Termites?

[Lavanda]

My village neighbour has an old house inherited from her parents. She is currently taking out all the wood and taking the plaster off the walls to renovate the house completely. Not surprising as her parents lived in it for over 60 years and never changed anything. However. she tells me the house has termites that are eating the wood. I know there are different types of termites and worms and ants that eat different things but the end result is always a disaster.

In the village house, years ago, we had the old walls covered with Pladur. The house is lovely. However, I have noticed a very small pile of what looks like fine sand on the floor near a join in the skirting tiles. I looked this up on the 'net and it could be a sign of something eating something. I cleaned it up but after about a week there was a new pile of fine sand.

Obviously, i will need to get an expert in BUT how will anyone know what is going on behind the Pladur? Does anyone have experience of this sort of thing? I remember a neighbour in Coín having problems but in those days my Spanish was not good enough to work out what the problem was. Her house is still standing so it must have been solved.

[spanish_lad]

we have this sometimes, and i assume its ants? making a nest under the tiles.

I would put some talco on the floor.. i think boiling water would make the tiles crack?

[Lavanda]

I hope it's ants and nothing more serious. We do have an invasion of tiny, tiny ants at the moment ... I'll try the talco idea. Thanks.

[Enrique]

Hi,

ZZ polovo ............. will clear your ant problem very quickly

What to look for............

https://www.drogueriaelbarco.com/insect ... 0-grs.html

Can get from your local Drogueria-Pinturas store

[Lavanda]

That looks good and not expensive either. Thanks.

[Wicksey]

Our friends once bought a second hand coffee table that they think had some sort of woodworm problem as it spread to the door next to where it stood. They used to have little piles of fine sawdust by it. I think they bought an aerosol spray and used to treat it from time to time. Not sure what the wood eating creature is called but I'm sure there'll be a spray for it in the ferreteria.

I use Zum for any creepy crawlies I come across. It seems to kill anything!

(When we lived in France we had ants walking up the side of the house and into the loft where they seemed to like chewing on the ancient beams there. They were definitely ants and not termites as we had a termite inspection for buying and selling the house and they were only ants.)

[Lavanda]

I am hoping they are ants as termites would be worse, I think. We don't have a big termite problem here as it is supposed to be too hot and dry but, who knows.

[peteroldracer]

Carpenter bees were common when we lived in the campo of the Axarquia. In quiet moments you could hear the critters munching their way through a beam, with a little stream of sawdust below where they were.

[Lavanda]

What did you use to get rid of them?

[peteroldracer]

I went to Vivi-grow in velez-málaga and asked them. Cannot remember exactly what they sold me but it worked!