Spraying and Treating Ground and WoodWork in the Prevention of Termite Damage

By Lumber Yards and Producers Sub'Committee of the Ternite Investigation Committee.

(This is the second of a series of articles on Termite Damage Prevention which will appear in the California Lumber Merchant. These articles are intended for retailers, millwork firms, and distributors primarily. It is hoped that information contained in these articles will also prove valuable and worth passing on to their customers.)

In article No. I was mentioned some features of clearing the ground, whether it be for a retail lumber yard or foi a d*elling, to prevent termite damage. When the ground has been cleared of brush, wood chips and paper, ind has been levelled it is well to spray the ground surface with a solution which will kill the insects. Effective poisons for this purpose are a 10 per cent solution of sodium arsenite; 1 part coal-tar creosote and 3 parts kerosene oil (this mixturi should be strained through burlap before' use) ; carbon-disulphide emulsion, which is on the market ready for use and ortho-dichlorobenzene. A thor'ough saturation of the soil is necessary to make this treatment effective.

A simple method to determine the presence of termites in the soil is to plant trap stakes in the soil. If these are attacked, carbon'disulphide should be poured into the stake hole, protected by a layer of paper and then covered with dirt. -Care should be taken in handling this volatile fluid as the gas or vapor from it is highly inflammable. and explosive-when mixed with air in certain- proportion-s-; no llame should be brought near it and the fumes should not be inhaled as they are poisonous.

The subterranean termite needs a moisture supply to continue its work. Usually it obtains moisture from the ground. Hence, if the tube the termite has built is permanEntly disconnected from the ground it will die. If wood whiih has become infested has been in direct contact with the ground it should be destroyed. If wood is again used

LEWIS CLARK NOW WITH BUILT.IN FIXTURE CO.

Lewis Clark, formerly associated with the Celotex Co., is now sales representative for the metropolitan district of Los Angeles for "Peerless" Built-in Furniture.

to replace the destroyed material it is apparent that adequate measures must be made to prevent the recurrence or d"*"g.. If at all possible the wbod should be placed. on .onorEt., rock, or brick foundations made with standard grades oi mortar, or suitably capped, and metal shields put 6n to shut off tire termite -tubes-' Dr. T. E. Snyder, Entomologist of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, has recommen?ed provisions for building codes for insuring protection from termites and decay ivhere termite damage is extensive. These include "Wobd or fiber products, when not impregnated with an approved preservative, s-hall not be plaied-in contact with ihe earti or within 18 inches thereof, excepting wood columns or.posts over a concrete floor, which cohimns shall be provided with non-corroding metal or concrete base plateJ or footings p i.nc!e-s above thi floor. This applies to steps, which shall be laid over a concrete base; iriojecting a[ least 6 inches beyond the supports of the st1ps."

As up-to-date building codes of today-provide..for continuouiconcrete or masonry foundations for dwellings it- i-s seen that Dr. Snyder's recbmmendations are in line with good practice in building construction.

--ettnlugtt Dr. Snyder iecommends treated lumber it is not generilly availaLle in the market here at this time' Until sich time as it becomes available certain untreated species, if all-heartwood and sound, will be used.

Where we use considerable redwood here on the coast it is interesting to note a test of a termite-resistant species of wood c6nducted by the United States DepartTent of Agriculture under Dr' Snyder's supervision in the PaniiaTiiat Zo"e. On Barro-Colorado Island during April, L927, several buildings and a tower we-re erected of a special erade of close grained all-heart redwood' An examination"on July 13, 1918, revealed no penetration of the wood by termites.

New Yorker Visits Pine Mills

H. C. Garretson, manager of the New York office of the Garretson-Ellis Lumber Co. of Springfield, Mass', was a recent visitor to the various planti of the Pickering Lumber Co. in Tuolumne CountY.