Help! I think we have termites

[7costanza]

There is a little pile of dirt next to the wall in our basement, and every time I clean it up it just comes back. Today there was what looked like the shell from the body of a bug in the pile. From my research online it's either termites or carpenter ants.

We haven't actually seen any ants inside the house, and I didn't see any on the outside of the wall either (although there were tons of spider webs so I didn't look too hard) so I'm not exactly sure how to get rid of them. Will they come out of the walls to get bait if we set traps?

[tarheels]

Yeah, this isn't a DIY fix. Call a pro ASAP. They can tell you definitively and evaluate any hidden damage that you can't see and then help with remediation.

[7costanza]

Jul 22, 2012 11:11:56 GMT -5 tarheels said:

Yeah, this isn't a DIY fix. Call a pro ASAP. They can tell you definitively and evaluate any hidden damage that you can't see and then help with remediation.

I was hoping to be able to take care of it ourselves, but you're probably right. Off to Angie's List to find an exterminator!

[auntie]

You might consider a maintanance program going forward. They'll come out annually and treat as needed which can help you avoid damage and major treatments.