Joe:

You're dealing with native eastern subterranean termites in the genus
Reticulitermes. There are several species, probably more than the
current sceintific/academic consensus "says" that there are. You're
not dealing with drywood termites.

Unless you have an above-ground source of moisture it's very unlikely
that you are dealing with an "aerial" or "secondary" colony. That's a
self-sustaining population with reproductive members. Termites have
both "primary" reproductives (the king and queen; workers are both
male and female, too, for whatever that's worth) and "secondary"
reproductives. Secondary reproductives are ordinary workers who were
either cut off from the queen's reproduction-suppressing pheromones
(pheromones are external hormones that affect individuals other than
the ones that secrete them) or are so far away from them (i.e. her)
because of the size of the colony that they no longer have any effect.
Secondary reproductives are usually responsible for the bulk of the
reproduction in a mature colony. In a little over 18 years as a
structural entomologist I've carefully and thoroughly inspected close
to a thousand buildings. I've seen two or three genuine,
no-doubt-about-it aerial colonies of eastern subterranean termites.

It really doesn't make too much sense to talk about "colonies" of
termites from a control standpoint, in my opinion. Recent research by
Ed Vargo of NC State indicates that colonies form around unrelated
mated pairs (kings and queens) and around secondary reproductives.
Earlier research indicates that the majority of colonies form by
"budding," where a colony gets so big that the two ends no longer
communicate and eventually separate. Think of them as a big amorphous
population. There are likely to be several lineages, some of them
related, and at least two or three species of subterranean termites
living where your house was built. And they've been there for a long
time - your house was built on top of however-many termites that patch
of ground could support. They'll eventually find your house. I've
seen termites traveling happily up three and four feet of foundation
from the soil to the wooden substructure more than a dozen times.
I've seen mud tubes as thick as my wrist going a foot or two up from
the ground to the substructure more times than I can remember. Most
termiticide labels and many state regulations (many of the Southern
states have specific standards that must be completed during a termite
treatment) require treatment of any soil closer than 18 inches from
the wooden substructure, even if that soil is covered by a slab. If
the wooden part of your house is within a couple of feet of the soil
it's at risk. If it's farther than that it's a a little less risk.
If it was a beach house in South Carolina built 14 feet above the
ground on concrete piers I'd still recommend you get it treated.

The point of a conventional liquid treatment is to establish a barrier
around your house that the termites can't get through because it is
either lethal or repellent to them. Once you've done that the
termites trapped in the structure will die of thirst and the ones in
the ground will go elsewhere for dinner. (Essentially - there are
differences in the way differnet chemicals, including the baits, act
on termites. But that's the idea.)

It's going to be very difficult for you to do a good inspection
because of the way your house is built. That means it's entirely
possible that there will be damage by the time you discover an
infestation. It may be cheaper to wait until that happens, and then
hire people to make repairs, do the termite treatment, and put up with
the disruption. But it may not be the most cost-effective choice.

It sounds to me like you already know that there's a wide range of
expertise available in the pest-control business. Be careful. Ask
around. They're regulated in your state by the Dept. of Environmental
Conservation. They likely keep records of complaints and enforcement
actions - that might be a good place to check before you commit to
spending money. (Shameless plug - in SC we put that information on
our web site. You pay your taxes, you got a right to see what we do
with the money.) DEC is in Albany - you're looking for the
"structural pest control" section of the Bureau of Pesticides
Management.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!

Regards,
C
http://dpr.clemson.edu
http://www.structuralpestexpert.com



JoeD wrote in message thlink.net...
I was wondering if the follwoing is generally true. Please remember I
live in the NYC area so I am assuming that there is only one type of
termite here.
The guy who is repairing the damage in my neighbor's house said, even if
an extermanitor treats the house by injecting chemicals around the
paremeter, any termite nest with a queen established above the ground
in the house will not be destroyed. SNIP