How to Get Rid of Termites by Yourself or Professional Help
One thing that may cause you headache is having termites in your house. This is a kind of pests that would surely damage your house. It is very important that you know and detect if your house is infested with termites and determine as well what termites are intruding your home. You must also seek ways and methods on how to keep your house from termites.
The Types of Termites
The first thing you must determine is what termites you have in your house. In this way, you will know how to terminate them. Among the termites that may infest your house are:
(1) Flying Termites. This is a common termite that people can see.
(2) Drywood Termites. These termites live in woods and can be in the wooden ceiling, flooring, jambs, doors, windows and baseboards, among others. These can be found in any place in United States.
(3) Subterranean Termites. These can also be found in woods and might be in wooden foundation and compost piles of your house. These termites can really damage your house as they can attack the foundations of your house and this is dangerous for your welfare. It can be treated in different methods.
(4) Formosan Termites. These types of termites come from Asia and can be found in the South of United States. These can also damage your home and property very quickly.
To avoid all these termites, you should detect if they are infesting your house and property.
Signs of Termites in your House
Termites are not that visible in the eyes. They are usually hiding in some parts of your house especially in woods. For this reason, you must determine the signs of termite infestation. These includes holes in wood work, holes in some parts of your wooden foundation, sagging floors or in wooden beams, dilapidated wooden wall finish and holes in wooden jambs and doors, among others.
If they were too many already, you would see them crawling around your property. First, get a flashlight and a screw driver and then, examine the foundation beams and crawl spaces by tapping the wood for hollowness. If the wood falls apart, this is then a sure sign that termites have infested that part of your house.
Termites wastes are also visible and if you see them around then termites are just around the corner. The visibility of termite nest is also a sign of termite infestation. The drywood termites will have their nests inside the wood while the subterranean termites build their nests on mud. If any of these signs are visible in your house and property, it is time that you think of ways on how to terminate them. There are ways on how to terminate them. You can do it by yourself or you can seek for professional help.
How to Get Rid of Termites by Yourself
There are ways on how to terminate termites by yourself. You can do the following ways:
- You can freeze the termites. This can be done by putting your wooden furniture or the parts of pieces that are infested with termites into a large freezer for about 2 to 3 days. This can kill the termites.
- Expose the termites to sunlight. This also applies to wooden furniture that is infested with termites. Expose them to sunlight on a sunny day. They must be exposed for 2 to 3 days.
- Set up a trap such as the flat strips of cardboard and place them on the infested area. Once the cardboard is filled with termite, burn it right away.
- Purchase and plant beneficial nematodes. These are segmented worms that can be natural parasites to termites and other garden pests. The nematodes search for termites and burrow into them. This causes their deaths within 2 days. The beneficial nematodes can be purchased at local garden stores or in some online stores.
Seeking Professional Help
If you cannot terminate the termites by yourself then it is time to call a professional that would keep your house from termites. The following are ways on terminating the termites in your house professionally:
- Call a Professional Pest Control. Professional exterminators definitely know how to kill the termites in your house. They are expert in it. They also use special insecticides that have strong chemicals to kill the termites. However in choosing a professional pest control you must know their profiles first and know how effective they are in killing the termites. Be sure that they can exterminate the termites effectively.
- Use Termite-Control Products. These termite-control products are available in hardware. Apply this liquid termite-killing product in the parts or areas that are infested with termites. These can kill the termites. You may reapply it again if necessary.
- Have a Professional Microwave Spot Treatment. The termites can be killed if they are exposed to heat. You may call a professional and let the termites heated to high temperature. The professionals have a tool to put the termites in heat.
- Boric Acid can kill the Termites. You may use Boric acid which is strong termite insecticides that can terminate the termites. Just coat the woods that are infested with termites with boric acid evenly. You may also plant the boric acid bait in your garden to prevent infestation.
To prevent future infestation, you must maintain your house by keeping it dry always. Avoid moist and leaks of water inside your house. You may also use pest repellent from time to time or if you see any signs of infestation. It is also advisable that you prevent using wood inside your house. The termites like to eat the woods and live inside the woods. If you avoid the woods, the termites can keep off your house. Also, if you see cracks in your house seal and caulk it right away so that termites will not get into the holes. (source: http://www.killthetermites.com/)
If you find this article helpful or you want to give insights you may feel free to leave a comment below. This would be of help to those who are seeking information about terminating the termites.