Termite control in Al Rawabi, Makkah

Targeted, not broadcast

Product goes into cracks and runways, never sprayed across open surfaces.
Told before we start

What we will use, where it goes, and what to cover or move before we arrive.
A follow-up visit

We return after the first treatment, because what survives it does not show on the day.
Homes and businesses

Apartments and villas, and kitchens and stores that need a record of each visit.

Why they keep coming back in Al Rawabi

The tunnels beneath the houses drain mountain groundwater and aquifer seepage constantly, which saturates the house footings from below and from the deep sides. The method is set out in full on Termite control in detail.

The first reason

Mountain tunnels close to foundations provide damp pathways for colonies

The tunnels that cut through the mountain to join west and east Makkah run near the bases of apartment blocks. Groundwater from the mountain flows toward the tunnels and the spaces around them, saturating the soil and the deep faces of the footings.

The second reason

Deep rock excavation exposes fractures that offer termites a direct entry

When the mountain was cut for tunnels and deep foundations, natural cracks and fractures in the rock were exposed. These breaks provide a straight path from the original soil far below the mountain to inside the footing and the building above.

The third reason

High-rise blocks place heavy weight on deep foundations in wet rock

Foundations are dug to great depth to anchor heavy blocks. This deep cutting penetrates wet rock layers and the original soil beneath. Ancient colonies rest there under the house, sitting above the groundwater table where moisture never fails them.

Landmarks of Al Rawabi

Al Rawabi sits between Rai Bakhsh on the west and Al Rawabi Garden rising to the east, and our survey traces how termites enter from the tunnels and cut mountainside at these boundaries of the hillside district.

Rai Bakhsh
Ajyad Kudai Road
Kudai Ajyad Tunnel
Al Rawabi Garden
Jabal Khandamah

Before treatment

The evidence that decides the treatment

A hillside district with modern tunnels running beneath the houses, mountains cut and deeply excavated, high-rise blocks for pilgrim housing, and Al Rawabi Garden sitting above the neighbourhood.

Mud tubes

Mud tubes are rare on internal walls here because moisture from the rock does not draw the colony upward; it keeps the colony close to the deep groundwater.

Discarded transparent wings on a window ledge

Shed wings

Shed wings may appear near upper windows and openings that face the street, especially during the swarm season when termites emerge and rest.

A damaged timber frame showing internal galleries

Hollow timber

Hollow timber in furniture, doors and beams is attacked but more slowly than in other neighbourhoods because the moisture rising from below is limited by the depth of the footing.

A dark damp patch below a pipe at a wall base

The water source

The water source is seepage of mountain groundwater toward the tunnels, drain water from the garden above and possibly seepage from the tunnels themselves during maintenance or after heavy rain.

Cardboard boxes and timber stacked on a store floor

Cellulose on the floor

Cellulose on the floor is limited here because most units are apartment flats with concrete slabs, but the few wooden thresholds and beams present are at risk.

A concrete joint and a pipe passing through a floor slab

Joints and pipe entries

Joints and pipe entries include the point where utilities run down from the tunnels and into the building, and these are weak points because they are old or poorly sealed where they pierce the slab.

How we work

1
Inspect and trace

We sound the timber and the skirting, take moisture readings, and follow the tubes to the point where they leave the soil. We also settle the species, because one that lives inside dry wood is not treated like one that lives in the ground.
2
Treat the soil around the building

A narrow trench at the footing and injection at regular spacing, so the treated band runs continuous with no gap to walk around.
3
Drill the joints, inject the timber

Small holes at spacing along the slab joints, the wall bases and the pipe entries, direct injection into the galleries inside the affected timber, then the holes are closed and made good.
4
Bait stations and monitoring

Stations in the soil carrying a slow-acting material the workers pass through the colony by mouth-to-mouth feeding, and we come back to read them, because an empty tube on a wall proves nothing on its own.

What termite control includes

A traced, recorded inspection

Sounding, moisture readings, tubes traced back to the soil, and the species settled before anything is applied.
A treated band at the perimeter

Trenching and injection at the footing, spaced so the band is continuous rather than a set of patches.
Joints and service penetrations

Slab joints, pipe entries and floor drains, which are the ways up through the concrete.
Bait stations in the soil

A slow material carried back through the colony by feeding exchange, rather than stopping the workers at the wall.
Aftercare instructions

What not to dig or water near the treated band, what to keep off the walls, and the ventilation time we set for your case.
Scheduled monitoring visits

Reading the stations, sounding the same timber again, and treating any new activity.

What is different about Al Misfalah Sub-Municipality

Al Misfalah sub municipality runs downhill from the south of the Grand Mosque through Al Misfalah, Kudai and Al Rawabi to Al Taqwa, Al Hindawiyah, Al Khalidiyah and Al Rusayfah at the third ring road. The northern end is old apartment blocks and pilgrim hotels with restaurants along Ibrahim Al Khalil Street and the huge coach parks at Kudai. The south and west are dense popular districts with countless small shops and unplanned hillside housing, some of it already cleared for redevelopment, giving way to orderly land grant schemes in Al Rusayfah beside the railway station.

Questions about this district

Does moisture from the tunnels beneath make termite treatment impossible?

Not impossible, but more difficult. Constant moisture means the colony returns faster if we do not focus on cutting off water sources and intensified monitoring.

Are the colonies in rock below the tunnels different from ordinary soil colonies?

Yes, they are deeper and harder to reach. But their needs are the same: food and moisture. Treatment focuses on stopping them entering the house from above.

Is the garden above the houses safe from termites or can it spread colonies?

The garden sits high and presents limited risk on its own because termites seek moisture and timber. But garden watering may drain downward toward the footings below, increasing dampness.

Can we treat the rock itself or must we focus only on the footing?

We focus on the footing and its joints and the points where pipes and cables enter. Treating rock directly is difficult, but isolating the footing from it cuts entry sharply.

Are the colonies in the tunnels beneath the house measured and known?

No, the tunnels are public infrastructure, not the house owner's responsibility. We cannot enter and measure. But close inspection of the house itself tells us of activity by the signs it leaves behind.

Must every house in the district be treated or is local treatment enough?

Local treatment per house is essential. But a full survey tells us whether shared colonies live beneath multiple houses and whether coordination is needed.

How much does termite control in Al Rawabi cost?

It is set after the inspection, because the price follows the type of infestation, the size of the space, how far it has spread and the number of visits it needs. Send a photo and a description on WhatsApp and we will give you an estimate before we reach Al Rawabi.