Anywhere in the tropics insects are going to be a problem.

I had significant cockroach problem on the 43 floor in Manila. Sprays, extreme cleaning did not appear to work so I ordered roach motels from Amazon. Several filled up in a couple days but after about 3 weeks the infestation was manageable.

 

We all have our bug bears' and for us cockroaches have not been seen here to date but if you want termites or ants even a few cane toads feel free to give me a shout but I'm sure on the 43rd floor there wouldn't be anything to sustain them Rick. Good to hear you have your problem controlled, just wish it was that easy for us up here in the boon docks.

Cheers, Steve.

 

hey guys,

trouble with living in a multi-unit building is if the others people don't keep the cock roaches under control then it is a never ending battle for one unit to keep them out. The roaches travel.

art

 

A little like traversing the roads here art, "It's all about me" as I have learnt.

Cheers, Steve.

 

I am building my beach house in Samal right now. Ground floor is block and render, upper floor is all timber. In anticipation of the termites I'm treating all the wood with 3 coats of solignum. Fingers crossed it'll be enough to keep the bugs at bay.

 

We have roaches and ants and termites, ants are the biggest problem they get everywhere !
Even in the Kettle after the water ! All opened foodstuffs now go in the fridge, our sugar jar has a plasticfood bag folded over the top and the the lid screwed tight,same for the coffee !
Recently bought a large box of sugar coated mini wheats which the little blighters found a way into the unopend bags ! Now in airtight containers in the fridge ! The wife puts some things in bowls on top of large cups standing in water, but some ants sacrificed themselves in the water so others could reach the cups and then the food in the bowls, all my cakes,chocolates ,biscuits etc are kept in the fridge !
They dont like the cold so none inside as of yet !

 

I lived in an up and down in quezon city,loved my neighborhood. The building was really old and not well kept. It had wood floors,double floors with a space between where red ants and cockroaches would hide. Woke up several mornings to find big bites on my sides...Figured it was the red ants. One day I was telling my neighbor and he said show me. I pulled up my shirt and he went EEK......Ipis!!!! Steve that's not ants that's cockroach bites!!! So I got iodine and amoxicillian. He told me let boy come and show u what to do. So I did. He showed me the good hiding spots and the good spray and took care of it pretty good. My gf at that time would leave plates sit with fish skeletons in the sink at bedtime...omg them boogers like meat. You could get up and turn the light on and see a dozen scurrying from the sink!!! She didn't stay my gf for long!!! She was a beauty but Very native!!

 

If you folks have a resource abroad to send you Acephate,you might want to try that.I've read some very positive reports on this product working on a wide range of nuisance bugs.

Ants were the bane of my existence while I lived there,and we literally stored everything in the fridge or freezer.I used to use a shop vac and vacuum those little ******s by the thousands.I detest ants now,and see them even when they are not there.Lol


the ****** is for bug-gers.sheesh. I wonder what the software would do if you actually used a real cuss word?Probably implode into a black hole and the whole universe would cease to exist. lol

 

While ants can be a pain we have no problem in the kitchen nor most other rooms, they are busy in the 2 bathrooms and our master bedroom and we let them be now because we see they are intent on the termites and dismember them and cart them to god knows where and while vicious with the unwanted guests leave us alone and to date not a problem, we see them every day going about their business and we praise their macabre work and them alone.
If we leave any food on the bench in the kitchen or don't wipe/clean properly the ants come in droves, learnt that week one. We trust and pray that the termite dudes do their job properly and the ants contribute.
The ants don't bother us unless we are slack with hygiene and as said was sorted in the first week here.

Cheers, Steve.

 

hey Tiz

yes you will always have to keep putting down roach control every few months in a condo units. Like I said it all depends on the other people keeping up on the roaches. I am a remolding contractor i n the USA. I have dealt with this problem most of my life.

you could live in townhouses which are connected to each other on the ground. if some dont care to live with roaches then it makes the others difficult to control them.

art

 

Hogrider coating timber with solignum is a good idea we did that to our timber and it seems to work, I think termites are a problem everywhere in the Philippines..

 

I have come to the conclusion that the termites here have CCTV set up in our house. Crafty little blighters.
We purchase a cheap bathroom mirror a week ago, plastic coated/perhaps powder coated timber frame, plastic lined back, mirror front and I hung it on the wall. 4 days later the termites were building their track to the mirror. Travelling behind the wall tiles they found a tiny hole in the grout and presto. They don't like surface spray but hundreds if not thousands kamikaze a path for the troops to walk over keeping their feet clean. Though very annoying and frustrating have found it interesting to watch and learn how tenacious they can be. Interestingly the ants never noticed the latest intrusion this time.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Termites



Steve the softer or low grade items made of wood get eaten up, I'm watching both of our large wall units slowly turning to paper and I've taken them outside and used bug spray and they only come back and start on another area. My roof has 3 years max and it has to be replaced but this time with iron or iron bars.

There is a wood here I think it's called Iron wood it's really heavy and I'm not sure I'd want to use this as a replacement for roof beams but the termites have a heck of time eating this, I have one long bench made out of it and some parts of our home are made of this but I see they eventually get into the wood.

 

Yep definitely Mark, I see this with the less expensive furniture here, better quality like teak or nara wood are not touched, not sure what the roof trusses and battens (timber) in our house are but never been touched. In Oz we use treated pine for internal walls, or steel frames and good quality hardwoods for decking etc. All my decks in Oz have been cypress pine and the termites won't go near it (apparently a natural insecticide in the wood that appears last until it rots) but not seen that for sale here. Steel is great but not for us here with all the salt air, many of the locals here have steel gates and they advise that painting every 2 or 3 years is not an economical way to go, most have replaced steel grills, gates etc with stainless steel and that seems to work, termites love neither.

Mark, as for your furniture and house for that matter, do you have pest control guys dealing with the problem or simply spray? I ask this as our guys that have been involved with termite eradication have been toiling for near 3 months including digging nests, removing queens and kings and spraying, a plethora of baited traps refilled weekly both in and outside the house though looking like fortnightly now and nothing has changed, still rampant.

Interestingly in a previous post we (me and members) talked about Eco wood that we used for our ceilings, we have 20 plus sticks and many offcuts left, we placed a small off cut next to the baited trap in the studio (where we store all our junk and things that won't fit in the house) some 2 months ago and it has never been touched. Seems Eco wood works but not sure what sizes are available apart from 1 and a half x 2 inches if you wanted to use that material for your new roof.
Here, we watch and wait then pounce, keeps me off the streets.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Insecticide

Mark, as for your furniture and house for that matter, do you have pest control guys dealing with the problem or simply spray? I ask this as our guys that have been involved with termite eradication have been toiling for near 3 months including digging nests, removing queens and kings and spraying, a plethora of baited traps refilled weekly both in and outside the house though looking like fortnightly now and nothing has changed, still rampant.

Interestingly in a previous post we (me and members) talked about Eco wood that we used for our ceilings, we have 20 plus sticks and many offcuts left, we placed a small off cut next to the baited trap in the studio (where we store all our junk and things that won't fit in the house) some 2 months ago and it has never been touched. Seems Eco wood works but not sure what sizes are available apart from 1 and a half x 2 inches if you wanted to use that material for your new roof.
Here, we watch and wait then pounce, keeps me off the streets.

I take my one wall unit outside it's light and completely clean it free and find all the area's that have been eaten out and spray Baygon and another cheap Chinese brand, top to bottom every spot and it appears they come back.

I'm not familiar with Eco wood but I've had plywood pieces in storage areas and they usually don't get touched but what happens is the termites just attack something and they never stop because there are so many of them, they fly in during the evening hours usually a couple days after it rains and take hold of vulnerable spots.

 

Interesting the plywood comment Mark. The three bedrooms in the house have plywood ceilings and have or don't appear to have been touched, (perhaps decent hardwood ply) the main living areas, hallways and laundry never had a ceiling hence previous posts Ecowood and cement sheet for new ceilings and insulation.
We have a detached studio next to the house, some 40M2 and while concrete foundations, piers and beams and very solid the builder/owner chose to infill the walls with Ecowood then lined the inside with ply and the outside with split bamboo, it does look good but short term only it appears.
Onto plywood, as said in the main house not touched, studio, the termites appear to have moved through the building methodically "inch by inch, row by row" as Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie sung.
Some of the ply is solid as a rock and other areas you can push your finger through, walls and ceilings alike, they ate all the softwood in the ply, the Ecowood it appears if kept dry/out of the weather they won't touch it but if exposed to rain then it is up for grabs.
We will eventually remove the timber walls, block and render.

The flying ants/termites, we see that here as well as Australia and probably all other countries and something I should look into with regards to the king and queen setting up house, more research, lol.
I have to say that I notice both here and Oz the "flying" termites are different in size to the crafty b*ggers that live it the ground, double the size or more and the tend to die once landed and their wings fall. Something to look into and ponder.
There are various electronic insect repellers, even snake repellers, they do work (snakes) from personal experience but have never come across such a beast for termites. I'm all ears if some one has an up on that one. Enough rambling for now.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Thick Plywood



Steve my other huge wall unit made out of the thick plywood... they're finally attacking it on one side, I also noticed the soft spots, it's been through a 3 month flood back in 2014 and we had it built in 2008.

 

Thanks for creating this thread. I am learning a lot. I have termites and molds in Tagaytay. They quoted me unbelievable cost for the termites extraction. 14K is way cheaper, mine was 55k for a 3 bedroom house and I don't trust they will do the work very well. T_T

 

Termites are a scourge to any home owner that has them digitalchic and sorry to hear you have them also. I think now after the 14K one year contract the guys doing the work are regretting ever setting eyes on our house, I don't think they really looked or realised how many infestations were on our land as well as a vacant block next door and the nests there as well. As for cost? Originally they wanted 16K but my better half haggled with them. Perhaps you could do the same or for that matter seek a second and third contractor to quote.
Regardless the cost even if 50K, if you have these relentless little intruders spend the money and get rid of them. Remember also that while a 1 year contract is fine it won't end there, it will probably be ongoing as we expect here until we sell and someone else will have the problem.
Where are the termites on your property, land only or in the house? One neighbour here had all their kitchen cupboards eaten and destroyed only 4 years after they built their house, very expensive replacement. (difficult to monitor until it's too late)
We don't have a problem with mould or mildew and perhaps that is the salt air blowing through the house daily. Try anti bacterial type surface cleaners to remove and kill, again ongoing. In Australia we used damp buckets (moisture absorbers) especially in walk in robes etc.

Good luck waging war with the enemy, like any combat (seek and destroy) cost money, you will win in the end though.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Liquid chlorine or Borax should be available here, go online and look at the mixing ratios, application, health and safety info.

If you want a healthier option good old vinegar and baking soda work also, google.

Cheer, Steve.

 

Although ours is a new house, I have a contract with a pest control company. They come once every 3 months and spray for all types of bugs in the house and the garden, including the roof where they also put down traps for rodents. I pay P11k a year.

 

That's a wise investment Dave and a great price for what they are doing. Though our house is only 8 to 9 years old I would say the previous owner/builder (Canadian guy) never sprayed prior to pouring the foundations and slab nor bothered to do anything about them while living here and maybe didn't have to as from memory all his furniture was local hardwood same as the doors, jambs and window frames. they have attacked some of the window frames but only the softer parts then left, the frames are still sound.

A lot of our furniture is softer type wood shipped in from Oz and they found it. The battle now is keeping them at bay and then controlling them around the house.
Dave if you have timber kitchen cupboards installed stay vigilant, mentioned in another post one of the neighbours here had to replace hers after 4 years.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Well, the worst problem is you live in a tropical climate year around. the moisture content is there most of the year. The worst problem is the subterranean termite. they live on moisture to survive. Any wood on a house that touches the ground will be a good home for them. With all the rain and moisture the wood stays damp. this is like a piece of metal and a magnet. Sucks them right into the foundation.

I don't see any real solution to the termite problem in a climate like there other then an on-going treatment.

art

 

Termite Solution



Art, there is a solution and over the years our home has turned from Bamboo to concrete and next this wooden roof will turn into steel beams, but I'm going to shorten the house in half because the size of our home is way too large and becoming extremely expensive with upkeep maintenance.

When I would come here on my tourist Visa back in 1993 at least one of my legs would fall through the bamboo floor and just before I retired in 2003 the entire house was starting to move so that's when we began changing it as we could afford into concrete but the roof is still the same and rotten.

 

hey m.c.a.

yes, you are correct. Using concrete and metal roofing is the real solution but a lot of people can't afford that luxury. I am a building contractor and have been most of my life. I know places like Puerto Rico builds mostly concrete homes. Again it never gets cold there like in the Philippines. Even in the kitchen areas the isle for the sink and etc are made of concrete. The main thing is to dig down around a home and treat the soil so the subterranean termites can't live there. I am from Florida and it is bad here also but we do have our colder weather through the winter months and that helps.

art

 

Building Costs



Art you'd be amazed at the cost difference it's going to be a little more but it'll last, because the maximum a wooden beamed roof can with stand termites is (termites fly here ) about 10 years. So finding a good work crew is also important, it's almost worth it to do sections of the house then to add the wood again and another huge factor would be to try this during the dry season.

 

I hear what you are saying art as I am all for steel but for us I wonder how long steel trusses will last as we are right on the beach. The corrugated iron roof that is only 8 to 9 years old is on its way out, a lot of the neighbours here repaint their metal roofs every 4 to 5 years. One of the problems is the material thickness @ .45mm and another is that they overlap short sheets and that holds the salt laden moisture between the sheets, we are chasing up whether we can get .60mm colorbond in the lengths we want, available in Manila but not found a local supplier, sorry off track.

We have very heavy (6" x 2") fabricated timber roof trusses and 3" x 2" battens @ 2Ft centres. Because we have plenty of termites I spent a lot of time in the roof space when we first arrived checking the structure for damage and evidence of termites, nada. I asked the builder we had installing the new ceilings (remember the Ecowood?) why the termites had not touched any of the roof timbers, he said that's because it's ??????? wood (yes forgot the name) and too hard for them to eat. It's even difficult to drive a nail into. He said the timber is available to do our extensions and advised against steel given our location.

I think that our biggest mistake was to ship our furniture here as there was no evidence of termites in the house while we cleaned walls, floors and ceilings for 2 weeks prior to the shipping container arriving, apart from a little damage to some of the window frames from many years ago. Within a week of moving our furniture in the little blighters came in through one of the power points to wreak merry havoc. In come the termite dudes. They have only attacked the master bedroom and for some reason 2 of the bathrooms, all other areas are free from invasion.
I do have a lot to learn,,,, until my dying day but for us here steel is going to be a problem, even half a mile away (inland) I see the steel iron laced fences disintegrating, many use stainless steel gates and infills on their fences and those that feel the need use S/S for their window security. Expensive yes but generally maintenance free.

Onto a brighter note, it appears that after 3 months of weekly baiting and digging up/removing queens from nests the assault is now diminishing in the bedroom and nothing for weeks in the 2 bathrooms, great news for us but I'm sure the pest control guys will continue to be employed for a very long time, eventually perhaps like Hogrider, every 3 months.

Cheers, Steve.

 

Hi Louis26

Firstly welcome and enjoy.
I am reluctant to open your link as you are a new participant, could be very valid. All I can offer is observation of your home and surrounds when it comes to termites as they are veracious little critters and find their way. The previous owner/ builder mentioned he treaded under slab for termites while building but we can see some internal damage where termites started eating door jambs and timber window frames, no major damage but didn't care/ignorance we know not but for many years we have fought them and finally winning. Thet are very quick to create their tunnels up a wall to get a bit of timber in the roof frame. All our extensions here are rendered blockwork and steel ceiling trusses and no need to look, old house we watch like hawks do.

Cheers, Steve.

 

I have been battling ants mostly. Cockroaches are making an appearance.
For the ants I use the bait outside of the house a long access points. Seems to be working. But I notice anthills forming in the yard where they have never been. My solution is to pour a liter of gas down the nest and light them up. Seems to be working well.
I will bait and clean up any areas attracting roaches. I expect to get them under control.

I have been lucky no real termite issues. I do have concrete and metal house. The plywood ceilings are of concern but I will leave it to the snakies and lizards to deal with. 🤪

 

With no food supply, neither ants nor roaches will stay long.

As far as I'm aware, only 'Wood Ants' (from temperate zones) make 'anthills', so they are more likely to be termite mounds.

 

I have wood ants. Been causing issue with my bamboo furniture and other wood. But I have managed to scare them off. Matter of fact I see three to four types of ants out in my yard. Only two have made valid home invasion attempts.
I hate the ones that bite. Makes yard work tricky. I don't know how guys work in flipflops, I have high rubber boots.
Ants, roaches, snakes, frogs, snails, flies, mosquitos, stray cats and dogs, lizards, rats, birds. What don't I have surrounding my house typing to get in. ☹

 

Those very large biting red ants here, that build nests in trees, are called 'Weaver Ants'.

I also wear rubber boots when out and about in our garden...and a cap.

 

Like amcan mentioned we used to get jumping ants in Australia on the farm, not seen them here but nasty little blighters that would attack me/Ben when brush cutting, not nice the bites one bit. When I found their nest which was only a 3 to 4 inch mound I went for the petrol also, half a cup to a cup poured on the nest, let it soak in for a few minutes and light em up, bye.
The green and red ants Weaver ants in the mangos and other fruit trees we leave alone as their bite is not bad and I'm sure they keep the serious pests away. The small red ants we have here have an annoying bite but we try to leave them alone also because they attack the termites, just avoid where the are.

We tried the petrol trick on the termite nests but never worked as the king and queen live 18 inches to 24 inches under ground and you need to dig them up, once you kill them the colony dies/disappears, learnt that 5 years ago from our pest controllers and we went from there.

I'm not sure what wood ants are amcan, we have 4/5 different types of ants here but not touch any timber.

Cheers, Steve.

 

I'll be fishing for the king and queen when hubby and I settle in Palawan next year. Besides spraying all my timber with borax/glycol mixture to ALL wood surfaces [would be very bitter to munch on], I'm planning to employ a flock of Guinea Fowl hens for pest control. Might have to let them have a run in the house if termites manage to get in