Have you considered using concrete pyramid type piers to rest the support poles on or if you want the pole in the ground; you could encase the wood in cement. Either way keeps the wood out direct contact with the soil and a tempting meal for termites.

Around my area, even the best pressure treated wood will not last as long as 20 years without pesticides. I just recently had to pull up and remove some pressure treated landscaping timbers that fire ants had infested. These timbers were still green from the treatment and not very old. I would estimate they had been there for maybe a 2 years.

Something else you can do and I realize that the environmental aspect of this will probably cause some desenting opinion is to treat the area ground around the timber with diesel fuel. Termites and bugs will not go near it. As long as you don't use an excessive amount, it should not cause any problems.

About the only pesticide that really worked for applications like this was Chlorodane, but the EPA banned it MANY years ago. Dursban did not work nearly as good and now it is being phased out. The newer pesticides are ineffective at best and a waste of money at worst.

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