We got 'em

There's a saying here, "You've either got 'em or you're going to get 'em."  What are they referring to?  A) Wrinkles  B) Cooties  C) Redneck Neighbors  D) Tortilla Chips  E) None of the Above.  The correct answer is E).  Unless you've lived here and have heard the saying it's highly unlikely that you'd guess the right answer, which is - ta, da: subterranean termites.

A couple weeks back, Trish was cleaning up Ranger's dining area (he's well trained but apparently slept through the class on table manners) and said, "Oh, oh!"  'Oh, ohs' aren't good.  I've yet to hear any good news that started with the words 'oh, oh.'  This was no exception.  She discovered that termites had been merrily chomping away at the kitchen counter floor moldings, and in some places, had consumed everything except the paint.  The molding surfaces were lumpy and you could poke your finger right through the paint 'skin' along a 10' stretch.

S-mites are tiny, can gain access via cracks as small as 1/32".  Homes are built on concrete slabs here.  When the concrete slab cracks, as they all inevitably do, the little SOBs sound the trumpets, raise the flags and march right on in.  "Come on guys, let's eat!"  And eat they do.  I'm amazed that anything that tiny can cause so much damage. 

Yesterday, I removed all the damaged molding and vacuumed up the bugs and sawdust.  Then, I measured and cut the new moldings, a royal pain in the ass due to weird angles and bull nose corners.  The pest control guy's coming tomorrow and will apply termiticide to selected areas of the house perimeter and inject it into the kitchen counter wall. 

Here's some of the old molding.  Bottom piece is just a husk with a few slivers of wood. 

 

There's no such thing as a 100% sure fire/never fail approach to keeping these bugs out.  Not in the long term, anyway.  You need to have an annual pest inspection, which is free, thankfully.  That, followed by spot treatment as needed.