Sawdust under my wooden pillar?
Hi I live in a house built in 1960s. I have been living here for about 7 years. A few weeks ago I noticed some sawdust from the bottom of a wooden pillar on the first floor of the house. After I wiped it, a small pile of sawdust appears again in hours. I guess there is some insect inside the pillar? What can I do to solve this problem? Thank you in advance for your advice.
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Hi Eric, Yikes! my first thought was termites but evidently that isn't lkely according to this article. Hope this is helpful to you.
https://www.colonialpest.com/what-insect-leaves-sawdust-on-the-floor/
Hi Janice, thank you for taking the time to respond to my question. Based on my understanding after reading the article you sent, the culprit seems to be carpenter ants though this is not entirely sure as what the article concludes.
I think I will wait and see for another week and then decide to call in pest control people to come or not.
Thank you again Janice. Have a good weekend.
Eric
Eric, if you think it may be carpenter ants, you can pick up ant killer. It comes in small round containers and you open it and place it right beside the post.
The other question to ask is "Why there?" Make sure you delve into conditions that led the ants to this particular location. While carpenter ants prefer to tunnel through punky wood, any wood will do. Check for exterior locations, like firewood stacked against your house, that may be inviting them in. Do a broad check for water leaks.
could be you have post beetles they drill small holes in the wood and leave sawdust piles behind.check and see if there are holes above where you found the sawdust.
here is info about what the problem could be
https://www.colonialpest.com/whats-causing-sawdust-piles/
Hi Yield 38 is a great insect control spray. Especially when you don’t know what type it is. Mix and spray. When using indoor, leave for a few hours to let it completely sink in.
Thank you all of you for your ideas, advice and articles. Much appreciated!
Eric, call a professional right away! If you see them this active, just imagine what damage they are doing to your foundation, and your structural beams. Structural failure is a possible real dangerous outcome. Usually these insects like to hide away, under the home , and in walls, if your seeing this in side they are moving deeper into your structure.
Definitely call a professional.
that means you have termites ... please call professionals
I’d call in a bug pro for this, have them check around.
Agree with getting pro help.