Termite and Wood Boring Insects - Moving Furniture From Termite Swarmed House

An extensive colony of drywood termites lives in the ceiling of my old apartment. They swarmed last week. At first it was a dozen, then a hundred the next day and the day after that. The number subsided over the next couple of days. Now it's just wings on the carpet and floors.

The Orkin inspector found extensive drywood termite damage along the wooden ceiling and beams. There are holes, pinpoint holes, and damage across the length of the entire apartment. Piles of termite droppings collect in the lamps, which are under some of the holes in the ceiling. The maintenance man says the termites have been there as long as the building-30 years-and they refused to spray or fumigate.

So, after a week of drywood swarming, what furniture, clothes, books, and blankets are safe to move out of the apartment? I lived there two months before the swarm. I've seen termites crawling across my dining room table and computer monitor, not to mention the floor. One landed on my shoulder when they swarming--needless to say, I moved out. But I haven't moved my furniture yet. What should I do? What is safe to take and what should I leave? I'm inclined to leave almost everything and not take any chances--books, clothes, bedding included.

Good heavens, what a mess you had to live through. ;( I think you will find this helpful.
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/termites/wood_destroying_insects.htm#furniture

Good luck in your new home with your new furniture.

Newt

Thanks, Newt! There's a lot of frass from the ceiling and it's hard to see frass that might fall onto the cream-colored carpet. Aside from frass, is there any way to identify the discoloration where termites have entered furniture?

Lisabella, I wish I could answer your question with authority, but I can't. From what I've read you need to find their holes, inject the appropriate insecticide and then seal the hole with something like caulk. The other option is tent fumigation.

Newt

Ack! Sounds like a lot of work. It's easier with my boyfriend's furniture--he found a hole with a pile of sawdust. He cleared the sawdust and found more the next day. Clearly, something lives in that hole.

But with my furniture it's harder to tell. The frass would fall onto the light-colored floor, so it'd be hard to see. The droppings from the ceiling onto the dining table are easy to spot, as is the frass in the lamp.

For now, since I'm getting married and combining households anyway, I think I'll donate my furniture to friends--with the It Might Have Termites caveat--and hope for the best.

Thanks.