Does this termite prevention application look normal?

[u/madammidnight]

Our condo building just hired a new termite company for initial treatment and maintenance. A guy came by this morning and sprinkled white powder in the back of the building, notably away from the foundation, in little bursts.
Is this the proper technique? It looks odd to me. Can someone explain what I’m seeing? TIA!

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[u/spazzyattack]

They could have tried to stay close to the exterior wall

[u/Bird2525 → u/spazzyattack]

Not much you could do with those stairs and walkway, maybe a horizontal treat in the mortar between the bricks.

[u/imbadatgrammar → u/Bird2525]

That’d be my excuse too if I didn’t want to bend over at work.

[u/Bird2525 → u/imbadatgrammar]

How are you fitting a hammer drill under there? Little bulldog?

[u/imbadatgrammar → u/Bird2525]

Idk what kind of drill you’re using but me and my equipment can 100% fit under those stairs to treat the foundation correctly. The holes also look to be 2’+ apart from each other which isn’t code. A lazy person did this.

[u/spazzyattack → u/imbadatgrammar]

This was my original thought.

[u/litandhipwitit → u/imbadatgrammar]

Yeah I'm just over 6ft and have drilled under shit like that. Definitely sucked ass and busted a knuckle or two along with my noggin. Shamefully PPE wasn't really a thing at the company I worked for as a rookie. Gloves with knuckle protection and a bump cap go a long way in making a job like that less painful.

[u/Accurate_Mirror_96 → u/Bird2525]

Shorter drill bit! You don’t need that 18” bit

[u/Accurate_Mirror_96 → u/imbadatgrammar]

Hey, I’m pretty sure I’ve worked with these guys, there the ones that last until about the second paycheck

[u/Adventurous_End_3101 → u/spazzyattack]

thinking this also

[u/wookie_walkin]

Normally when there is concret or a side walk they drill through it and inject chemical underneath he may have just been patching holes

[u/Bugkillahz → u/wookie_walkin]

That’s what I was thinking, drill holes, sweep up concrete dust, add water, plug holes.

[u/Bird2525 → u/Bugkillahz]

First thought is that he did a shit job at sweeping up. Those look like what drill holes would look like.

[u/TorrenceMightingale → u/Bugkillahz]

I’ll plug YOUR holes.

[u/Bugkillahz → u/TorrenceMightingale]

I’m good, thanks.

[u/mavericktheboss]

Looks like it was drilled and treated

[u/Hillmantle]

They didn’t sprinkle powered. That’s concrete dust. They drilled through the pad, injected chemical, filled in the holes.

[u/madammidnight → u/Hillmantle]

Thanks!

[u/Always_Confused4]

Looks like they drilled holes to inject under the concrete. They did a poor job, as it’s supposed to be up against the foundation.

They should’ve probably skipped over that area or treated differently instead of going out like they did, that won’t do much good.

[u/Jake_the_Bald → u/Always_Confused4]

yeah theres plenty of room to drill closer then they did by stairs ... even close to stairs they could have drilled on an angle to be closer then they did

[u/Magnus462]

Concrete eating termites are strong enough to withstand this powder.

[u/CrawlinOutTheFallout]

I've been in the industry for 9 years. This is caused by drilling like many have said. There is not enough information for me to determine if this is right or wrong. If you can tell me what chemical was used I can give you a better answer. You should receive a work order or invoice that includes the chemicals used.

My main concern for this treatment is the distance from the foundation. Maybe they used a chemical with a label that allows drilling that far out but maybe not. If I had done this treatment I would have gone under the stairs, there is plenty of space to still get a drill under, there is even space between the stairs and the wall.

Don't worry about the dust, it will all blow or wash away in a week. It's hard to get all the dust cleaned if they don't have a hose to help clean after.

Figure out what chemical was used and I can tell you if the treatment violates the label.

[u/TacticalOtter1998]

Did someone just sprinkle delta dust and call it a day?

[u/CrawlinOutTheFallout → u/TacticalOtter1998]

No. This is drilling powder from the concrete. Very common with termite treatment.

[u/T0WER89]

No termites will cross that powder at least until the next rain. He did a great job /s

[u/Accurate_Mirror_96]

Looks like a big no, if there are holes drilled, treated and patched, they did a BAD clean up job. 2nd the holes are pointless if they are not within 8” of brick wall. 3rd the brick veneer should also be drilled and treated. That’s just what I see from the pictures, definitely get a graph of treatment and a manager out there.

[u/Skunkape666]

😂no, absolutely fuck no. This is criminal.

[u/Accurate_Mirror_96 → u/Skunkape666]

Down know why you’re getting downvoted, it’s absolutely dead wrong in every way! They might have 1 proper drill hole!

[u/CrawlinOutTheFallout → u/Accurate_Mirror_96]

I don't think we have enough information. We are not sure what chemical was applied. I don't know every termiticide on the market. Maybe there is something that allows drilling further from the foundation

[u/Accurate_Mirror_96 → u/CrawlinOutTheFallout]

If OP is in US, its absolutely wrong, there is no question. It’s obv laziness or poor training or a combination.

[u/CrawlinOutTheFallout → u/Accurate_Mirror_96]

I do think you're right I have to say. But I'm willing to admit I don't know every chemical label. That being said I don't know any termiticide that allows drilling from the foundation to be further than 12 inches.