# GOT TERMITES What to do.



## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Got drywood termites and maybe the other kind as well in one cabin [ at least ].  

From what I have read so far getting rid of drywood termites is not easy.

Has anybody got any ideas on getting rid of them. Lots of info about tenting houses on the internet. Has anyone had their boat tented and did it work.

Any other ideas? Short of the funeral pyre that is.


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## ROSA (Oct 22, 2009)

Dehumidifier, dries them up and they fall to all of the flat surfaces and look like several bags of rice at a wedding party. A friend had them on his Westsail in New Orleans and it worked for him. He closed the boat up tight and turned it on for two weeks. No more termites since.


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

A boat can be "tented" just like a house. I don't know if I would trust a de-humidifier to get a boat dry enough to kill all of them. If the boat has enough hull value to justify the expense of tenting; then I would do that to be sure. If you have hull insurance you might check into coverage for damage by termites.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

I would suggest the tenting and 'bombing' method to start with. I also doubt that you have conventional termites as my termite specialist (selling a house in NY State) says that they live in the ground and only come out to munch on wood that is not already soil. 
Before you start pumping toxins into your cabin and bilges I would recommend that you clean the bilges and try to reduce any areas that they could hang out and kick back in. Yes, hand cleaning the bilges is necessary before you poison your boat.


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## LittleWingCA (Jul 17, 2008)

TQA:

My boat had termites. I found a marine exterminator who tented the boat while it was tied to it's slip and gassed them. Cost was about $600 I think for a 31 foot boat. I can dig up the cost if you are interested. You have to remove or bag up all food, plates, things you don't want gassed, etc before the tenting. The guy I used in SD came to the slip with a crew, tented the boat completely with the tent ends weighted down into the water to provide a perfect seal. They taped around the mast to seal it, and injected the gas. They let is sit for a day or so and then you must air it out for a few days after that. No residue, no mess. Do a general wipe down / cleaning afterward to make yourself feel good and move your stuff back in. Haven't seen a critter since. It has been 3 years now. The marine guys have their equipment all portable so they can wheel the gas canisters down to the slip, etc. No damage was done to the boat, and they were cheaper than the guys who normaly do houses. They even provided the bags to put the items in that were staying on the boat but which we didn't want gassed.


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## MikeinLA (Jul 25, 2006)

There have been a lot of ads on the radio lately regarding the use of Orange Oil to get rid of termites in homes. Supposedly, they inject it into the wood and it kills the termites as effectively as the gas. It's non-toxic and leaves your house (boat) smelling of oranges. You might want to look into it as an alternative. I have no personal experience with it.

Mike


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Tenting and bugbombing the boat is probably your best bet and far less expensive than hiring someone to do essentially the same thing.


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

Identify the entry area(s), take a syringe full of orange oil and flood the nests several times, repeat as needed

orange oil isn't new, it's just getting new attention


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## KeelHaulin (Mar 7, 2006)

Does orange oil kill the colonies or does it just irritate them into re-locating? Personally I would go for the 100% tried and true method of tenting and bug-bombing them; it is used in furnished homes so I would trust it to be safe. Also do you want the intense smell of orange oil in your boat for months (if not years) after you apply it?

Is the poison used in a bug-bomb canister the same as is used by professional termite exterminators? I thought the can/aerosol was not as effective as the much stronger stuff that is used by an exterminator company. It needs to penetrate through walls and studs in a home to get to the colony; I would expect the same need in a boat's bulkheads.


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## Lookin4Freedom (Dec 2, 2008)

Hey - you could always go "Green" and sail your boat north or south. Extreme heat or cold will kill'em. It's free; no chemicals, no mess, and an excuse to go sailing. I think I win this argument.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. Does anyone know of a firm who will do a tent job with the boat in the water in Florida.


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

I had dry wood termites on my boat in Florida about 15 years ago and had them successfully killed off. FORGET THE TENT! ,- it's a waste of $! The tent is usefull to seal a house, but it's easy to seal a boat without the tenting expense. With tape, plastic sheeting & foam plugs appropriately used you can seal your boat yourself very easily and quickly. I sealed my own boat and used the Terminix service to rid myself of termites. I don't recall my exact expense, but For the cubic feet of my 41' boat I think the total charge was near $200. No expense of tenting is required for a boat! 'take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## poopdeckpappy (Jul 25, 2006)

32oz of Orange Oil concentrate= $15.00; syringe(s)= $9.00

dead [email protected] $24.00

32:1 mix


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## svfreyja (Aug 5, 2012)

Ill try the Orange oil myself , but i have a termite issue to the point i need to kill them and then start replacing 4 bulkheads in the boat > Im going to call terminex and a few others in the ft Myers area and post back with the results


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

I have a question about tenting a fiberglass boat - why do you need to bother with a tent? Seems to me you could just tape up the seams of hatches and other openings and then set off the bomb inside.

Houses need to be tented because there is no practical way to seal them up and the bugs can be on the outside as well - that part would be the same for a wood boat as well but if all the wood is inside the glass hull & deck?


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

Here in Hawaii people do tent the boats for dry wood termites (as they do for houses). Tenting would be required if there was external (or wood hull/deck) where termites are. If they are only internal- sealing the boat with tape and gassing inside would work.

I would think you have dry wood termites. These can fly into a boat and do not need a water source. Ground termites need to get to a water source (could be your bilge), but I believe ground termites are rare except for a boat stored on land for a long time.

Terminex should be able to gas the boat. Who ever you get, make sure that are licensed and have insurance- the gas is deadly.


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## saltidog (Jun 14, 2012)

This thread reminds me of an article many, many moons ago in the British monthly Yachting Monthly about blisters on the hull of those GRP hulls. Explanation of course was polyestermites.

Lots of folks fell for it too.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

saltidog said:


> This thread reminds me of an article many, many moons ago in the British monthly Yachting Monthly about blisters on the hull of those GRP hulls. Explanation of course was polyestermites.
> 
> Lots of folks fell for it too.


Termites are real, as well as concretemites.


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## casey1999 (Oct 18, 2010)

good link:
Boat Fumigation - Bug Central For All Your Termite & Pest Control Needs (800) 557-9123


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

I once had an old wooden boat that had Carpenter Ants. It sank. When refloated, voila, the ants were gone! Salt water is a good insecticide.

I have used the insect "bombs" whereby you seal up, open up hatches and lockers, set it off and come back the next day. Those seem to work (without paying $600...geeez). Usually do this every couple of years. It's a bit of a pain because getting the mist all over everything like clothes and dishes, can't be too good. I usually remove whatever I can and make sure to wash down counters, etc. afterward.


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## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Get a pet bat.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

bobperry said:


> Get a pet bat.


I did. Got a whole collection of them. Used the CatBat on this brute.










I suspect we may well end up having to use the SpamBat on sweet Lily.


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## bobperry (Apr 29, 2011)

Fuzzer:
Does she a have a little broken arm? Poor little thing.


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## SlowButSteady (Feb 17, 2010)

I would seal up the boat as well as possible and put a 50# or 100# block of dry ice on the cabin floor. That should displace all the oxygen and kill off the little buggers. If not, you aren't out much for the effort.


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## SlowButSteady (Feb 17, 2010)

tdw said:


> I did. Got a whole collection of them. Used the CatBat on this brute.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A peg-leg cat!!!! Arrrhhhhh!!!!! Gotta have one.


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## mad_machine (Dec 16, 2012)

SlowButSteady said:


> I would seal up the boat as well as possible and put a 50# or 100# block of dry ice on the cabin floor. That should displace all the oxygen and kill off the little buggers. If not, you aren't out much for the effort.


Co2 is not a bad idea. Leaves no residue at all.


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