Nightmare Termite Job

What PCO would not be interested in performing a termite treatment on a 300-square-foot building with a footer 20 feet below grade? You could anticipate a handsome profit from such a job. You could also lose your shirt! That’s exactly the dilemma faced by Dodson Bros. Exterminating Co. officials last year.

THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE. The building was the Cultural Center located in the capitol complex of Charleston, W.Va., along the Kanawha River. Built 12 years ago for the purpose of presenting the culture of West Virginia, the center houses a library for the blind and handicapped, an archives room, a cultural exhibit area and a collections room for storing priceless antiques.

In a building consisting entirely of a series of concrete foundations with little or no wood elements, why would termite control be an issue? The concern centered around two libraries filled with irreplaceable paper documents and wooden exhibits, including an old country store. The cellulose-rich environment above the foundation could serve as a virtual feast for hungry termites. In addition, the cultural center had a history of termite problems. Several subterranean termite swarms were discovered by Dan Sitowlsky, technical director for the center, during a three-year period, at which time Dodson Bros. was contracted to spot-treat the center with Dursban TC.

The decision to have the Lynchburg, Va.-based pest control company perform a complete termite treatment on the building came after mud tubes were discovered in untreated areas. Morris Huddleston, district manger for the company’s Charleston office, supervised the treatment. The company provided an 11-year warranty with the treatment. "I expect callbacks…you expect them over an 11-year period," Huddleston said.

The supports of the building consisted of pilings that were laid on rock bed. Many old homes on the building’s grounds were torn down to allow space for the enormous building, and all the debris from the destruction of these homes was used as backfill around the pilings. Factors such as soil type (sandy loam soil poured over the bed as fill) and wood debris, which can contribute to uneven distribution of termiticide, were considered during the application.

Huddleston believes there were at least eight or 10 termite colonies existing around the Cultural Center, based on the number of swarms seen emerging from expansion joints in the building’s northeast wing.

The cultural center proved very difficult to treat, according to Huddleston. "The challenge is getting the termiticide where it needs to be," he said. Ironically, Huddleston found the biggest problem with the project was that certain areas of the center could not be treated based on building design access restrictions and Sitowlsky’s request to leave certain areas of the center untreated. These areas included the exhibit room, the loading dock an the taping/video room.

In the taping room, treatment of the foundation walls was prohibited because a raised steel-plated floor obstructed direct contact with the concrete floor. The exhibit and collection rooms revealed the same problem. Sub-slab heating in front of the doors to the exhibit room prevented pest control technicians from drilling through the slab. The loading dock’s concrete slabs adjacent to the building could not be treated because long rodding through the cement might have jeopardized the integrity of a hydraulic lift system present under the slab.

Several other structural components had to be considered by Dodson Bros. before treating the building. Because there was sand under the structure as backfill around the pilings, a conventional sub-slab injector was ineffective, due to the possibility that the chemical would filter through sandy soil without binding. Therefore, a Versa-tool was used to force the chemical at high pressure at an upward angle to make contact under the slab.

ADDITIONAL CONCERNS. Other factors led to delays in treating the building, such as determining the location of water lines under the slab. Although the aboveground location of the lines was drawn on the blueprints, it was unclear as to their exact location underground. This resulted in the interruption of treating expansion joints in the area to avoid the possibility of breaking a water line under the slab. Pictures and other historical treasures were covered prior to drilling the slab to prevent possible damage from dust and other contaminants.

Employee health concerns and odor from the termiticide were addressed by a Department of Agriculture representative. The work had to be suspended on occasion when the noise from drilling was too loud for employees trying to perform their jobs. "We had more employee complaints about the drilling than about the chemical odor itself," stated Huddleston.

Due to the complexity of the building’s design, certain areas were avoided during the treatment, which resulted in Dodson Bros. providing a partial termite treatment. One such area was a large marble slab walkway that extends along the entire front of the building and lies over the ceiling to the exhibit hall located in the basement. This meant that no rodding could be conducted directly next to the wall.

The number of gallons per linear feet of termiticide was increased for basement sub-slab injections to 1 gallon per foot to account for the increased treatment depth (two and a half times the amount recommended on the label for sub-slab injection of basements). Porous sand and rocks were taken into account because the chemical would trickle down through sand faster than through a clay-based soil.

Conflicts occurred on the proper method of treating the building’s exterior foundation based on the pest control company’s responsibility to comply with product labeling requirements and state regulations. West Virginia state regulations require that treatment must be made to the top of the footer, which was 20 feet below grade level. Complying with this regulation may have resulted in the possibility of contaminating groundwater and leaching of the chemical to the nearby Kanawha River. An agreement was reached between Dodson Bros. and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture on a partial treatment. The exterior foundation was treated at least 2 feet but no more than 4 feet below grade level.

Extra costs due to design restrictions, potential damage to the building’s contents and personnel concerns added to the complexity of the termite treatment. Perhaps a lesson to learn about treating large buildings for termites is that knowledge of termite biology and control is essential, but a little ingenuity some cooperation from regulatory officials and a large order for new drill bits is a great help!

 

Karen M. Yoder is with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Section, Charleston, W.Va.