What the Fuck?

Monday, August 3, 2009
Christ on a crutch, when things start to go wrong around here, the whole fucking place falls apart. First, the Smart boy noticed a bunch of wasps congregating around the cable junction box in the corner of our yard, and crawling in and out of the vents. A wasp's nest - just what we need! I called the cable company, and they're going to be sending someone out tomorrow. Yeah, it does suck to be that technician.

Then I was outside talking to the Smart Boy. He's currently sanding and restaining our deck and fence after the hail storm. We were discussing the work that needed to be done on the deck when I looked up and noticed this on the bottom on the deck:


I think it's a termite nest, but I don't know for sure. I've called our exterminator to schedule an appointment, but with all the rain we've had this year, it would not surprise me to discover I was right.

Lovely.

10 comments:

Steve Buchheit said...

Ooo, ouch. You do have a metal plate between the deck and the house, right?

Thordr said...

not sure without something for scale, but it looks more like fungus, is it hard and ridged? pry off a chunck and see if there are any termites or if they repair it.

WendyB_09 said...

chomp, buzz, nom...chomp, buzz, nom...

Here's hoping it's just a fungal growth of some kind. Especially if you've had a lot of rain out your way. Cheaper AND easier to eliminate and prevent in the future.

WendyB_09

Janiece said...

Steve, I don't know. The top of the deck is bolted directly to the siding, so I can't tell.

Thordr, I've never seen a Termite's nest, so I'm not the right person to ask - that's why I called an exterminator. Termites are uncommon here because we have such a dry climate - but this year has been very damp.

Juan Federico said...

I agree with Thordr, it looks like a fungus. Something that I would mix with some greens and a couple of eggs in fact. Jalapenos on the side with this one though.

Janiece said...

It is hard and ridged. I've e:mailed the photo to my exterminator, who's going to take a look and give me a recommendation.

And John, you are a sick and wrong human being.

MWT said...

Yay homeownership. :)

Jim Wright said...

See any termites? Or more specifically any little unexplained piles of sawdust?

Give the "nest" a jab with something sharp and see if you see any larva or eggs or more importantly, you know, termites - like little pale ants.

But, it looks like a fungus. And in your climate, especially with the rain, that's the most likely. Could be a mold colony too, but it would be a big one. Damp, darkness (like the underside of a deck) and rotting wood, perfect incubator for fungus.

And if it is a fungus, the wood underneath is rotting. The rot can be stopped, if it has not gone too far, with a two part epoxy (sold at home depot or lowes specifically for fixing rot). However, if it's a deck plank, I'd replace it, because really, you don't want compromised planks in a deck and replacing a plank or two is cheaper than the Epoxy.

Bottom line, speaking as a wood worker, if you're getting fungal growth on the wood, your water proofing and anti-fungal treatments are long gone. Recommend you scrap off any such growths (after the exterminator verifies that it is indeed fungus and not a colony), power wash with soapy water, dry, spray with anti-fungal (sold at lowes or HD, in the roofing section or in the paint department), and retreat for water proofing.

My two cents anyway.

Random Michelle K said...

I also think it looks fungusy.

And second the recommendation to replace the plank.

Or walk the plank.

O.o

Did I just say that? No, I'm sure I didn't.

Janiece said...

Jim, thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, this is not just a plank - it's a main piece of the supporting structure. Boo, hiss.

I may have to dip into the Mad Money account on this one.

Crap.