Masa tackles pest menace
Termite protection has always been amongst the bigger worries of contractors and building owners alike as these pests can cause substantial damage to investment and property without being noticed.
01 April 2004
Termites eat away wood from the inside leaving the surface untouched. So termites could have caused extensive and irreparable damage to structures before they are detected.
If the floor coverings of such buildings consist of carpets or any wooden materials, such as parquet flooring, these could be attacked easily and without being noticed.
Saudi Arabia-based Masa Establishment For Pest Extermination Services points out that termite protection can be effective if the problem is approached professionally.
When treating infested areas, the space between the wood floor and the concrete sub-floor should not be flooded with chemicals as these floors are usually laid on sleepers (screeds or stringers) which in turn may be embedded in the sub-floor, a spokesman for the Riyad-based company says. It is important that the soil beneath these slabs be treated.
Elaborating on how the treatment should be performed, he says: The soil under the sub-floor – especially areas adjacent to walls where a shrinkage crack occurs – should be treated by drilling both the floor and the sub-floor. The holes of the sub-floor should be slightly smaller than those in the wood floor. Then, chemical is pumped or poured evenly into the soil to ensure that termiticide is not forced into cracks, which could cause odour problems. Chemicals should be placed at termite entry points, including expansion joints, the exterior edges of the slab, and any openings in a slab such as utility points and cracks.”
The treatment of wooden members of a structure is very important to ensure termite control and the pest control technician is reminded that any wood in direct contact with soil should be pressure treated.
The following aspects should be borne in mind when treating wood:
- Pressure treated wood should be used when modifying, replacing or repairing infested wood;
- Using pretreated wood is better rather than applying approved insecticides to protect wood that is already in place;
- Insecticides should be applied to all the voids or channels in damaged wood, or to cracks spaces, or bearing joints between the wooden members of a structure or between such members and the foundation.
Says the spokesman: “The presence of termites can only be detected by trained technicians – unless mud tubes are on the surface of the building structure. When mud tubes are found above the ground level, it means that the termite infestation in the existing building is already heavy and extensive.
“It is best to treat any building against subterranean termites at the time of construction – where treatment can be more effective and cheaper, before termite infestation occurs.
Masa Establishment, which is backed by modern equipment, sufficient and updated know-how and 24 years of experience, provides economically feasible, environmentally sound, social acceptable and effective professional pest control services against all household pests, he concludes.
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