<HTML>In a message dated 02/05/2001 4:33:13 PM Central Standard Time, pryan2@the-beach.net writes: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Terry, I had a piano (Baldwin 6 ft Grand) in Miami that is/was infested with termites.  It is in the balcony of a church with a spiral staircase so the piano had to be placed in the balcony  with a front loader fork lift when it was put there during renovation last year. All the pews were removed at that time.  Now it cannot be taken down for fumigation without removing pews and cracking floor tiles with a fork lift.   The termite company will fumigate any piano in their chamber for about $75 if you transport it there.   For about ten times that amount they will come to the church and tent the piano (only), but since they  use Vicane gas, by law, the church must be vacated for 48 hours.  This is a Catholic church, open 365 days and so this is not an option.  Instead of tenting the piano,  the termite company opted for needle injecting a poison in the piano where they see termite "tracks."  We are waiting to see if this will be successful. The way we were told to check for active termites was to collect the droppings.  If they were brown and dry, they were old and a sign of dead and "former" termites, If they were white and moist, termite were still active. I know of a tech who had a piano with suspected termites in his shop.  He took it apart and sprayed everywhere with bug killer.  Ruined the piano (oil based) and did not rid the termites.  Eggs hatched and it started all over. Sorry for rambling on,  Hope this helps a little. Phil Ryan Miami Beach </BLOCKQUOTE> Terry, you know there is a possibility that these critters are not even termites, there are several species of beetles such as powder post beetles which can do the same damage, a good pest control man can tell you what you have. David Koelzer DFW</HTML>