Both would need to be done. You should perform a trench and treat around the perimeter of the screened porch, but you also need to be concerned about the seam where the porch is attached to the house….where the beam is that you described. Any time you have an “add on” to the house, in this case the screen porch, it is possible for termites to enter between the porch and the house. Therefore, you should drill along that seam and treat with a termiticide along the house foundation as well as around the perimeter.
Yes, you could drill through the sides of the porch and treat underneath the top cover from the sides. You would also want to trench and treat around the exterior of the porch or sunroom as well in addition to drilling it from the sides. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
There is no need to panic. We would recommend using Termidor which is one of the best termiticides on the market and is the treatment of choice with professional companies. For the activity you have inside, you would drill a hole or tear out a piece of sheetrock and treat directly into the wall void with some Termidor in a one gallon sprayer. For the outside treatment, you would apply Termidor around the perimeter of the structure according to the guidelines in our "How To Do A Termite Treatment" article. This is the best way to protect your home.
Termidor SC can ONLY be applied to outside perimeter of structures. You could use the Intice Border Patrol system to lure the ants out of the garden and to the bait.
Termidor SC is not known to leech through the soil. You will need to follow the Termidor SC product label which has specific instructions for treating near a well to avoid any contamination issues:
TREATMENT AROUND WELLS OR CISTERNS: Do not contaminate wells or cisterns.
Structures With Wells/Cisterns Inside Foundations: Structures that contain wells or cisterns within the foundation of a structure can only be treated using the following techniques:
1. Do not apply within 5 feet of any well or cistern by rodding and/or trenching or by the backfill method. Treat soil between 5 and 10 feet from the well or cistern by the backfill method only. Treatment of soil adjacent to water pipes within 3 feet of grade should only be done by the backfill method.
a) Trench and remove soil to be treated onto heavy plastic sheeting or similar material or into a wheelbarrow.
b) Treat the soil at the rate of 4 gallons of solution per 10 linear feet per foot of depth of the trench, or 1 gallon per 1.0 cubic feet of soil. Mix thoroughly into the soil taking care to contain the liquid and prevent runoff or spillage.
c) After the treated soil has absorbed the solution, replace the soil into the trench.
Structures With Adjacent Wells/Cisterns and/or Other Water Bodies: Applicators must inspect all structures with nearby water sources such as wells, cisterns, surface ponds, streams, and other bodies of water and evaluate, at a minimum, the treatment recommendations listed below prior to making an application.
1. Prior to treatment, if feasible, expose the water pipes) coming from the well to the structure, if the pipes) enter the structure within 3 feet of grade.
2. Prior to treatment applicators are advised to take precautions to limit the risk of applying the termiticide into subsurface drains that could empty into any bodies of water. These precautions include evaluating whether application of the termiticide to the top of the footer may result in contamination of the subsurface drain. Factors such as depth to the drain system and soil type and degree of compaction should be taken into account in determining the depth of treatment.
3. When appropriate (i.e., on the water side of the structure), the treated backfill technique (described above) can also be used to minimize off-site movement of termiticide.
