Woman in Choa Chu Kang flat claims termites damaged S$8,000 worth of furniture, life disrupted
A 68-year-old woman in Choa Chu Kang says her life has been turned upside down after a suspected termite invasion wrecked over S$8,000 worth of furniture in her five-room HDB flat.
Ms Chen (surname transliterated) claims the pests originated from an electrical room just outside her home, which had a history of infestation.
Despite previous extermination efforts, she fears the termites were never fully eradicated and have now moved inside her home.
Termites insfest electrical room outside HDB flat
A few years ago, Ms Chen discovered termites chewing through the wooden door of the outdoor electrical room at Block 619, Choa Chu Kang North 7, reports Shin Min Daily News.
After she contacted the town council, authorities sent personnel to exterminate the pests and replace the wooden door with an aluminium one.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Thinking the nightmare was over, Ms Chen resumed normal life until earlier this year, when she noticed fresh damage to another wooden door outside her unit.
Her shoe cabinet, TV cabinet, and kitchen cupboards were also damaged.
She believed termites from the electrical room likely migrated to the shoe cabinet near the door, invading her home.
She found wood shavings under the shoe cabinet, and later discovered the panels were completely hollowed out by termites.
$8K worth of furniture destroyed by termites
Ms Chen eventually hired a pest control company and found multiple termite nests — some up to 20cm long — inside her TV cabinet, kitchen cupboards, and even within electrical sockets and wiring.
Everything had to be removed, and replacing the furniture cost her more than S$8,000.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“It terrified us!” she told Shin Min.
She has repeatedly asked authorities to check the electrical box, as pest control cannot inspect it.
She fears undetected termites may still be hiding inside and could damage her new furniture.
Family’s life disrupted by invasion of termites
Ms Chen lives with her husband and three children. The infestation, followed by multiple pest treatments and a month-long renovation, has disrupted their daily lives.
The damaged kitchen cupboards forced her to stop cooking, and the family had to eat out every day.
Although the town council has since replaced one termite-damaged door near a fire riser, Ms Chen says she recently spotted fresh termite markings near other risers.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
“The pest control company said termites can fly, but it’s unclear whether they spread from the ground floor of the HDB block to my home.”
A Shin Mon reporter visited multiple units in the same block. Most residents said they were not affected by termites, but some expressed concern about the problem spreading.
Town Council taking actions against termites
Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council said it “deeply regrets” the situation and has taken action since being notified in June last year.
A licensed pest control team was deployed to inspect and treat the affected meter cabinet doors.
More recently, the council conducted two additional rounds of preventive treatment and plans to replace all meter cabinet doors with aluminium ones.
Source: PropertyGuru for illustration purposes only
They added that no other units in the block have reported similar infestations, but they remain committed to keeping the environment safe and pest-free.
Also read: Termites destroy M’sian woman’s savings, she plans to exchange them for new notes at bank
Termites destroy M’sian woman’s savings, she plans to exchange them for new notes at bank
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
