All You Need to Know on Drywood Termite Treatment

Drywood termites are often thought to be challenging to treat and in most cases, there are very little or in fact close to none available pest controllers in Singapore that would provide a solution or treatment. Home owners are often advised to discard the infested piece of wooden furniture immediately.

However, in some cases, throwing and replacing the infested furniture can become costly. Some types of furniture such as large rows of built-in cabinets may have just one small portion being chewed and damaged. This also means a major overhaul in carpentry and renovation, a hefty sum to consider. In this case, home owners are seeking solutions which can treat the affected area, and have the situation contained under control.

Pest control expertise is now combined with technology to make treating one of the most common termite species in Singapore, beside the subterranean termite possible. Now with foaming technology, treatment is available for drywood termites. 

Drywood foaming, how does it work? What can you expect in a drywood foaming treatment? Find out from our termite control specialist, a real hands-on experience on the step-by-step, a 5-steps process below.

You may also like: Are Drywood Termites Dangerous?

Dealing with flying termites in the house

If you see winged termites indoors, the alarm bells should be ringing that you may have a flying termite infestation in your home. In other words, you may have damaged timber or furniture caused by drywood termite invading your home. The process involves starting a new termite colony after a mating process, and thereafter they break off their wings and seeks the next nesting location. You can also try the following to prevent a termite activity:

• Correct moisture issues such as leaks, drainage concerns and excess condensation
• Watch heating and cooling units closely for condensation issues
• Remove extraneous wood and debris near your home including construction materials, fallen trees, stumps and leaf litter
• Avoid wood to soil contact
• Keep mulch pulled back from the foundation
• Do not stack wood and timber next to your home – keep it at a distance
• Refrain from using untreated wood or timber in construction projects such as decks and sheds

Read also: 10 facts of termites control you must know

Identify correctly all infested area and spots

Professional inspection will be carried out to identify damaged area where active termites are feeding on. Signs of termite activity include:

• Damaged and hollow-sounding wooden surfaces
• Termite frass (termite droppings) which look like powdery round wooden pellets. These are seen on the floor underneath this damaged wooden cabinet as per seen in above picture.

Sweep and vacuum away all termite frass

Carrying out this step is to allow the foaming treatment later on to take place more effectively as these frass may block the way the foam flows around during the treatment process.

Small holes are drilled into the affected area

The drilling of the holes later aid in openings for the foam treatment to be injected. Holes to be drilled are strategically identified to ensure best possible way foaming treatment would reach these crevices and nooks inside.

Note: Rentokil pest control technicians are trained professionals; we have the right wood fillers to patch up these drilled holes, to be done at the end of this whole treatment process.

Prepare the pump and generator for treatment

The pump, prepared with the right proportion of chemical solution mixed inside, is connected with the generator. The generator aids in supplying pressure to the spray pump.

Solution is pumped into the drilled holes

The solution is pumped into the holes in a foam consistency, using the applied pressure from the generator equipment to treat the affected area. White foam can be seen flowing down and through the infested furniture area, targeting the drywood termite colony in there.

Foaming technology applied in this manner to treat drywood termites not only allows enhanced efficacy to treat hard to reach tiny crevices within the furniture, the foam solution pumped throughout the layers of the wooden pieces leaves behind a protective layer, so that these termites would stopped feeding.

Preparing home owners for a drywood termite treatment

Checklist for Home Owners — what can they do to prepare themselves for such treatments?

To prepare everyone in advanced, a checklist can be helpful to make the whole treatment process a better and smoother one.

Here is a simple checklist you and the household to keep in mind when you engage Rentokil to do a drywood foaming treatment at your premise.

A 5-pointer friendly checklist

• Ensure sufficient space clearing for our technician to carry out inspection and treatment, for e.g. a long safety ladder may need to be used to reach places at height.
• Keep away in a safe place all valuables in the affected cabinets, cupboards or drawers. This can help to facilitate our technicians to work more efficiently when the area to be treated is cleared out.
• A nearby power point with extension cable would also greatly facilitate drilling works, and later on the generator required for the foam pumping.
• Remove all pets and plants nearby the area which is to be treated.
• Cover up all food and kitchen utensils, drinking cups nearby before the treatment starts.

Contact a professional to resolve a drywood termite infestation

For more information on our solutions for drywood termites, do not hesitate to reach out to Rentokil Pest Control or download your easy 1-page insert for your Drywood Termite Foaming treatment today!

FAQ about termites you need to know