Termites?

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

Hello all... I had a freind in New York send me this photo and he was curious if he had termites... again. Well folks... I do not see much termite action here in maine... can any of you help? I have a much larger version of this photo... but he said it looks like sawdust and is in the area where they had the problem previously... and had it treated... he is trying to sell his house (divorce) so someone may be having an inspection soon!!! let me know your thoughts... thanks

[tmantsch]

The picture only shows sawdust. (termites do not leave scraps behind)

You need to see the type of damage on/in the wood (signature) to make
a determination.

[sradabaugh]

Can't tell much from that picture, but carpenter ants dump sawdust from their galleries along with insect parts. Have your friend examine above this area for holes in wood and look for insect pieces amongst the sawdust.

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

I have asked him for some more pictures... i thought the stuff looked like insect parts myself and not sawdust... I will post more if/when I get them... thanks

[jrivera]

Where in New York ?

Mic

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

I thought Marlboro... but let me find out for sure...

[wsiegel]

Those look lilke wood borers. Haver your friend look for holes in the wood. If they are, they are a pain to get rid of.

[Andy T. Bishop]

Carpenter bees can do this also.

[George P. Wells, CMI]

It is not likely that there would be termite damage in an exposed area like that. Subterranean termites tend to aviod exposure to daylight. It's not impossible but, it's not likely. It looks as though there may be two holes on the right side of the picture that could be carpenter bees. Carpenter ants tend to eat wood from the outside in and with the grain. Carpenter bees bore into the wood and leave holes that are approximately a quarter inch in diameter. It could be either capenter ants or carpnter bees but I'd put my money on carpenter bees.

[Larry D. Kage]

Originally Posted by sradabaugh

Can't tell much from that picture, but carpenter ants dump sawdust from their galleries along with insect parts. Have your friend examine above this area for holes in wood and look for insect pieces amongst the sawdust.

Exactly what I thought when I saw the picture.

[Greg Veal]

Jeff

Sorry to be so late in this question, but I do have a couple of questions.
How old is the damaged area (age of Window unit or wood) and when did your friend first observe this damage. My guess would be carpenter ants or borers, of some type.

[Bill Smith]

Jeff-

The pieces of the substance in the photo look a little large to be carpenter ant frass, but I might be misreading the scale of the photo. Also- it is rare to find wood borers this far north. If your friend lives on Long Island I'd be happy to take a look at it for him (schedule permitting).

[ROBERT W. NEWLAND, JR.]

Originally Posted by abishop

Carpenter bees can do this also.

I agree with Andy. Look above the saw dust (inside top of widow jamb) and you may see a hole about the size of an ink pen. If so, I would say carpenter bees.

[lcapaul]

In the lower right of the photo there appears to be an insect that looks something like this:

Drywood Termite

Here's som Carpenter Ant Frass:



And some Caprpenter Bee Holes:



Here's a good website:
http://www.burgepest.com/quickid.htm

[Jeffrey S. Campbell]

Thanks for all the input guys... to the best of my knowledge he did sell the home and had the treatment company make a return trip after this discovery.

alls well then ends well....