites maintain regular contact with their nest in the ground.
This important symptom is gainfully utilized in eradicating
termites from the buildings.
• Regular inspection and suitable control measures are
necessary to prevent damage to buildings from termites. At
times when the termites attack is of minor nature it may only be
necessary to break off the shelter tubes to check the damage
from termites.
• In situations where the attack is of mild nature the effected
materials may also be removed along with shelter tubes.
• In case of severe attack it is necessary to poison the soil
around and beneath the building besides resorting to the above
steps.
STEPS TO ERADICATE TERMITES IN
EXISTING BUILDINGS
(1) Inspection.
• Inspection is essentially carried out to estimate the magnitude of
spread of the termites infestation in the building and also to detect
the root of the entry of termites and the zones in the building which
are attacked.
• The portion of the building in contact with or adjacent to the earth
should be inspected first. This includes basements, ground floor,
steps leading from ground, walls, columns, areas having damp or
humid conditions like bathrooms, lavatories, leaking pipes or drains
etc. and the places where wood work is embedded in the floor or
wall.
• The ceiling, wooden paneling, battens for wiring conduits, switch
boards are other locations which serve as hide-out for the termites
and need careful inspection.
• In case of multi-storied buildings, lift wells,
casings covering electrical wiring, telephone
cable, water supply and soil pipes which
serve as convenient and well protected
zones for termites infestation should also be
inspected carefully.
• Wherever the mud walled shelter tubes or the
termite runways are detected, they should be
removed. Wherever possible, oil or kerosene
based chemical emulsion should be injected
over the attacked areas of wood work and
masonry.
 (2) Soil treatment for foundations.

• . This treatment consists in treating the soil under the building and
around the foundations with some chemical emulsion which can kill
or repel termites,
• In this treatment about 500 mm deep trenches are made along the
external peripheral/wall of the building with the help of shovel and
12 mm dia to 18 mm dia holes at 150 mm centres are then made in
the trenches close to the wall face with the help of iron rod.
• The holes should preferably extend up to the top of footing of
foundations or to a depth of at least 500 mm whichever is lesser.
The holes are then filled with chemical emulsion in water and the
back fill earth is also sprayed with the chemical emulsion as it is
returned to the trench thereby creating a barrier of poisoned soil
along the external periphery of the building.
• The total quantity of the chemical to be used in this treatment
should be @ 7-5 litres per sq. m. of the vertical surface of the
masonry in foundation.
• In case of RCC frame structure, the chemical
treatment shall be applied to the soil in contact
with column sides and plinth beams along
external periphery of the building for a depth of
500 mm below ground level.
• In case the building has masonry or concrete
apron, about 12 m dia holes at 300 mm centres
should be drilled close to the plinth wall along
the apron. The holes should be deep enough to
reach the soil below. Chemical emulsion should
thereafter be pumped into these holes @ 2.5
litres per linear metre of the length of the apron.
 (3) Soil treatment under floor
Cracks in floors are the weak spots which permit entry of
termites from soil below the floor.
• The cracks usualIy occur at the junction of the floor and
walls, expansion joints in floor and at construction joints
in a concrete floor. Cracks in floors may also develop
due to use of unsound materials or on account of
defective workmanship.
• In such cases eradication of termites is achieved by
poisoning the soil underneath the floors wherever such
cracks are noticed.
• This operation is generally carried out by drilling 12 mm
dia holes at 300 mm centre to centre all along the cracks
in the floors in different areas and then injecting chemical
emulsion into the holes till the soil below gets fully
saturated. The maximum quantity of chemical emulsion
however will not exceed 1 liter per hole.
 (4)Treatment of voids in
masonry
• It has been seen that termites enter into masonry
foundations from soil adjacent beneath the building and
work their way up through voids in masonry joints and
gain entry into the interior of the buildings.
• To prevent the entry of the termites through voids in
masonry, 12 mm dia holes at 300 mm centre to centre
are drilled at downward angle of about 45° from both
sides of walls at plinth level and then chemical emulsion
is pumped into the holes until masonry gets fully
saturated with the chemical emulsion. The holes are
then sealed.
• This treatment is carried out for all walls
(both internal as well as external) having
foundation in soil. Treatment of drilling
hole and pumping chemical emulsion
should also be carried out at critical
locations like wall corners and at places
where door and window frames are
embedded in masonry in ground floor.
 (5) Treatment of wood work
• Wood work which is badly damaged by termites
should be replaced by new timber which is adequately
brushed or dipped in oil or kerosene based chemical
emulsion.
• The infested wood work for door and window frames,
etc. should be given protective treatment by drilling 6
mm dia holes at 150 mm centre to centre at a downward
angle of 45° to cover· the entire frame work and
thereafter pumping oil based chemical emulsion into the
holes.
• The wood work which is not attacked by termites
should be sprayed over with chemical emulsion to
prevent possible attack.