Termite damage is expensive, and homeowner's insurance rarely pays for it. Since they reside inside furniture and walls, many homeowners are unaware of infestations until they are fully developed. Mature colonies can do harm every day if they go unnoticed. This is why it's crucial to get rid of termites before building a house or any other structure.
To lessen these situations, builders might adhere to a number of recommendations during pre-construction, such as:
- Use a concrete base to support wood to reduce contact with the earth.
- Use pressure-treated or termite-resistant wood if it must come into contact with dirt.
- Avoid burying cellulose materials at the construction site, especially under front porches (e.g., termite food supplies like wood). To minimize entrance sites, install siding at least six inches above the ground.
- To ensure adequate drainage, slope the dirt away from the foundation.
- To help prevent the accumulation of moisture, provide crawl spaces with enough ventilation.
- To prevent soil contact, store wood in crawl spaces at least 18 inches above ground. Termite management and prevention techniques may be used by builders in locations where underground termite damage is prevalent.
The following methods may be often employed by builders:
- To provide proactive protection, apply termiticide to the soil layer beneath a house.
- To help limit access, construct a particle barrier composed of basaltic rock or sand.
- To assist block access points, include termite shields or stainless steel mesh barriers around utility openings and the foundation.
- Put in termite bait and monitoring systems to keep an eye for any activity
Why Does Anti-Termite Research Get Done?
During construction, the pre-construction soil treatment has to be applied up to the substructure's plinth level. It involves treating the soil in foundation trenches for columns, plinth beams, plinth filling, wall-floor joints, expansion joints, and other stages using approved chemicals in water emulsion.Worried about termites? Schedule inspection today and stay one step ahead!
In places where subterranean termite infestations are frequent, the building code's requirements for termite treatment for new construction define which management measures to apply. But if you're building a customized house, you should talk to your builder about termite control for new development.
Using termite-resistant wood during building is one common preconstruction termite treatment. Certain types of wood are treated with chemicals to repel termites, whereas naturally resistant woods are resistant to termites. Termite-resistant wood has proven amazingly efficient in preventing termite infestations in new homes for a while, yet no technology can ensure safety against natural pests.
Making barriers around or underneath a house's foundation might also work well. Soil, insulation, or artificial blocks that have been chemically treated are utilized for this. It is also possible to apply liquid residual preconstruction treatments to the soil while building a house. Before pouring building slabs, they are frequently put to the earth. A subterranean termite infestation may be successfully avoided with the use of these obstacles.
Speak with your neighborhood pest control experts about the preconstruction termite treatment options available to you; the expenses associated with these preventive steps are minimal when compared to the possible expenses of an infestation.
What Is The Termite Treatment Used Before Construction?
Pre-construction anti-termite treatment is carried out before the building is built.
In this anti-termite treatment, chemicals are applied to the soil, building pillars, and other joints to keep termites out.
Implementing anti-termite treatment prior to construction is the most efficient way to prevent termite attacks in homes or structures. The earth under the foundation is treated with chemicals. The soil and the brickwork of the foundation are separated to prevent termites from entering the building by constructing a chemical barrier.
How Often Should You Treat Soil With Termiticide?
- Anti-termite soil treatment should start as soon as foundation pits and trenches are prepared.
- Mass concrete should be applied once the soil has absorbed the chemical emulsion and the surface is totally dry.
- Treatment should be avoided while it's raining or the soil is moist from rain or subsurface water.
- Before installing the floor subgrade, make sure to treat the filled earth surface within the plinth area according to the previous instructions.
- After the treated soil barriers are in place, they cannot be moved.
- If treated soil barriers are unavoidably broken, the barrier system's continuity and completeness need to be restored right away.
How to Treat Termites Before Construction?
The ground has to be clean and dry. It is recommended to inject the chemical into the ground three times, following a specific protocol.
The first step is to drill holes 150 mm below the PPC that are 300 mm deep and 12 mm in diameter. A dosage of five liters per square meter is recommended for the chemical. The second need is to apply the chemical at a rate of 7.5 liters per square meter to the earth-enclosed substructure of the building. This injection site will be 150mm from the substructure and 450mm deep for the chemical.
The inner plinth wall portion should lastly be backfilled with quality soil and adequately compacted before the flooring is installed. In line with the prior announcement, five liters per square meter will be used to finish the chemical treatment.Got termite pest control prevention questions? Ask our experts for personalized advice today!
Top Anti-Termite Chemical for Construction and Foundation Projects
When termites are treated before a building is built, what chemical barrier is employed?
that layer of soil that has been treated with chemicals to prevent termites from entering a building through its foundation and floor surfaces.
What Is Pre-Construction Anti-Termite Soil Treatment?
Applying anti-termite chemicals to the soil beneath and next to a structure creates a chemical barrier that either kills or repels termites, which is known as soil treatment.
This is a technique where the soil around a building is chemically treated in the early phases of construction.
1. Treatment Against Termites For RCC Foundation:
Foundations made of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) must be treated 500 mm below ground level unless the ground level is changed afterwards through cutting or filling.
The 500 mm depth should be calculated using the soil level that was directly touched by the RCC vertical surface and the soil level that was created by the prior filling or cutting.
Seven and a half litres per square metre is the treatment rate for foundations.
2. How Do You Treat Foundation Trenches In a Basement Or Along Masonry Walls For Termites?
If your foundation or basement is made of masonry, you should apply the chemical at a rate of 5 litres per square metre to the entire surface, including the bottom and sides, up to a height of approximately 300 mm.
3. Treatment Against Termites For Vertically Backfilled Soil Along Retaining Walls And Masonry Foundations:
After the concrete foundations and basement retaining walls are built, the backfill that touches the bottom of the structure must be treated with 7.5 litres per square metre of the sub-structure's vertical surface on each side of the foundation.
Soil treatment and filling are both carried out sequentially. In order to properly treat the masonry surfaces, the chemical solution needs to be applied to the ground where they come into contact.
4. Treatment Of The Top Surface Of The Consolidated Earth Inside Plinth Walls Against Termites:
Before placing the sand bed or subgrade, apply 5 l/m2 of chemical emulsion to the top surface of the consolidated earth within the plinth walls.
The DPC affixed to the plinth wall should likewise undergo this procedure.
To ensure the chemical emulsion is thoroughly mixed with the soil, compact the filled earth to a sufficient thickness, and then, using a 12-millimeter-diameter mild steel rod, drill holes 150 millimetres apart in both directions, up to a depth of 50 to 75 millimetres.
5. Anti-Termite Treatment At The Intersection Of The Floor And Wall:
Applying an anti-termite treatment via a short channel is done at the intersection of the wall. Rod holes in the channel should be spaced 150 mm apart before subgrade is laid. To make a hole in the ground, move the iron rod in both directions. As a next step, pour 7.5 l/m2 of vertical wall or column surface chemical emulsion down the wall to ensure the chemical reaches the soil's base.
The soil needs to be well compacted following the completion of the anti-termite treatment.
6. Anti-Termite Treatment Of The Soil Around The Exterior Perimeter Of The Structure:
After the building is finished, rodde the soil around the outside perimeter of the structure to a depth of 300 mm, with 150 mm intervals in between. To create holes, push the rods back and forth parallel to the earth's wall. Pour 7.5 litres of chemical emulsion along the wall for every square metre of vertical surface. The next step after treatment is to compact the soil.
7. Treatment of Soil Around Pipes, Waste, and Conduits to Prevent Termites:
Loosen the soil for 150 mm in diameter and 75 mm in depth around all exterior works (pipes, waste, conduits, etc.) that touch the soil within the foundations before treatment begins. All pipes, waste, and conduits that penetrate the ground outside the foundation must be treated similarly and maintained at a minimum distance of 300 mm, unless they are 75 mm away from the building's walls.
Conclusion
Termite damage is costly and often unnoticed, making it crucial to eliminate termites before building a house or structure. Builders can use recommendations during pre-construction, such as using concrete bases, using pressure-treated or termite-resistant wood, avoiding cellulose materials, installing siding, sloping dirt away from the foundation, providing ventilation, and storing wood in crawlspaces. In areas with underground termite damage, builders can apply termiticide to the soil layer beneath a house, construct particle barriers, use termite shields or stainless steel mesh barriers, and install termite bait and monitoring systems.
Pre-construction soil treatment is applied up to the substructure's plinth level, using approved chemicals in water emulsion. Termite-resistant wood is a common preconstruction termite treatment, and barriers around or underneath a house's foundation can also be used. Pre-construction anti-termite treatment is the most efficient way to prevent termite attacks in homes or structures. The soil under the foundation is treated with chemicals, and the soil and brickwork are separated to prevent termites from entering the building.
Termite treatment should start as soon as foundation pits and trenches are prepared, and should be applied once the soil has absorbed the chemical emulsion and the surface is dry.
Before construction, it is essential to clean and dry the ground and inject anti-termite chemicals into the ground three times. The first step involves drilling holes 150mm below the PPC, 300mm deep and 12mm in diameter, with a dosage of five liters per square meter. The second step involves applying the chemical at a rate of 7.5 liters per square meter to the earth-enclosed substructure of the building. The inner plinth wall portion should be backfilled with quality soil and adequately compacted before flooring is installed.
Pre-construction anti-termite soil treatment creates a chemical barrier that either kills or repels termites. This technique is used in the early phases of construction to prevent termites from entering a building through its foundation and floor surfaces. For reinforced cement concrete (RCC) foundations, the treatment rate is seven and a half liters per square meter. Foundation trenches in basements or along masonry walls should be treated at a rate of 5 liters per square metre. Vertically backfilled soil along retaining walls and masonry foundations must be treated with 7.5 liters per square metre of the sub-structure's vertical surface on each side of the foundation.
Content Summary:
- Termite damage is costly and often unnoticed due to their presence inside furniture and walls.
- Pre-construction measures include using concrete bases to support wood, using pressure-treated or termite-resistant wood, avoiding cellulose materials, installing siding at least six inches above the ground, sloping dirt away from the foundation, providing adequate ventilation, and storing wood in crawlspaces at least 18 inches above ground.
- Builders often apply termiticide to the soil layer beneath a house for proactive protection.
- Particle barriers made of basaltic rock or sand are used to limit access.
- Barriers around utility openings and the foundation are included to block access points.
- Termite bait and monitoring systems are installed to monitor any activity.
- Pre-construction soil treatment is applied up to the substructure's plinth level, using approved chemicals in water emulsion.
- Termite-resistant wood is a common preconstruction termite treatment.
- Barriers around or underneath a house's foundation can also be used.
- Chemicals are applied to the soil, building pillars, and other joints to keep termites out.
- The earth under the foundation is treated with chemicals, and the soil and brickwork of the foundation are separated to prevent termite entry.
- Start anti-termite soil treatment as soon as foundation pits and trenches are prepared.
- Apply mass concrete once the soil has absorbed the chemical emulsion and the surface is completely dry.
- Avoid treatment during rain or moist soil conditions.
- Treat the filled earth surface within the plinth area before installing the floor subgrade.
- If treated soil barriers are broken, the barrier system's continuity and completeness need to be restored immediately.
- Clean and dry ground is required for the chemical injection.
- Drill holes 150mm below the PPC, 300mm deep and 12mm in diameter, with a dosage of five liters per square meter.
- Apply the chemical at a rate of 7.5 liters per square meter to the earth-enclosed substructure of the building.
- Backfill the inner plinth wall portion with quality soil and compact it before flooring installation.
- The chemical barrier is a layer of soil treated with chemicals to prevent termites from entering a building through its foundation and floor surfaces.
- Applying anti-termite chemicals to the soil beneath and next to a structure creates a chemical barrier that either kills or repels termites.
- This technique is carried out in the early phases of construction.
- Foundations made of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) must be treated 500mm below ground level unless the ground level is changed afterwards.
- The treatment rate for foundations is seven and a half litres per square metre.
- Apply the chemical at a rate of 5 litres per square metre to the entire surface, including the bottom and sides, up to a height of approximately 300mm.
- After the concrete foundations and basement retaining walls are built, the backfill that touches the bottom of the structure must be treated with 7.5 litres per square metre of the sub-structure's vertical surface on each side of the foundation.
- Apply 5 l/m2 of chemical emulsion to the top surface of the consolidated earth within the plinth walls.
- Apply an anti-termite treatment via a short channel at the intersection of the wall.
- Rode the soil around the outside perimeter of the structure to a depth of 300mm, with 150mm intervals in between.
Frequently Asked Questions About Termites
Pre-construction termite treatment is crucial because it provides a proactive measure to prevent termites from becoming a problem once the building is constructed. By treating the soil and foundation areas before construction, you create a chemical barrier that termites cannot cross, significantly reducing the risk of infestation. This preventive step ensures the longevity and integrity of the building structure, saving homeowners and businesses from future costs and damages associated with termite infestations.
There are two primary types of pre-construction termite treatments: soil treatment and physical barriers. Soil treatment involves applying termiticides to the soil before the foundation is laid to create a chemical barrier against termites. Physical barriers, on the other hand, involve installing materials such as metal or plastic sheets that termites cannot penetrate, around the foundation and under concrete slabs to physically block termites from accessing the building.
The longevity of pre-construction termite treatment depends on the type of treatment used and environmental conditions. Soil treatments with termiticides can last anywhere from 5 to 10 years, depending on the chemical used and the soil conditions. Physical barriers are designed to last for the life of the structure, but their effectiveness can be compromised if they are disturbed or breached during construction or subsequent landscaping activities.
Most modern termiticides used for pre-construction treatments are designed to be environmentally safe, with low toxicity to humans and pets when applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions. However, it is important to choose products that are specifically labeled for pre-construction use and to have them applied by licensed professionals who follow safety guidelines to minimize any potential environmental impact.
Yes, pre-construction termite treatment is recommended for all types of buildings, whether residential, commercial, or industrial. The treatment is versatile and can be tailored to the specific needs and construction types of the building. It's especially important in areas known to have high termite activity, but considering treatment regardless of location is a wise preventative measure to protect your investment.