…“How many bits am I going to lose down there?” Three. The answer is three. Although to get to that number, I had to drill upwards as well.
Here’s the reason I’m hollowing out the trunk. I wanted the tree to eventually have a hollow trunk. The presence of Formosan termites accelerated my timetable. After drilling, I sprayed the inside of the trunk with a transport termiticide. Before potting, I rinsed the roots off as best I could to get rid of any excess poison. The only cautions regarding vegetation was for fruit and nut-bearing trees. Just the same, the manufacture likely doesn’t test the product on bare roots, so always rinse the excess off. The tree is under my patio cover while the pesticide dries. I’ll water roots only for a few days.
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Hey BB, not sure which termitecide you used but in the future you can use any generic product containing the active ingredient imidacloprid. It is the same active ingredient used by most pest control companies. It is also used as a systemic insecticide for many of our ornamental pest. I use it for lace wings on azaleas and on boxwoods for leaf miners. The easiest product to find is Merit by Bayer.
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Kevin, I have no idea how well a systemic would work on termites. Formosan termites eat the dead wood of the tree.
The termiticide I’m using is a transport poison. The little beasts eat it, then go back to the colony and it starts killing more termites. I’ve turned my tree into a bait station. I’ll be stepping up my barrier poison regimen using Talstar. I use the Bayer Tree systemic (Merit) on some of my trees, but I think I’ll be doing it for all, now.
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Sorry, I should have been more clear. The merit product does kill termites on contact but would not hurt the root system of the tree, being it is used for ornamental use as well.
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