A pest control technician checking the base of a concrete wall with a torch

Termite control in Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali Makkah

Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali are two old ravines north east of the Grand Mosque behind Souq Al Layl, with ancient stone houses overlooking Jabal Khandamah on very steep slopes. Hillside soil, high groundwater and rains that sweep down from the ridge mean termites enter through low footings cut into rock, requiring careful treatment of stone buildings literally carved into the hillside.

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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 Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali

Stone houses on the slopes need special care because foundations may be cut directly from rock rather than built on earth, and termites enter via natural stone cracks and joints. The method is set out in full on the full Termite control page.

The first reason

Stone and very steep gradients

Houses are cut from ancient hillside rock on very steep slopes, and high groundwater and rains sweep down from the hill to footings. Termites breach stone through natural cracks and joint lines in the hillside.

The second reason

Groundwater and old flood paths

The hill holds ancient flood paths that fall towards the Mosque, and water collects around footings cut from rock. Groundwater is high in winter and spring and low in summer, opening the termite route in the wet months.

The third reason

Tightly packed stone houses and narrow lanes

Houses on the slope sit very close together with very narrow passages between them, and termites enter via shared footings between adjacent houses. Treatment must include joints between houses and shared rock areas.

Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali on the map

Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali sits about 0.5 km from Al Qararah Wa Al Naqa and about 1 km from Harat Al Bab Wa Al Shamiyah.

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Before treatment

The evidence that decides the treatment

The ravines cling to the steep slopes of Jabal Khandamah with very steep gradients, and houses are cut directly into rock with the hill looming above, water sweeping down from the ridge during seasonal rains and collecting around rock-cut footings.

Mud tubes

Mud tubes appear on stone house walls and around natural joints and cracks in the rock, and may be very small and easy to miss.

Discarded transparent wings on a window ledge

Shed wings

Shed wings appear in high humidity seasons and seasonal rains, appearing densely on windows and doors and dark corners of tight stone houses.

A damaged timber frame showing internal galleries

Hollow timber

Hollow timber includes doors and windows and ancient wooden ceilings and roof beams; wood is eaten from inside and may be very weak from age and moisture.

A dark damp patch below a pipe at a wall base

The water source

Moisture comes from groundwater and rains sweeping down from the ridge and water collecting around rock-cut footings.

Cardboard boxes and timber stacked on a store floor

Cellulose on the floor

Cellulose on the floor includes wooden foundations and wooden floors and beams and wooden ceilings and very old wooden furniture.

A concrete joint and a pipe passing through a floor slab

Joints and pipe entries

Joints and pipe entries include natural stone joints and cracks in stone and walls between neighbouring houses and pipes that may penetrate rock.

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 Ghazza Sub-Municipality

Al Ghazza sub municipality wraps around the north and west of the Grand Mosque, from Al Shamiyah, Al Qararah and Shaib Amir round to Jarwal and Al Taysir. Large tracts were cleared for the northern expansion and the Rua Al Haram scheme, leaving excavated ground and open construction sites beside ageing blocks that now serve as dense seasonal lodgings in Jarwal and Al Taysir. Old flood paths still fall from Jabal Qaiqaan and Jabal Khandamah towards the mosque, and markets and eateries crowd Al Masjid Al Haram Road and Umm Al Qura Road.

Questions about this district

Does hillside rock on which the houses sit protect them from termites?

Hillside stone holds natural cracks and joints that termites breach easily. Stone does not protect; it is part of the problem because water enters through cracks and termites slip through them.

Are rock-cut foundations worse than ordinary ones?

Yes. Rock-cut footings are harder to treat because deep digging may damage weak stone. Treatment is placed in joints and cracks without heavy excavation.

Does water sweeping down from the hill worsen the problem?

Yes. Rainwater sweeps down the hill and collects around footings, opening the termite route. The problem worsens in winter and spring when rains increase.

Do termites in Shaib Amir travel from house to house via shared joints?

Yes, they enter via shared footings and joints between houses huddled together. Treatment must include all the neighbouring houses.

Can houses on the very steep slope be treated at all?

Yes, but it requires great care because digging may trigger soil slip or collapse. Treatment is placed in joints and cracks in tight spaces.

Are houses near Souq Al Layl and the markets more exposed to termites?

Markets hold more water and moisture and termites may be very active there. Houses near the markets may need more careful treatment and regular monitoring.

How much does termite control in Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali 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 Shaib Amir Wa Shaib Ali.