Termite control in Al Sahifah, Jeddah

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 Sahifah

The shops at ground floor level and the flats above them rest on the same footings and share the horizontal gaps where the slabs meet the perimeter walls. Treating the shop alone will not stop the termites in the flat above if the shared soil stays untreated. The method is set out in full on what Termite control involves.

The first reason

Traditional timber and stone touching the soil

The old stone footings and traditional wooden beams in the historic parts of Al Sahifah touch the soil directly with no protective layer. This timber cannot defend itself, and termites enter straight from the soil into the stone blocks and wooden joists. The old shops along Khalid ibn Al Walid Street are especially exposed because their floors sit close to the ground.

The second reason

Shared gaps between shops and flats above

The food shops and the residential flats above them sit on the same floor slab and share both the footing and the horizontal gaps where the concrete meets the perimeter. Termites that enter the soil beneath the shop do not stop at the shop wall but travel up into the flat above through these shared gaps. Treating the shop alone leaves the flat exposed.

The third reason

Ageing drainage and permanent ground moisture

Old Makkah Road and King Abdulaziz Road run through the quarter above century old sewers. These pipes seep water continuously into the soil beneath the buildings, keeping it wet all year. The permanent moisture is what keeps termite colonies active and accelerates their spread through timber.

The character of Al Sahifah

Apartment district: residential blocks, repeated floors and shared entrances

Apartments and shops on shared footings mean effective treatment needs coordination between shop owners and residents, because termites ignore the boundaries between properties. The shared footing is the treatment target.

Before treatment

The evidence that decides the treatment

An old central district mixing traditional and modern construction, with ageing drainage networks beneath it and narrow streets that trap water, keeping the soil under the buildings permanently damp.

Mud tubes

Mud tubes start in the damp soil beneath the footings and travel upward through traditional wood and stone that touches the ground directly.

Discarded transparent wings on a window ledge

Shed wings

Shed wings appear in both shops and flats simultaneously, showing that the single colony in the soil beneath serves multiple tenants and floors.

A damaged timber frame showing internal galleries

Hollow timber

Hollow timber appears first in old wooden joists and traditional floors that are shared between the shop and the residential unit above it.

A dark damp patch below a pipe at a wall base

The water source

The moisture source is the soil staying wet because of the old drainage networks under the main roads and the rainwater trapped by the narrow streets.

Cardboard boxes and timber stacked on a store floor

Cellulose on the floor

Wood and stone in the traditional footings touch the soil with no separation, making it an easy entry point for termites from the ground into the structure.

A concrete joint and a pipe passing through a floor slab

Joints and pipe entries

The gaps where the floor slab meets the perimeter wall and the spaces around pipes between the shop and the flat above give termites a passage to move between tenants.

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.

Landmarks of Al Sahifah

Termite control in Al Sahifah focuses on the shared soil beneath the foundations running along Old Makkah Road and King Abdulaziz Road that divides the quarter, with special attention to the gaps and voids at Bab Sharif and King Abdulaziz Mosque where the mixed-use buildings are densest.

Old Makkah Road
King Abdulaziz Road
Khalid ibn Al Walid Street
Bab Sharif
King Abdulaziz Mosque

Questions about this district

If only the shop is treated will the flat above stay protected?

No, because the shop and flat share the same footing and the same horizontal gaps in the slab. Termites enter from the soil beneath both, so treating the shop alone leaves the flat exposed. The entire building's soil must be treated to give real protection.

Is treatment different for the old masonry buildings than for the newer apartment blocks?

The old buildings have wood and stone touching the soil directly, while newer blocks have elevated concrete footings. But the soil beneath both is equally damp, and treatment focuses on the soil first. The age of the building matters less than the permanent moisture it sits in.

Do all the dense food shops here accelerate the termite problem?

Yes, food and water in the shops speed up colony growth and increase activity. But food is not the root cause: the moisture in the soil and the old drainage system are. The shops make the problem worse, but fixing the soil is the fundamental solution.

If my neighbour has termites does that mean I will get them too?

Not automatically, because each building has its own separate footing. But the soil beneath the street is shared, so if the neighbour has an infestation your footings should be inspected immediately. The distance between you and the separation below the street affect the risk of spread.

Do both the shop and the flat above need to be treated separately?

Yes, because the infestation might be in either one or both, or it might only be in the soil beneath. An inspection reveals where the colony is. Treatment covers all the routes termites can take from the soil upward.

How often must this old quarter be inspected each year?

Al Sahifah is an old quarter with permanent moisture, so the initial treatment is followed by regular monitoring. Bait stations are checked every season at minimum, and may need refreshing if activity is detected. An old quarter needs more attention than newer districts.

How much does termite control in Al Sahifah 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 Sahifah.