When & how to probe wood or other materials to evaluate termite or other insect damage: this article describes how we determine when invasive methods are appropriate as part of evaluating termite damage, carpenter ant damage, powde post beetle or old house borer or other wood desctroying insect damage at a building.

This article series provides a case study of a termite inspection that found insect & rot damage:photographs, inspection advice & visual clues that led to discovery of severe hidden structural damage to a building.

How to decide that termite trouble signs justify destructive or invasive inspection methods

This termite damage investigation case describes an order of discovery of clues suggesting, then confirming, then assessing the extent of insect damage including the discovery of very extensive hidden termite damage in a finished wood floor.

A sequence of photographs illustrates the course of our termite inspection and what we found.

The termite damage clues described first outdoors beginning

at TERMITE DAMAGE INSPECTION, then continuing

at TERMITE SIGNS INDOORS

justified (with owner permission) pulling off baseboard molding trim to disclose how the floor was constructed and what damage to its support may remain.

We saw rot, termite damage, mud, mud tubes.

A disappointment to say the least.

Conditions at the floor perimeter led us to probe some small spots of wood filler in the center of the re-built, re-finished floor.

With the slightest pressure the wood filler collapsed under our probe (above left), showing the extensive termite damage shown by the photographs at above right and the two termite damage photographs below.

...

Let's summarize arguments that the risk of hidden damage and the cost of addressing it outweighs the cost associated with cosmetic damage caused by probing or the cost and trouble of partial demolition of a building with some observations & comments:

Also see the FEAR-O-METER: Dan's 3 D's SET REPAIR PRIORITIES a promotion theory to convert risk of hidden defects & hazards into action thresholds, for a discussion of how an accumulation of inspection evidence leads to a rational decision to perform invasive or desctructive inspection measures.

Termite Inspection & Damage Finding Conclusions

These covered-over termite damage combined with evidence of ongoing termite activity was an upsetting series of discoveries at the building we describe above.

• The original termite damaged floor was incompletely repaired, leaving damaged support in place
• There was such a severe and active termite infestation that even the "new" materials had already been attacked by termites, months after the renovation work was complete
• No professional termite inspection, treatment, nor water and drainage problem assessment had been performed.
• We were concerned about possible improper use of chemicals by the homeowner and site contamination.
• The owner's time, trouble, and money were wasted on this floor renovation as it failed to correct the termite problem and was itself damaged soon after installation
• The damage, combined with the representation that the work was simply a "lovely remodeling job" and the failure to report a long history of termite damage risked a case of real estate fraud

...

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: Improper application of pesticides Lambda Cyhalothrin and Permetherin?

I saw termite swarmers along floor in garage and crawling on wall above(concrete slab..about 4 ft high..then Sheetrock).

A termite company inspector said...”you probably have termites in wall and he proceeded to drill holes into Sheetrock all around every wall and pump in Spectricide/Terminate...but he originally told me it was Lambda Cyhalothrin and Permetherin..

.my question is..I’m thinking now I have wet Sheetrock and instead...shouldn’t he have perhaps drilled the holes into the concrete sine they are subterranean termites and are in the ground so they’d hit the concrete first.. not the Sheetrock...hope you understand my question and can give me insight

Reply: questions & expert source guidance on risk of improper use of pesticides

Wet wall cavities and an ensuing mold concern is a possibility if there was a significant volume of water/vehicle pumped into the walls and further depending on the chemistry of the liquid and its resistance to mold growth.

It's easy to test the concern: make a 2x4" test cut in a most-suspect area 48 hours or several days after the application to look for evidence of mold growth on the drywall in the wall cavity, in insulation, on wall construction materials.

Watch out: If the termite company did what you describe the application may have been improper and even unsafe.

That opinion is based on this information from the company
http://www.spectracide.com/products/insect-killers/termite-and-carpenter-ant-killer/spectracide-terminate--termite-carpenter-ant-killer2-accushot-sprayer.aspx

Though of course from just your email I cannot know for sure what your pest company applied, in what concentration, in what amounts, etc.

Excerpt:

Applications to building foundations, up to a maximum height of 3 ft.

Other than applications to building foundations, all outdoor applications to impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches and structural surfaces (such as windows, doors and eaves) are limited to spot and crack-and-crevice applications only.

There is NO mention of indoor application nor application to building cavities from indoors.

Do not panic about this - you risk getting gouged. But do find out if the pesticide was properly applied and if not, contaminated building materials may need to be cleaned or even removed (like drywall or insulation).

I'm not a chemist nor a pesticide expert, though I have read, researched, and published lay-person articles on the topic. This appears to be a sort of synthetic pyrethrin.

https://www.syngenta.com/~/media/Files/S/Syngenta/documents/vector-management/icon-ec-broschure-low.pdf is Syngenta's product safety brochure.

I'm still looking for instructions that say this substance can be applied indoors or in building cavities.

Other applications might be permitted than those given below - you will need to ask the company directly - take great care not to scare them. Typically, IMO, the manufacturer figures the pest people are their actual clients not you, and they'll be protective of the pest company as well as themselves.

Nothing I saw in the instructions describe pumping the chemical into the building wall cavities.

Attached are 2 MSDs from the company - those will help you assess the possible hazards of indoor use.

This link http://www.rayfull.com/UploadFiles/PDF/201369934483.pdf info on the same chemical produced elsewhere.

Excerpts:

Hazards Identification Symptoms of acute exposure:

May cause mild eye and skin irritation. Toxic if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Exposure to high vapor vapor levels may cause headache, dizziness, numbness, nausea, incoordination, or other central nervous system effects. May cause temporary itching, tingling, lurning or numbness of exposed skin, called paresthesia. Hazardous decomposition products: can decompose at high temperatures forming toxic gases.

Here are instructions from the company:

It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.

STOP Keep people and pets off treated areas until spray has dried.

Do not water the treated area to the point of runoff.

Do not make applications during rain.

All outdoor applications must be limited to spot or crack-and-crevice treatments only, except for the following permitted uses:

Treatment to soil or vegetation around structures.

Applications to lawns, turf and other vegetation.

Applications to building foundations, up to a maximum height of 3 ft. Other than applications to building foundations, all outdoor applications to impervious surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, patios, porches and structural surfaces (such as windows, doors and eaves) are limited to spot and crack-and-crevice applications only.

Application is prohibited directly into sewers or drains, or to any area like a gutter where drainage to sewers, storm drains, water bodies, or aquatic habitat can occur. Do not allow the product to enter any drain during or after application.

In New York State, this may not be applied to lawns within 100 ft of a coastal marsh or stream that drains into a coastal marsh.

- retrieved 2018/06/02 original source http://www.spectracide.com/products/insect-killers/termite-and-carpenter-ant-killer/spectracide-terminate-termite-carpenter-ant-killer-concentrate3.aspx

At Syngenta I did find other useful information you should have on hand

https://www.syngenta.com/~/media/Files/S/Syngenta/documents/vector-management/lambda-cyhalothrin-eval-specs-who-2007.pdf

Excerpt: The draft CS specification under consideration was for lambda-cyhalothrin products encapsulated for foliar application only. The capsules of these products are thinwalled: they are intended to burst and release the active ingredient immediately when the spray deposits dry.

This type of formulation may be considered somewhat analogous to an EW but it contains no organic solvent. This type of CS is very different from the thick-walled products intended for slow- or controlled-release of active ingredients, which may be used for soil applications, etc.

Reader follow-up: dissatisfied with termite inspection and invasive holes

These are pics of where this inspector (not even a licensed technician)drilled holes...all around perimeter of garage.

This is a well know national company (like one of the most known) and my experience with them has been awful to say the least.

I cancelled my new contract. They came and removed bait stations they had just put in and Monday or Tuesday will send a tech to spackle or plug holes in Sheetrock they shouldn’t have made.

They continue to lie and be combative about everything but right now I’m thinking what about the Sheetrock.

And do I necessarily have termites in that wall ( in the left) or maybe not...I can have a new company drill a station outside garage ( behind the planter on left)...my house itself seems ok. - Anonymous by private email 2018/02-06/09

By the way, I live where hurricane Sandy hit a few years back...my house in Eastern Long Island, NY is 1 / 1/2 blocks from ocean and. 1 1/2 blocks from bay...

Reply: important questions after a questionable termite inspection

The substantive question is not patching a few drill holes.

The important questions are

1. Was a pesticide applied improperly in the building, creating a health hazard to its occupants?
2. Was the pesticide properly-applied to control the type of insect pest that was claimed to be infesting the building and thus would it be effective in that use?

You can answer those questions by

• identifying what chemical or pesticide was pplied
  
• noting when and where and how it was applied
  
• reviewing what pest infestation was claimed to be present (and on what evidence)
  
• contacting the manufacturer of the pesticide to ask about its application in that circumstance

Spectracide & Lamda-cyhalothrin Pesticide MSDS sheets

• Lambda-cyhalothrin MSDS [PDF] (un-dated) Zhejiang Rayfull Chemicals Co., LTD, Add: No.113 Puxing Road, Puzhou Industrial Park, Longwan District, Wenzhou Zhejiang P.r. China Tel: +86-577-88905587 Fax: +86-577-88905567 Email: Info@rayfull.com
• Spectracide Terminate Termite & Carpenter Ant Killer MSDS [PDF] (2016) Chemsico Division of United Industries Corp. P.O. Box 142642 St. Louis, MO 63114-0642 1-800-545-5837
• Spectracide Terminate Termite Killing Foam MSDS [PDF] (2016) (2016) Chemsico Division of United Industries Corp. P.O. Box 142642 St. Louis, MO 63114-0642 1-800-545-5837

...

Continue reading at STRUCTURAL DAMAGE PROBING or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• FEAR-O-METER: Dan's 3 D's SET REPAIR PRIORITIES - a promotion theory to convert risk of hidden defects & hazards into action thresholds, for a discussion of how an accumulation of inspection evidence leads to a rational decision to perform invasive or desctructive inspection measures.
• MERULIPORIA FUNGUS & TERMITE INTERACTIONS
• TERMITE DAMAGE INSPECTION
• TERMITE SIGNS OUTDOORS
• TERMITE SIGNS INDOORS
• TERMITE DAMAGE PROBING
• TERMITE INSPECTION CONCLUSIONS
  
• TERMITE IDENTIFICATION & CONTROL
  
• TERMITES & NAPTHALENE HAZARDS
• TERMITE SHIELDS vs TERMITICIDE
• WOOD FLOOR, INSECT DAMAGE

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