Termite infestation is common in the United States and you can bet it’s coming as we gradually approach summer. Even though most pest control companies charge very low fees, there might still be a reason or two why you might want to do it yourself.
DIY termite treatment is especially important and will come in handy when you need to take quick and decisive action when experiencing a termite infestation in your home. We will go through some of the actions needed to rid your home of these little wood-destroying pests.
6 Best Termite Prevention Measures
The first step to ensuring that termites don’t destroy the wood and other important structures in your home is to prevent them from getting there in the first place. There are certain measures you can take to stop them from getting in and below are some of them:
1. Always inspect the environment
Inspecting your home for termites is the best thing you can do to prevent or cure a termite infestation. Not only will you be able to detect if you have a thriving termite colony in your home, but it makes it a lot easier to find other pests that may be lurking around.
How do you do a thorough home inspection?
- Start with a checklist of your home where there might be signs of termite infestations. This makes the job easier and more effective. It is a great way to plan.
- Write down whatever you find. Don’t leave it to your memory. You don’t want to forget the areas in your home where there are signs of a termite infestation because they can easily multiply again.
- Use a torch, even in daylight. You don’t want to miss a spot. Termites will hide in the darkest places possible to try to prevent predators from finding them. Grab a torch and fish them out.
- Be more thorough when inspecting the exterior. Termites that have not entered your house are just a short trip away from doing so. Check for signs of mud tubes in the soil and decaying wood.
- Call a professional pest control company for a much deeper and efficient inspection. They know where to look and this makes the job even easier.
2. Improve your home’s sealing and ventilation
Termites are usually found in humid environments. Before you subscribe to any treatment plan, does your home have enough ventilation to keep humidity away? DIY termite treatments without efficient termite prevention procedures will only chase the termites away for a while.
Ensure that the walls and all the corners of your house are sealed correctly. If water seeps in through the wall, termites won’t be the only thing you’ll be worrying about.
3. Use termite baits
When you hear about a termite bait or baiting system, you’re probably thinking of an advanced termite bait system. It doesn’t have to be that. A termite bait can be as simple as a pile of wood far from your home where they can’t easily make their way into your home.
The termite bait stations can be made manually or bought from Amazon. It consists of wood made of cellulose and some slow-acting termite pesticides that don’t repel the termites but draws them in and kills them as they attempt to molt.
Termite bait stations are a great way to draw termites out of your house into the yard for extermination. You may never have to deal with termite infestations again after this.
4. Create space between the soil in your yard and the wood structure in your home
The easiest way for termites, especially subterranean termites, to make their way into your house is through the sand in your yard. The first sign that you probably have subterranean termites in your home already is mud tubes on the soil in your yard.
Termites will locate the wood structures in your house such as the foundation, siding, and/or deck once they spend enough time in your lawn or yard. Set up a termite barrier with concrete flooring that keeps them aloof.
Ensure that there’s a wide enough space between the soil in your yard and the wood structures in your home. However, if these termites have already infiltrated your home, you could opt for some soil treatments to get them out and dead. Get some good lawn care resources like soil termiticides.
5. Keep woodpiles far from your house
If you have woodpiles so close to your house, you’re automatically giving termites free access to your home. Homeowners often make the mistake of cutting down tree branches and leaving the wood to lay around and close the house. Termites will infest the wood and gradually roam to your home.
If you have other building materials that are made of wood, you might also want to keep them far away from your home as they will trace those into your home. Wood piles don’t only invite termites. Other insects and pests such as roaches, carpenter ants, spiders, rodents, mice, and many more will find shelter and comfort in your home.
6. Build with treated lumber
One of the most effective DIY termite control/pest control techniques that have proven super-effective is building with treated wood. A wooden structure that is made with treated wood serves as a repellant to termites and other insects.
The best place to have your treated wood is in your foundation. Drywood termites inside your foundation wood can shorten the lifespan of your house by a great deal.
Another helpful DIY termite control is to spray some termite repellant on safe wood to keep the tiny wood-destroying termites away from your home. Several termite treatment products will come in handy. Just visit some local stores for the best products.
7. Use heat
Heat drives termites far away from your home. Drywood termites need to find some form of humidity, warmth, wood to dwell in your home. Under moderate heat, you’ll not find termites near your house.
To get kill termites in your space, you could simply heat the termite-infested region to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (120° F). Every termite in that region will die in minutes. This is one easy and cheap DIY termite control you can use anytime.
Note that you cannot use this method where you have a lot of plastic. It should also not be used for a long time. It should only be a spot treatment to exterminate termites you have seen.
Now that we have taken a closer look at some of the preventive methods of termite control and treatment, you should consider some curative measures as well.
3 DIY termite treatments
So, you have tried to prevent termites from entering your home but you already had some there that need to leave before your preventive methods can take effect. DIY termite treatments are not always cheap, but they’re an awesome option when you need to quickly get rid of termites in your house.
We will look at some curative steps to take when you find termites in your home. It is important that you do a thorough inspection before attempting the preventive measures to ensure that you don’t have any termites in your house. If you do find some termites, we’ll proffer a solution to the termite problem below.
1. Use a termiticide
If you have never heard of the term “Termiticide” before, it simply means a termite insecticide. Termiticide products will not only kill the termites in your house but will also act as repellants to other termites and insects that may be lurking around.
Some awesome termiticides you want to try include Taurus SC, Ortho, Bifen, and a few others. Taurus is considered the best termiticide in the market because it contains an active ingredient, Fipronil, that goes unexpected by termites.
Spray some of the active ingredients in one of the termite control products onto wood, building materials, soil, and any other structure that easily gathers moisture. Termites will still infest the wood without suspecting but will die in minutes.
Ensure to wear safety gear that protects you from the harsh chemical in any of the products you choose. Anything from gloves to masks will suffice.
2. Use natural DIY methods
DIY termite treatment doesn’t stop at using chemicals. Several other natural termite treatments will come in handy, usually, they’re cheap and easy to come by. Some of them include:
(I) Vinegar and lime
Vinegar will not only help make your wooden structures look shiny and clean, but it can also be a great treatment for termites. Termites will die when in contact with the natural chemical in the mixture of these two products. Just spray or sprinkle the mixture to areas where the termite swarm is often found.
(II) Orange oil
If you’re battling a termite problem orange oil will come to the rescue as it functions with the same propensity as the mixture of lime and vinegar. Say goodbye to termite damage with this easy treatment.
(III) Wet cardboard bait
This is inarguably the easiest DIY termite treatment. Termites love wetness and wood. Cardboards are made from wood. This mixture will draw all the termites in the area. When you think there have been enough termites on the cardboard, take it out and burn it.
(IV) Boric acid
Boric acid or borate is usually found in powder form. It is often used in laundry soaps and can kill termites efficiently.
3. Let in the sunlight
As mentioned earlier, termites hate the heat, which makes sunlight a good termite control measure. It’s probably time to lift the window blinds to let in some sunlight.
To make the extermination process even faster, you can use sunlight with any of the other DIY termite control products mentioned above.
Now that you know how to prevent termites from infiltrating your environment and how to kill them if they do, you’re all set to make your house more comfortable for you and your family.
Can I complete the termite treatments myself?
Termite treatments can be done by anyone who has the knowledge to carry it out. After reading through this article, you’re more than ready to take on the task as long as you have all the required products on the ground.
How do I permanently get rid of termites?
The only way to permanently rid your environment of termites is to constantly inspect the area, especially termite-prone areas. Use treated wood for construction, and seek the assistance of an expert at least once every year.
Termite treatment is a continuous activity. If you must have a termite-free environment, you must make termite treatment an annual routine.
Hire a termite control and management expert
Termite damage has been a major issue in United States homes for decades and the most trusted treatment measure will always be to give the work to an expert. An expert will search for soil tunnels on the ground, hollow & rotten wood, as well as every nook and cranny of your house.
At Florida Environmental, we have a high level of determination and focus to work. We work with the best technicians and products (termiticides) in the industry to deliver a termite-free environment to all of our clients.
We work on homes, construction sites, offices, and other environments in Florida. Our ability to always deliver spectacular results speaks for us every time. We save your environment from existing and potential termite damage.
Give us a call today to get a free quote.
Conclusion
DIY termite treatments have to follow specific guidelines that involve starting with inspection, moving on to treatments, and ending with prevention. Ignoring any one of the steps may proffer a solution but it will only be short-term.
For a longer-term solution to termite damage; inspection, treatments, and prevention must come in that order. If the infestation has become too large for you to handle, give us a call to ease you of the time and stress it will take to perform thorough termite treatments.
