You know when people are actually saying “oh, it’s termite season you should paint your fences or chair with termite-proof coating”, it’s actually a tosh.
There’s no such thing as termites season as they can appear all-year round and invade your house.
For those who haven’t known, there are at least three kinds of termites in existence known as drywood, dampwood, and subterranean ones. Once they occupy your house, how to get rid of termites in house for good?
I understand that this tiny being is not for everyone’s eyes to see, so you better know one when you see one.
1. What Does A Termite Looks Like?
Before we’re getting into how to kill termites, we must be able to identify their characteristics. This way, you’ll have more knowledge on how to deal with the pests later, more often decide which method used to kill the colony.
- Subterranean Termites
Among any other types, this one is the most dangerous, and live with an actual caste systems like the workers, the soldiers, and the reproductive ones.
The entire colony is protected by the soldiers from intruders like ants or other bugs. Subterranean termites size less than half cm, and they live underground, in a secluded area with moist soil.
By far, this kind is the most destructive, which caused $2 billion worth of damage every year.
- Drywood Termites
The second commonest kind of the bug is drywood termite, which lives deep inside dry wood, feeding on their own home.
Drywood termites have smaller colony compared to subterranean ones, and also has smaller size, which is only a quarter cm. in most cases, you’ll notice their presence when hearing buzz while they create “kick holes” on the wood.
- Dampwood Termites
While the drywood species loves dreary space, dampwood termites invest their time to build a colony in damp, decaying wood.
They don’t, however, build their nest in humid soil. Dampwood termites has larger size compared to the previous mentioned, which is half an inch long or more than 1 cm.
2. What Signs of Termites in House to Look for?
- You found the termite wings
This one telltale is everybody’s secret; when you find winged swarm flying around or discarded wings on the floor, that’s one sign of a termite colony lives nearby.
- The banging sound
Not yours, theirs. The clicking and banging sound may come from the worker termites who also happen to be very noisy eater. Moreover, the soldiers also have the habit of banging their head to alarm the colony when danger is near.
- Droppings everywhere
You’ll find fecal dropping as they live inside the wood in your house. The droppings, also known as frass, look like sawdust and pretty deceiving.
Most homeowners will regard them as sawdust and simply sweep the droppings away without having a further inspection.
- Presence of wood tunnels
Also known as termite gallery, the tunnels are often the result of drywood termites. Carefully inspect the underside to check any termite presence—if you spur mud, there’s a high possibility that subterranian termites are around, often found in your house’s foundations.
- Hollow wood
You know there is termites infestation when you spot hollow wood around the house. They devour wood, leave it hollow because most part of the wood has been eaten out.
3. How to Get Rid of Termites
When looking for the best method on how to kill termites, you must first know which type you’re dealing with. Once it figured out, consider doing one or all among the following suggestions.
- Use Anti-Termite Spray Liquid
This is one effective treatment to kill termites in the house upon the first contact. Most people consider using the liquid termite barrier, which often employed by the professional exterminator to eradicate the pest and its entire colony at once.
To do that, you can mix a solution made of water and Termidor—place it in a spray bottle before digging up a deep trench. The poison is deadly even for those invisible baby termites, let alone the subterranean ones.
- Make Your Own Version of Termite Poison
Some people may regard that the use of liquid termite barrier is too extensive. In this sense, using termite poison is mora of a wise option.
You don’t have to go all the way and create gallons of solution—the bait is considered to be less costly and has the chance of eliminating termites colony by 85%. However, be reminded that this treatment is more effective to be applied against drywood species.
- Boric Acid
When it comes to talks of natural pest control, boric acid always takes number one place on the list. You can use boric acid in its original, powdery form or mix it with water to produce a deadly solution.
For the initial strategy, you may simply spread the boric acid on hollow woods, or the mounds that you suspect to be the nest of this tiny colony.
The latter method requires you to mix one teaspoon of boric acid with warm water, place it in a spray bottle, and generously spread on the surface of the infested soil, wood, or other suspected areas.
- Build A Trap
Setting up a termite trap is less costly and among the easiest method to do. Simply wet cardboard and place them near the infested area, since termites are known to be attracted to cardboard. Once the cardboard is full, immediately take it out and burn it.
4. Should You Consider Professional Exterminator?
The first thing to ask is whether the infestation is very large that you cannot cope to fix it yourself or not. Professional help from licensed exterminator will affect your termite treatment cost at its best.
It is, however, mostly useful for homeowners who don’t want their hand to get dirt—particularly also because the service is considered highly effective to eliminate all signs of termite infestation, even the most hidden nest.
With the help of a professional, you’ll be given tips on how to keep your house termite-free. One of the required things to do to prevent them from coming back is wipe out moisture from your home.
Keep everything dry and preferably expose your wooden furniture to sunlight—apply pest repellent if necessary to keep away termites permanently.
