Are landscaping timbers asking for termites?
Blank
timbers are pressure treated and contact the ground I imagine the bottoms of
them are always damp, I figured that they would rot out in time but i never
thought about termites. Now I am afraid that termites might eat through the
timbers and get to my house. I have had no previous termite damage and don't
know of any termites. Am I asking for trouble? Also the same goes for
landscaping timbers, I noticed my neighbor put those down this year and I
figure its the same issue,
Thanks,
Mike
Lar
m28.aol.com>, megger...@aol.comspamenot says...
:) I put in a paver brick patio this summer and used 4x6 timbers to frame it. The
:) timbers are pressure treated and contact the ground I imagine the bottoms of
:) them are always damp, I figured that they would rot out in time but i never
:) thought about termites. Now I am afraid that termites might eat through the
:) timbers and get to my house. I have had no previous termite damage and don't
:) know of any termites. Am I asking for trouble? Also the same goes for
:) landscaping timbers, I noticed my neighbor put those down this year and I
:) figure its the same issue,
:)
:)
In the long term yes they can get into the wood as it
absorbs moisture and starts to break down. But for now
where the timbers are up against the house there will be
a tiny space that the termites activity can be hid from
view by the timbers. The same would happen if you didn't
use the wood and just put the pavers against the house.
If the foundation is concrete, they should give
themselves away as they build the tube upwards. if it is
wood siding, they can eat directly into the siding.
--
http://home.comcast.net/~larflu/oha2.jpg
Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!
Tom J
"Blank" <megger...@aol.comspamenot> wrote in message
news:20030907235725...@mb-m28.aol.com...
Landscaping timbers are not pressure treated, but vat dipped in most cases.
Even though they are sold as "landscaping" timbers, they are not treated for
ground contact.
There are different grades of pressure treated lumber, so if your 4x6 timber
is pressure treated "for ground contact" you should have no termite damage for
many many years.
Tom J
GARY
them that I just replaced with 4x4's.
Gary
Karen
Do a google search about pressure treated lumber in gardens group,
you'll find that regular pressure treated lumber is poisonous unless
your local lumber yard is environmental conscious and carry a
different type. Termites won't eat them and kill themselves. Probably
the reason they make landscaping lumber so not to poison your flowers
and veggie.
Jay Chan
I am not an expert. I am just a homeowner who has a similar worry.
I placed some 4x4 pressure treated wood to frame my flower garden. I
needed to cut the wood to adjust to the size of the flower garden. But
I forgot to soak the cut end of the pressure treated wood with
chemical. Will termites find the cut end of the pressure treated wood
and work their way inside the wood? Is the size of a 4x4 small enough
that the pressure treating process has already throughly soaked the
center of the wood with chemical?
Thanks for any info in advance.
Jay Chan
RamblinOn
Blank wrote:
Pressure treating only delays insects; does not prevent them. Wood in
the ground will eventually rot. Any chunk of wood in or on the ground
is subject to termites - firewood stored outside, dead limb in a tree,
stump, dead root, ltter, etc. The secret is to protect the structural
wood from moisture and insect intrusion; termites don't eat through
paint. Keep structural wood at least 6-8" from ground; don't pile
mulch, soil, or allow landscaping to contact house. Paint and caulk.
Get regular termite inspections, as well as learning to look for signs
of infestation yourself. Main avenues of entry are plumbing openings,
mud tubes from ground on inside (crawl spaces) and outside of
foundation, wood that is below or too close to grade, and swarms that
get in through small cracks or other openings, esp around doors/windows.
Karen
>
> I am not an expert. I am just a homeowner who has a similar worry.
>
> I placed some 4x4 pressure treated wood to frame my flower garden. I
> needed to cut the wood to adjust to the size of the flower garden. But
> I forgot to soak the cut end of the pressure treated wood with
> chemical. Will termites find the cut end of the pressure treated wood
> and work their way inside the wood? Is the size of a 4x4 small enough
> that the pressure treating process has already throughly soaked the
> center of the wood with chemical?
>
> Thanks for any info in advance.
>
> Jay Chan
Don't worry. The scientists are looking for solutions of disposal of
treated lumber. If termites did eat them, those researchers didn't
have to look farther.
The contractor of my house left a pile of treated lumber in the wood,
some buried under dirt. They were left overs from the deck built 10
years ago. I doubt the contractor would treat these cut offs with
chemical. When I dig them out to make space for a garden, they looked
as good as the wood on my deck if not better. It made me wonder why I
had to stain my deck every two years.
Jay Chan
> treated lumber. If termites did eat them, those researchers didn't
> have to look farther.
Some people have 4x4 wood as an edging for their lawn. I noticed that
the cut ends of some of these wood were hollowed. Otherwise, the
outside of the wood appeared OK. I have a feeling that the outside of
the wood must have been treated with some chemical; but the cut ends
probably was not. I assume that termites must have done their work on
the cut ends of those woods. That is the reason why I have that worry
about the 4x4 pressured treated wood that I have placed around the
flower garden.
Jay Chan