Loading…
23
TIL pouring a full bag of ice on a client's yard waste pile did not freeze the termites like I hoped
I had a client in Fargo with a big pile of old firewood and brush behind the garage that was crawling with termites, and I got the bright idea to freeze them out before hauling it off. I dumped two 20 pound bags of ice right on top and covered the whole pile with a black tarp for three days in July, thinking the cold would do the job. When I pulled the tarp back the ice was long gone, the pile was steaming, and the termites looked like they had thrown a party and invited friends. My ground guy Marcus just stared at it and said, that is the dumbest science project I have ever seen. Turns out termites just move deeper into the wood and the wet tarp made the rot worse, so I had to burn the whole pile anyway plus pay for a second dump run. Has anyone actually had luck treating a woodpile like this, or should I just stick to hauling it straight to the burn site next time?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
wren_mitchell15h ago
Piling ice on top actually makes it worse because termites sense the temp drop and just tunnel down into the center of the pile where the decay is already generating heat. That's why your pile was steaming after, the wet wood and trapped warmth basically turned it into a compost reactor. You'd have better luck spreading the wood out in full sun so it dries and heats unevenly, since termites need consistent moisture to survive. Two bags of ice in a Fargo July was never gonna beat a pile that size anyway lol.
2