It’s important to take action quickly when you discover termite problems in your home. Not only does it affect the integrity of your house, but it also affects the health and well-being of everyone living there. Plus, if you plan to sell your home in the future, potential buyers will frown at the sight of termites or at evidence that there was an infestation before.
Termites can take over the whole home, especially if the house is mainly made of wood. How do you know there are termites? Hollow-sounding wood and mud tubes are the most common signs of termites. That’s when you need to get on your computer and read about Terminix reviews to see if you need to call a termite control company already.
Homeowners spend around $5 billion a year on termite control and repair. But although the best way to get rid of termites is to call professionals, there are home remedies and do-it-yourself methods to fix this problem. There are tried-and-tested strategies to exterminate termites from your home for good.
Termiticide Barriers
Depending on what state you live in, you may be able to buy termite-killing products called termiticide barriers. You can apply these products to your home’s exterior perimeter. Therefore, this will create a barrier. Termites will not detect this barrier, but they will die if they eat the wood with termiticide. If the termites don’t die immediately, they will spread the termiticide like a virus. Consequently, they will infect the other termites that come into contact with them after eating a wood with termiticide.
Direct Chemicals
You can use chemicals directly indoors. All you need to do is inject the chemicals into the wood. The termites will die because of the residue from the chemicals. This residue is poison to them. A popular product is called Termidor foam. It is an odorless foam that expands to fill the cracks and gaps in the drywall. It will evaporate, leaving behind residue that is poisonous to the termites.
Don’t worry about the chemicals affecting the people living in the house. You’re injecting it into the wall, so there should be no traces where humans can touch it. This kind of method lasts for a month or even longer.
Termite Baits
If there are baits for rodents, there are baits for termites, too. These baits work by attracting the termites to contaminated areas around the house’s perimeter. The toxin is slow-acting, which means the termites can bring the poison back to their colony and infect other termites. Even if the termites try to reproduce, the toxin in their bloodstream would have eliminated them and any future reproduction.
Beneficial Nematodes
Nematodes are natural pesticides. You would often find them in the garden as they are useful against garden pests. Beneficial nematodes get inside the termites to release bacteria that slowly kill the hosts. You can get these products online and in garden shops. All you need to do is mix the beneficial nematodes with potting soil and cold water and apply them to your lawn.
Essential Oils
Orange oil and neem oil work best against termites. These essential oils slowly kill termites because they inhibit them from shedding their skin and laying eggs. If you already have these oils in your cupboard, all you have to do is mix 10 drops with two cups of water and two drops of dish soap. Put it in a spray bottle, shake the mixture, and spray it on infested wood and materials.
Boric Acid
If you read the labels of termite control products, almost all of them have boric acid. This material works by dehydrating the termite and shutting down its nervous system. So if you find an infested wood or material, spray the boric acid into the cracks and holes. Make sure to wear gloves when handling boric acid.
Preventing Termite Infestation
The easiest way to get rid of termites is not to have them at all. That starts with making sure your homes are well-protected from them. Regular home inspection to check for termites and other bugs will keep you on your toes. Thus, make it a point to include termite and pest control in your home maintenance.
