termite problems in the bush

[oldbushboy]

Hi Paladin..I've only heard glowing reports about termidor..Tried getting it in oz, but as you said, unless your a pestie its not gunna happen..i'll investigate as you suggested, from the states..thanx m8

[Paladin]

No worries. I've just gotten it on eBay and just buy the smallest size in case it doesn't make it through. Have done this four times now with no dramas. It's bloody amazing stuff.

[swstoner]

hi all, new here! We have alot of filthy mites in our area and have used a product called Lorsban before, used to use it on vege farms and my neck doesnt twitch that often!! I just use half 44s half buried in the ground, with water crystals and mulch, the watering isnt too bad untill head time, then i pump it at least twice a week.... The joys of growing in the bush!!!

[bush buggered]

Hi all. Good to see this thread is still going..It means my girls are'nt the only ones being mauled..I checked em today, 1 fucked by termites but most ok..Think i'll chase up Paladins advice..Good luck to all you bushys.

[demistify]

I spray the ground under my trenches with whatever is state of the art for the white ant man at the moment. he's a friend of mine and lets me have a vegemite jar of the stuff for free. so lucky me.

 

now, where I am, I had no problems for a few years. but I found a good spot and didn't want to change it every year. eventually the termites chewed thru the black plastic I line my trenches with (before filling with goodies ... this way you can grow on a hard ridge where no one will think of looking). so this year I renovated the garden entirely and sprayed the ground ... just the surface ... under the black plastic. no need to go berko with this stuff.

 

because the goodies on top of the plastic are so light and fluffy it should to be no trouble each season to dig them out (aerates the goodies anyway) spray again and renew the plastic. anyway that's my plan.

 

my idea with trenches is that they're bigger than pots and so hold more water. but hey, if it keeps raining the way it has won't that be good. Peace.

Edited February 16, 2011 by demistify

[hundaman]

In queensland you can get this stuff called pidgeon,s pest controller 500 it trades under various names one is fortune 500(fortune for you if it works) so will vary but basically it,s active constituent is chlorpyrifos 500g/l usually feed or fertilizer co op dealers or whatever will have it, as others had said please consider other animals in the application of this toxic substance

[syco7]

Me and my mate had termite problems this year. They took down 4m+ plants. We had a group of around 3x20 and lost maybe 4 or 5 in 2 of the groups. We tried pyrethrium but no luck. Its hard to even tell where there net is. Its like they come from no where. Some one was selling termidor on the Australian eBay for around 300 bucks. It's probably worth it but if its such a pain you can just grow more and usually most survive but you gota sacrafice some.

[demistify]

trouble with white ants is that there are different sorts. some eat wood in the scrub and some eat grass roots in the paddock. difficult to work out where their source is ... but good idea. have heard there are traps which attract termites and into which a few crystal of arsenic are placed. the workers carry the arsenic back to the queen and she dies so the whole nest dies. or some process like that. try to make friends with a white ant man.

[brick]

demistify your source of info on termites in incorrect. I just did a phd on the internet on termites as they have been found on the property I have just bought.

the traps are placed out to see if there are any termites in the area, it does not kill them and there is no arsenic in the traps, it is just an attraction trap. then they have to be dealt with.

there are multiple kings and queens in a termite colony so you kill one pair there is always another pair to take over.

they are all blind except for the scouts who have wings and fly around until they find a spot and start the process of building a nest. these are the underground species and will build bridges made of mud to get across obstacles to the build a nest.

Oh bye the way termites are not ants they are related to cockroaches, they love damp to moist areas. leave some cardboard on the grass and then after rain you will probably find them.

Anything left on the ground containing cellulose, most everything has cellulose in it. they will head for it.

[uncle chron]

very helpful brick

i`ve been done twice by the fuckn things in my growing experience and they`re the worst bastards on earth

got a mate who`s been through it too and he`s testing out grow bags sitting on sheets of plastic to see if that stops or slows em down