Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
Kelena, our church has had a few pianos come through its doors & we were told that just about any piano on island will have some termite exposure... you could be able to move it into a house (or church) that is being fumigated before its' trip to your house...
You can also contact Alii Ice Company, as I know in the past a few of the pianos & other old wooden treasures had the termites frozen out...
As already noted, this will only stop the current wood residents, it will not discourage future wood hungry guests... The good to stopping the current generation is the queen will greatly increase in size & fecundity over her life, you want to only have young, less fertile ladies in charge of your termite hordes!
Posts: 2,979
Threads: 177
Joined: Aug 2006
Hmmm... Carey, so you CAN freeze a piano. Seems counter-intuitive, but okay......
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
I can't... only relaying what I have been told when oogling a very good deal on a used piano, but I have never succumbed to the temptation & do not have a piano...
Also do not know who to use to freeze the thing, but have an idea that Alii would know both if it can be done, and if they do it! (do know for a fact others have brought their pianos & other wood items when our church was tented, so do know that is an option here - if you know of anyone that is already getting tented...)
Posts: 299
Threads: 13
Joined: Jan 2008
If you knew someone who was getting their house tented I suppose you could always ask if you could move the piano in for the duration of the job. Of course this is assuming you have access to a truck and the labor to move stuff.
For new and minor insect infestations I use a large animal syringe and inject citrasolve (orange oil) into the insect tunnel. Seems to work.
Posts: 36
Threads: 2
Joined: Dec 2010
I would check with a piano tuner before freezing the piano. It may cost more than it is worth to get it in tune again.
Posts: 2,979
Threads: 177
Joined: Aug 2006
Piano tuner said fumigate, not freeze. I've heard Ali'i Ice does freeze furniture. But a piano is both furniture and a musical instrument and so best not to expose to extremes of temperature, I guess. Although, I was thinking -- let's say you live in Chicago and your power goes out. Your piano is gonna friggin' freeze. So, I think pianos DO get frozen, but probably best not to freeze them on purpose.
So, as suggested by the piano tuner who will tune my piano when he gets around to it thank you very much, I took it to Hilo Termite and Pest on Pookela, not too far around the corner from Bamboo and Freak.
They will group it with other items of furniture and then tent it and gas it in their warehouse. The cost is $30. I chose that option over trying to suss out a person or organization who was tenting a building and then asking "Can I shove my piano into your building while you fumigate".
I am a little concerned about the employees of Hilo Termite and Pest. They are all very nice and went out of their way to help. But the warehouse is directly adjacent to the office. And they do move around as if in a fog. Although the longer I am on the island, the more I wonder about whose behavior is unusual. Probably mine.
Posts: 1,051
Threads: 82
Joined: Apr 2006
Hopefully the fog they seem to move around in isn't as a result of the product they work with. [
]
quote:
Originally posted by Kelena
And they do move around as if in a fog.
___________________________
Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
We had a harpsichord in Chicago that would get transported in the back of the pickup in all seasons, esp the winter (concert season)...of course, those ALWAYS need tuning, so that is always a given...I have found the HUMIDITY difference on that bugger was the biggest thing to effect the tuning... but all I know how to do is tune a harpsichord...don't know how to play it...so ...
Have moved many pianos, in every season in Chicago (when you first buy a pickup, you will find out quickly how many of your acquaintances have a piano that they want moved ;~)
Knowing nothing about tuning pianos, nor ever owning a piano, I cannot vouch either way for how freezing weather effects their tuning... but do know that if you transport an upright in the back of your pickup in below freezing weather, having the crazy new owner playing it along the route will get you a whole bunch of looks, and many thumbs up!
Posts: 1,051
Threads: 82
Joined: Apr 2006
@Carey I would pay good money to see Carey driving a pickup with Jimbo playing piano in the back. haha [
]
___________________________
Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times".
Posts: 6,214
Threads: 354
Joined: Feb 2006
Was not Jimbo playing, he was driving. I was riding in the support vehicle, so got to really see the responses! The player was the musicial librarian at a local college, & this was his first "honkey tonk" type upright (had a full cast harp... monster to move!)
But I do drive pickups, and Jimbo has ridden in back...anyone wanna donate a piano for Andrews' "good money" donation to punaweb? (heck for a good enough donation, I 'll take our beater p'up with anyones' piano down Mana Rd - but will not guarantee the condition of the piano!
