Sunday's stillness was shattered by a shriek. What was meant to be an exercise to bring some orderliness in a youngster's room by rearranging books in the shelves turned out to be a major task that would rob us of our sleep for the next three days.
Bundles of books on the shelves look very decorative outwardly only. That's what we learnt once we tried to dust them. Beneath the bundles of books were colonies and colonies of these white insects, extremely busy moving hither and thither.
We stared incredulously at the pests as everything came to a standstill only to be shattered by a shrill shriek from the weak-hearted in the family. A shriek that brought out some neighbours who thought there could have been a fire accident in the building. Then the travails began.
Huge problem
“Mmm! Termites. That's a huge problem”; “Check out all the cupboards”; “Perhaps you should check out all your clothes too” – the suggestions came thick and fast. It was as if a military commander ordered a rescue mission, everyone got onto the scouting job and within minutes the status report came. “Termites found in one bedroom and in the balcony.”
.How to tackle the situation was the big question. We vaguely recalled that there were telephone numbers of pest control agencies painted on some walls in some lanes somewhere. But none could recall where they were. The tech-savvy youngsters were already Googling ‘termite control' ‘how to control pests' and lo there were tens of hundreds of websites which offered suggestions. But the best solution was to talk to the carpenter.
The helpful carpenter took two more days to get the pest busters – Arvind and Sunny, two lanky youth who carried impressive paraphernalia which included a handheld pump, bottles of insecticides, a power drill and a set of screw drivers.
Termite columns
With the nonchalance associated with expertise, the duo zeroed in on places where the termite columns were present.
One powerful poke with the screwdriver and the expensive decorative laminated sheet gave in revealing how ‘hollow' was the cupboard. Out came tens of hundreds of termites. Similar scene was to be repeated in the balcony, where the duo prised open the dec0orative reapers to disclose columns of termites at work.
Affected areas
Having identified the affected areas, they went about drilling holes at the wooden frames and on walls where they would spray the insecticide later. “That does the job”, they collected Rs. 1,500 and left. But the big question remained unanswered. How do we ensure the termites do not make an entry?
Check entry
The carpenter's observations were simple:
Termites love dampness and thrive in damp walls on which wooden furniture is mounted.
Water could seep through the pipes. Get a plumber examine all the pipes
Water could leak through the bathrooms on the upper floors. Let the plumber check all bathrooms.
Water drain pipe of the split air-conditioner could be damaged and water drops could be seeping into the wall. Get the air-conditioner serviced properly.
Sprayer
Keep the termiticide ready at home. Buy a sprayer (something like those used by barbers) and the termiticide, which is available in market.
The moment you see a termite colony spray the Termiticide. That should make you a perfect pest buster.
