# Termites in DIY built tank stand



## liquidzorch (Mar 16, 2015)

Hello. Here is some info on my stand. My tank is a 50 gallon tank, and I built a DIY stand with 2x4's (actually 1.5 x 3.5 wood). It has double legs on each corner plus double legs in the middle, front and back. So it can hold quite a bit of weight. But I have found I have termites in the stand. The house is made of concrete (no wood used in houses here in Mexico), but it does have old wood panels as decoration (which is were the termites came from).

I found the termites after spraying for cockroaches around the tank, next day there were termite bodies around the tank.

The stand was never painted or treated in any way. Is there a product that could seal the stand so no further infections could occur? Paint and/or polyurethane? I doubt there is much damage done to the inside as it did not seem like a lot of termites, and no more have come out. Is there any way I could check? I do not have an option to just buy a new stand, as this one is only a year old and cost quite a bit to build.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

What type of termite, subterranean or drywood?


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## liquidzorch (Mar 16, 2015)

They look more like subterranean. They are very small and none of them have wings.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

That describes the workers of most termite species.
The wings only show up during swarming season for our more common species. These are secondary reproducers leaving an existing colony to start a new elsewhere. Once the flight is over the wings fall off.
If it is a subterranean species, they are coming through a crack/hole in the foundation of your home. Find the point of entrance and treat it, this will move them to a different location of your home.
Identification is the key to a successful treatment. 
What is the truss system of your roof made of???


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## liquidzorch (Mar 16, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. I have read about termites and now I now know they are worker termites, so I cannot identify them by the workers. The entire house is concrete and brick (two stories). The roof is also completely concrete. The only wood in the building are old wood decorations on the living room wall (where the tank is), that I can not remove since it a rental house. I am planning on emptying the tank, and treating the whole stand with poison. But then I would like to have it protected from further infestations somehow. I doubt paint would protect it. Would you know of anything?


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

Treat the entire stand with Tim-Bor then paint the stand to seal the wood.


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## liquidzorch (Mar 16, 2015)

Thank you for the help. I will look into getting tim-bor or something similar.


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