termite treatmeat and brownfields

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Author Message Robin E. Snyder Senior Member Username: robin Post Number: 616 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 01:06 pm:    I am working on a large casino project on a brownfield site on the east coast. The wood components will be interior millwork. The question came up whether spray applied termite treatment is (1) necessary and common on the east coast and (2) compatible with the brownfield site. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 89 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 01:58 pm:    I love the notion that wood is termite "treatmeat". ;-) Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru Robin E. Snyder Senior Member Username: robin Post Number: 617 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 02:00 pm:    LOL, my tired fingers... Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 763 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 02:13 pm:    Robin, My last project where termite control was required was Douglas County GA. I specified soil treatment for termite control to keep the critters out. Treatment of interior wood was not required if the termites cannot get in. Follow-up soil treatments are required at regular intervals. If you want my section, please e-mail be at wayne.yancey@callisonrtkl.com I wrote the section with assistance and oversight by Termanix PS Callison and RTKL have merged. We are now one big honking firm. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1649 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 02:20 pm:    It depends on where you are on the east coast - it is very long and covers a lot of climates. Here in New England, termite treatment is very rarely - or never - used. Exterior wood can still rot, of course, and often is preservative treated, but we really don't have termites. J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 873 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 02:29 pm:    I would say that pouring poison into the ground to kill termites would not significantly add to the brownfield problem. John's comment is very appropriate. We use soil treatment on almost every project here in Houston. It isn't expensive, and the Contractor considers it good insurance. I would say that we probably overuse it slightly. On the other hand, we do have problems with ground termites in this climate. Ground termites are not common in colder climates, and soil treatment will not do anything against other types of termites. Check with reputable local sources to see if this is a problem for the location of your project. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 90 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 03:27 pm:    Climate change (warming) will probably extend the range of termite northward. Is anybody having serious discussions about how planning for climate change should be reflected in current building designs and specifications? Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru Lisa Goodwin Robbins, RA, CCS, LEED ap Senior Member Username: lgoodrob Post Number: 283 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2015 - 09:20 am:    Robin, As John wrote, we do not use spray applied termite treatment in New England. (Carpenter ants are more common anyway.) Design practice here is to keep exterior wood at least 8 -12 inches above grade. Given the amount of standing snow we had last winter, I'm recommending Architects think more carefully about wood above low roofs too. For all kinds of insects, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is widely used here, not blanket pesticide spraying. Please remind your casino designers that we do have lots of humidity in NE and we need to protect metal materials on the building exterior and within exterior walls. - Sheldon Wolfe Senior Member Username: sheldon_wolfe Post Number: 879 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2015 - 07:24 pm:    Good question, Michael. As much as I dislike winter, a few months of freezing weather kept a lot of critters out of the northern states. Attempts at addressing the issue, I suspect, will begin when some legislator's home is affected.