Termites? (Lihue: condo, how much, houses)

[kaletjo]

How much of a problem are termites on Kauai? Mahalo.

[merced mullet]

Termites were a very bad problem in our family's 1930s built house on Kuhio Highway...I seem to recall it being sprayed once every 10 years. Auntie's house outside of town is a Lindell Cedar home...materials were shipped from mainland in the 70s. I understand she still needs to have it sprayed periodically.

Funny story - when we cleaned out the Kuhio Highway "homestead" two years ago (alotta termite damage) my Punahoe graduate cousin flew back from Ohio and wanted the family piano (1942 vintage) but it was full of termites and termite damage too! She said "...no problem...I ship it back to Ohio in 'da winter and let it sit out in 'da cold...'dat will kill 'da termites!" Sure enough she sent me digital pictures of the piano sitting out in the snow and later last summer the piano proudly sitting in their living room!

[HanapepePuppy]

Yes, Termites are going to be an issue with a moist warm tropical climate.

[KauaiPono]

Termites are a problem. It helps to have a house on stilts or buy a condo and let the association deal with it. No joke.

[merced mullet]

Originally Posted by KauaiPono

Termites are a problem. It helps to have a house on stilts or buy a condo and let the association deal with it. No joke.

Our Kuhio Highway house was on "stilts" and it still attracted termites throughout the walls. I thought the house (and most of the other houses near Waipouli Park) were built on stilts at the time to protect them from storm surge of the beach or nearby Waikaea Canal. Also I couldn't help but notice our Lihue condo has all cinder brick walls...so unappealing but its probably built with material to prevent termite damage.

Auntie's house was built with cedar that was supposed to prevent termite damage but I don't think that strategy worked out too well.

[HanapepePuppy]

Two main termite types on the island are Drywood Termites and Formosan Subterranean Termites. The Drywood Termites don't need access to the ground and gain all their moisture from the wood they inhabit. They are less destructive then the Subterranean Termites which do need access to the soil.
More info at the bottom of this page
Aloha Termite Kauai, Inc. -- Kauai's Termite and Pest Control Specialist

[OpenD]

Alternatively, I recommend JJ's "Rent-a-Antie" anteater service, with low, low, monthly fees. They're based on on Maui, and are affiliated with JJ's "Date-a-Auntie" service. The dude that runs the enterprise is a well known island sight for his unique Covina Yellow roadster with a wood-fire conversion. And he throws in free pidgin lessons for "good customahs."

I recommend!

[kaletjo]

Mahalo to everyone who sent in a reply. We are planning on buying a condo, so we'll check out what was used to build the structure and what is the history on termites. Again, mahalo nui loa.