Need termite advice - found mud tubes don't see active termites in them

 I'm in central Florida and have a stucco over frame house, monolithic
slab, drywall interior walls. I saw some swarms of carpenter ants
around a bedroom window a while back. Pulling away the drywall, I
found carpenter ant damage as well as what to me look like some
non-active termite mud tubes running up either side of one of the
2x4's.

Since then I've knocked away some of the stucco along one outside wall
at a different location (the garage) at ground level exposing the edge
of the slab and found a few mud tubes, then looked inside the wall
with a boroscope. I found more mube tubes along a couple of the 2x4's
running along the point where they contact the presswood under the
stucco.

I knocked away some of the drywall to get a closer look. I have no
idea how old these mud tubes are, some extend higher than the area
where I've opened the drywall, some just stop. The 2x4's I've checked
so far seem solid when jabbing at them with a screwdriver. I don't see
any of the classic "swiss cheese" bored into look that I've seen on
some damaged wood. If the termites have done significant damage to the
2x4's, should it be obviously detectable from the outside? How do they
operate, do they munch as they go or do they build a tube to a
particular destination? As I check other walls with the boroscope, if
I don't see mud tubes along the 2x4's can I assume they haven't gotten
in at those points? I also plan to look up in the attic (or what
passes for one here in Florida) to see what I can see there.

A local do-it-yourself pest control place told me that if you do a
trench and fill termite treatment around the perimeter of the house,
cutting the termites inside the house off from the outside, any
termites inside will die out. Does this sound correct?

Thanks for all input.

  In article <f0c1bc20.0310270727.12ff8fc6
@posting.google.com>, docsavage20@yahoo.com says...
:)  A local do-it-yourself pest control place told me that if you do a
:)  trench and fill termite treatment around the perimeter of the house,
:)  cutting the termites inside the house off from the outside, any
:)  termites inside will die out. Does this sound correct?
:)  
:)  
You should be finding termites when you are disturbing
the mud. The home may of been treated in the past and
carpenter ants have moved into the already damaged wood
created by the termite. You should have noticeable
patches on the concrete porch or patio, visible marks
inside near plumbing, maybe a hole cut into the cabinet
under the sinks, a possible hole cut into the sheetrock
on the opposite side of the downstairs tubs. The
termites feeding on the structure may be on the inside
of the wood, feeding on the spring growth, but they will
leave a definite mud behind where they have fed.
   What the shop will sell you will keep termites out of
the area where it is put. Basically when you place it
around the foundation of the house it will stop tubes
from coming up the foundation. In a monolithic slab, the
other areas of entry is where the plumbing penetrates
the slab, the hole on the slab for the bath trap, and
any settling cracks in the slab that penetrate the slab.
By treating only the foundation area you will push
termites to the more hidden areas. The only product that
can protect your home by a foundation only treatment is
called Termidor, but it will have to be applied by a
professional.
--
Neat site:
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/p
owersof10/

Lar.  (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

 

 
 yes that right, but what if they get up to the attic and get water from
the moisture that comes off the a/c unit.. then you never get to them...
better call out a licensed termite man to take care of the problem... it
will cost you more in the long run.. and just because you get a lic.
termite man does not mean the problem will go away.. i had one flood the
exterior of a gargage i built in the back yard.. termites came back..
and back and back.. he came out each time and did the flooding, but it
was not doing any good... i then went to home depot when you could still
buy dursban there and sprayed it and they never came back. that was
about 10 yrs. now.. i know that dursban does not last for ever either so
i give it another spray ever other year for good luck and so far no more
termited.....