Tactics For Fighting Formosan Termite Unveiled

Treated wood and other building materials must be used to protect homes from Formosan termites was the message of a recent conference sponsored by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

The bug, which has been found in Louisiana, California, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Hawaii, reportedly causes over $l billion in damage annually, including over $300 million per year in New Orleans alone, according to the Wood Protection Council of the National Institute of Building Sciences.

"The purpose of the conference was to bring together experts from Hawaii and around the U.S. to share information on methods and materials that will protect homes from these aggressive home destroyers," said conference chairman Dr. W. Ramsay Smith, Louisiana Forest Products Lab. "Hawaii has been battling the Formosan Termite for decades, and if the insect can't be controlled on an island, it certainly can't be controlled elsewhere."

Smith mentioned the importance of keeping moisture levels low in homes, noting that water lures the insect, which travels in colonies that can run into the millions.

"The protection must be an integrated approach that utilizes treated wood, light gauge steel framing and structural concrete," he said. "This way, should one method fail, there will be another and still a third form of protection." He added that the same practice must be followed in not only new construction projects, but in remodeling and repair of existing homes as well.

The conference, which drew about 175 participants to Baton Rouge, La., May 31-June l, also included discussions related to the economics of using treated wood and other building materials, potential health effects from using chemicals, insurance issues and potential effects on home mortgages.

"The conference was a huge success," said Smith. "I think it opened the eyes of many of the attendees to the serious problems that the termite is causing. One contractor told me afterwards that he was almost finished with the first phase of a large construction project, but now he was going to go back and start from scratch and build the project with the materials we suggested."

Sponsors included Elder Wood Preserving, Mansura, La.; Hickson Corp., Smyrna, Ga.; Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wa.; Osmose, Griffin, Ga., and Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Portland, Or.

Navy Honors Industry Vet

The U.S. Navy has renamed a hospital in Twentynine Palms, Ca., The Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital in honor of Bob Bush, co-founder, Bayview Building Materials, Olympia, Wa., and co-owner, Bayview Redi-Mix, Grays Harbor, Wa.

The longtime industry retailer was cited for his heroism at Okinawa during WW II where he was wounded and refused treatment until his officer patient could be evacuated. His actions earned him the Medal of Honor in 1945. Bush's wartime achievements were chronicled in Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation.

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