termite problems in the bush

[Innocent criminal]

Had this problem myself last few bush grows I've done, part of the reason I started indoors again.

I tried a few chemical solutions, but dont really like using anything around my plants, so I have been thinking of physical solutions, barriers, deterrents ect...

The one I will try next is fly screen baskets buried in the ground (or you could line the bottoms of pots with it), termites dont like to be exposed so if I leave 3 inches out of the ground they shouldnt go over it, and if I dont put any holes in it they shouldnt be able to dig through.

Also I know a bloke with a termi-mesh business, would love to get my hands on a decent quantity of the mesh they use (330 micron stainless I think), that shit keeps em out.

 

But really best tip I can give ya's (after living with the f#@ckers for 20 odd yrs and observing their behavior) is look for areas without evidence of them, you may find that they will only build above a certain height on a ridge line, or not with in a certain distance of a watercourse.

Pick a spot with little to no termite activity and the chances of trouble are slim as they wont travel much more than a hundred meters unless establishing a new colony.

[Kali Mist]

Hi. The dipel got my interest. Tell me more. Never heard of that one. Was under the impression that dipel was a caterpillar specific, bacterial agent. Have you used it for termites yourself k.mist . cheers..b.b.

 

Have used it myself. Dipel works great on the termites around here as well as many types of pesky ants & caterpillars. It's not an instant kill, like a poison, it takes a few days before you start to notice anything. When poured / mixed into the soil it acts as a preventative barrier & any infected termites can wipe their colony. The bacteria remains in the soil & seems to prevent them running amok for some time into the future, ants included.

Edited September 21, 2008 by Kali Mist

[AvaDGardner]

Kali Mist how much do you use and do you just water it into the soil around the base of the plants?I will be growing in an area that has quite a lot of termites and am worried about this as I have lost plants before.I am thinking of spraying the ground with neem oil but I will try anything but prefer things that are non toxic.

[organics]

Years back I was growing a few plants in pots out in the bush, termites ended up moving into the pots and ate the roots to the point that 2 of the plants fell over. After looking for and failing to find a commercial solution that wasn't insanely toxic, my flatmate suggested I try nicotine.

 

So..... I collected all of the cigarette butts from around the house (lots of them), put them in a milk bottle and filled it with water. The butts were left to soak overnight and then strained off. The resulting sludge was tipped into the pots.

 

The next day all of the termites were gone and the plants recovered fully producing some lovely sweet buds. I'm not sure if it would work as a long term barrier as I raised the pots after killing the termites, but it definitely killed off the little bastards.

 

I'm pretty sure that you can buy pure nicotine as an insecticide if you don't have 50 million unemptied ashtrays laying around too.

[Kali Mist]

how much do you use and do you just water it into the soil around the base of the plants?

I usually use 1 sachet in 1 bucket of water with a desertspoon of brown sugar added & dissolved. If the soil is porous then just water each plant in well. Or preferably you can add it to the soil before the plants are inserted.

cigarette butts

Tobacco Mosaic ViRuS is a risk when using cigarettes as the nicotine source. Infection can mean either minor leaf deformation & stunted growth or even a slow-lingering death with some plants.

[AvaDGardner]

usually use 1 sachet in 1 bucket of water with a desertspoon of brown sugar added & dissolved. If the soil is porous then just water each plant in well. Or preferably you can add it to the soil before the plants are inserted.

 

Whats the brown sugar for?

Im going out next week to put my babies in the ground and have bought some Dipel.I pray the termites dont take these babies or this time I will cry.

[Major Overgrow]

Being bacterial in nature maybe it gives it a kick-start, or maybe the bugs have a sweet-tooth

[AvaDGardner]

I guess it is to attract the little bastards.

[StabWound]

To get rid of termites just goto your local hardware sotre and purchase the following products:

 

If you already have a termite infestation, then grab some;

David Grey's Termite Spray ($20.00 approx for 500ML)

 

Mix to twice the reconmended specifications and apply to the underside/outside of your pots or if planted then, into the ground around your plants, saturate and repeat in two days if infestation is still active. Even if you do not have an infestation, apply the insecticide to your pots or surrounding area, saturate, repeat.

 

Once you have applied that, then use some Richgro Chlorpyrifos Ant Killer. ($8.00 approx, per 500grams)

 

This stuff is wicked, it wiped out a very heavy infestation in just under a day. It completly wiped out the entire colony, there was nothing left except dead termites.

 

Just apply it sparingly under your pots or dig a 2 foot trench next to your plants and pour it in, cover trench back up when done.

 

A combination of the two above products will save your crop and protect until flower time. BEST practice is to clear ALL wood debry from you grow areas, especialy old logs and timber. Apply the Chlorpyrifos Ant granules to the underside of your pots or dig it into the ground around your plant holes, with a little bit of it mixed into your mulch layer, not too much thou and never near harvest time. Keep insecticides and chemicals well away from harvest time, leave yourself a window of at least 3 to 4 weeks.

 

My practice is the following, using a litre of Linseed-Oil I mix a double dose of the David Grey Termite Spray into it and spray it onto the outside of ALL mypots. If planting inground, I dig a trench around the grow hole and saturate with the spray, no need for the Linseed-Oil if your putting plants straight into the ground. (The Linseed-Oil is only used as an adhesive, so the termite spray sticks to the outside of the pots).

 

Then, having decided on the final resting place of the pots, I sparingly sprinkle the Richgro Chlorpyrifos Ant granules and then place my pots directly on top of the granules. Done! No more frigging termite problems.

 

Now I came across this thread a while back and resisted posting my solution here because of a very simple but deadly serious reason. These insectices KILL native animals, it will bake them dead. Now if you are going to grow weed and in the process kill native (or any animals in fact) then you should be f**king shot on site.

 

Respect mother nature, it's the one giving you your weed, be nice and balance your actions to maintain harmony. Therefore, were ever you have applied these insecticides, cover them up, leave NOT a SINGLE granule of dust visible to the naked eye, if your stoned hazed out eye can see the granules, then every bird within a 5 mile radius is going to spot them, eat them and then die a miserable death.

 

Were ever you have applied the spray, make sure there is NO possibility for water run off into a water hole used by animals for their needs. Easiest way to do this, is to make a small barrier of heaped dirt around your plants. Because I'm using Linseed-Oil no animal is going to lick it. So your only worry there is water run off.

 

Well I hope this solves some of your problems and if any of you are doing this, then please consider your actions and protect the animals of the bush. Don't be sloppy.

 

You can buy the above insecticides at most hardware stores around the country. I almost forgot, there are two different sizes for the Chlorpyrifos Ant Killer. The smaller size has a much higher concentration of Chlorpyrifos in it, were as the 2.5Kg bulk pack has a much lower concentration of Chlorpyrifos. So I always use the 500G packs, there much stronger and you really don't need that much of it, unless you got a crop the size of the MCG.

 

On a side note, please do not be fooled into thinking Bunnings is actually offering you the lowest prices or that it is in fact offering you any sort of service. They are not. They have destroyed countless "real" hardware stores around the country and with it killed good, hands-on advice. Their products are cheap nasty knock-off's made in China. Boycott them, just as you would boycott the bubonic plague. Support your local Hardware store, not an American conglomerate that drives quality down, prices up and harms all Australians. We don't need them to tell us what a good hardware store is or how it should service it's customers.

 

Edited November 11, 2008 by StabWound

[LOGGER_KING]

wesfarmers own bunnings australia............are sure its American........i thought bunnings are only in australia?????