Content

• Steps
• Advice

Among the countless other insects and pests that disturb homeowners everywhere, few are more dangerous than termites. Termites alone can destroy an entire house from foundations to structures in just a few years. To kill termites, you need to look for signs of termites and use termite elimination methods such as cardboard traps, useful nematodes, and hot and cold temperatures to attack termites. Understand that moderate to severe termites require a professional service. Your home can be your biggest and most important investment, so it's essential to get rid of termites as soon as they get in.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Look for signs of termites spreading

1. 

   Watch for signs of termites. You may not see direct evidence of a termite, but that doesn't mean you should be reckless. Sagging floors, gouged woodwork and hollow foundations are serious signs of termites. You can also see termites.
   • Take a flashlight and screwdriver to the basement, inspect the mezzanine basement and the wooden beams in the ground by tapping on the wood and checking for holes, press the wood screwdriver to check the strength. If the wood is easily flaky, you are probably dealing with termites.
   • When examining, be sure to look out for termite waste. Termite droppings are small round pellets that resemble wood or darker brown. The presence of this waste near weak wood areas may indicate termites.
   • You can also find termite nests on your soil; earth termites will build a system of tunnels and mud paths, while dry wood termites will appear in their nests within the wood.

2. 

   
   
   Determine the type of termite in your home. There are two main types of termites that can spread indoors: earth termites and dry wood termites. Earth termites live in the soil around the house and also in furniture, dry wood termites only live in wood (not in soil).Termites are mostly found in warm coastal regions - mainly in California, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia. Dried wood termites can be found anywhere in states in the US.
   • Termites can appear in wood and compost piles around the house outside of the wood.
   • Earth termites are more destructive than dry wood termites and may require different methods of killing termites.
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Part 2 of 4: Self-treatment of termites

1. 

   
   
   Make cardboard traps. Use long flat sheets that are wet, stacked, and placed in accessible places. Termites feed on cellulose (cardboard), so this makes a great trap. When the termite pulls into the cover, remove it and take it to a safe place to burn. Repeat as many times as needed.
   • Note: This type of trap does not completely solve the termite problem. This is just a quick response to get rid of a few hundred termites, usually in just one go. You need to combine traps with other methods for a stronger effect.

2. 

   
   
   Try helpful nematodes. This is a small non-segmented worm that naturally parasites on pests in the garden, including termites. These worms look for a host like termite larvae, burrow into the host's body and usually kill them within 48 hours. Nematodes use a host carcass as a place to lay eggs.
   • You can buy nematodes at gardening stores or online. On the market today there are about 5 types of nematodes.
   • Nematodes need to be used immediately after buying if the soil is above 16 degrees Celsius. If not, store it in the refrigerator. Place the nematodes in the ground early in the morning or evening so they won't be harmed by UV rays.

3. 

   Leave the wood in the sun. If the object being smashed by the termite is not a house, but rather movable furniture, expose it to the sun. Termites thrive in dark places, so heat and light from the sun will kill them. Take wooden furniture outdoors to dry on a sunny day, preferably 2-3 days.
   • This method works well when combined with cardboard traps to catch and destroy termites.

4. 

   Frozen termites. If you live in a rainy area and can't leave your furniture out in the sun, consider an alternative to freezing the furniture to kill the termites. Place wood chips (or pieces of wood) in the large freezer for 2-3 days. While this can be quite complicated on large pieces of wood, you will be sure to kill the termites if you can use the freezing method. advertisement

Part 3 of 4: Seeking professional support

1. 

   Use boric acid. Boric acid is a common and effective way to get rid of termites. This is in fact the main insecticide used in many store termiticides. Boric acid deactivates the termite's nervous system and dehydrates them.
   • The best way to kill termites with boric acid is to use baits.
     • Spread or spray boric acid evenly on wood (or other cellulose material).
     • Place boric acid baits in your garden near your home or where termites are visible.
     • Check the bait regularly and add more boric acid if necessary. You will see a corpse appear nearby.

2. 

   Purchase and use of termite control products. These products are readily available at hardware stores, so this is the first step you need to take to get rid of this pest. You can use a method of controlling termites with a bait or a liquid termite product. Place bait near termite areas and spray the same termite control product in those areas.

3. 

   Using microwave termite elimination method. The heat will destroy the termites so you can make the house heat up to kill them. However, this method should be performed by a professional service, as the necessary tools are not available for anyone to purchase and use. Call an insect control company to find out if this is a good choice for your home.

4. 

   Call professional service. If you find the termites have spread too much or your home is too important, you may want to call a professional termite removal service. When calling a termite service, you need to remember:
   • Find at least 3 competitors.
   • View the company's service profile from the Structured Pest Control Council before deciding to hire.
   • Get a contract from a termite company, in which the company commits to completely eradicate termites in 2 years. This term may require the company to return periodically, check for new termites and eliminate them at no extra cost.

5. 

   Treat yourself in a professional way. You can buy products that professionals often use. The two most commonly used products are Termidor SC and Taurus SC for use in liquid form around the house. These products can be purchased online at very affordable prices. You can treat your home with results like hiring a professional service for little if you are willing to put the effort into it. advertisement

Part 4 of 4: Preventing termites

1. 

   Keep the house dry. Termites are by nature to like wet places because they need water to live. So make sure to keep everything dry or termites will enter your home.
   • Be sure to repair leaks or standing water both indoors and outdoors. Sweep or absorb excess water if possible.
   • Dirty and damp drains are ideal for termites, so clean them as well to prevent termites.

2. 

   Use a pest repellent. Mix 0.1% permethrin (about 1 tbsp for 4 liters) in paint, wood polishes or wallpaper glues when building or repainting the house to permanently repel termites. You can even add permethrin to your flooring cement or laminate. Permethrin is a safe pesticide for humans, so it does not pose an additional risk of poisoning.

3. 

   Keep piles of wood away from home. Termites live on wood, so keep large stacks of firewood, trunks and branches away from home. Leaving lots of wood in your yard means inviting termites to a party. If you absolutely must keep the wood close to your home, make sure you cover it to keep it dry; This will help limit the attraction of termites. If you have to use wood, treat it with permethrin as described above.

4. 

   Close any cracks in the house. The first and important step in ensuring that termites do not enter the home is to seal windows, doors and cracks around the home. Gaps around electrical wires and water pipes leading from outside to the house and from inside out are convenient paths for termites to easily enter the house.
   • Attaching glass doors, windows and hallways is also essential if you are worried about spreading.

5. 

   Scheduled home isolation. One of the most effective ways to keep your home free from termites is to maintain a protective barrier around the home. Luckily, it doesn't cost much if you do it yourself with quality specialized products like Termidor SC or Taurus SC. Both of these products contain the pesticide Fipronil of the same concentration and are used as a liquid around outside the home. Fipronil has very low toxicity but is highly effective against termites and ants. advertisement

Advice

• Online resources for pest control from retailers have videos that teach professionally handling termites. It's also a good idea to watch these videos before you buy your product for volume to be disposed of and do it yourself effectively.
• Termite damage can destroy an entire home, so if you are not sure that you are capable of getting rid of termites in your home, call a professional as soon as possible.
• Spraying an insecticide once a week and sprinkling with boric acid in the holes near the termite also helps.
• Permethrin is toxic to cats. Do not use this substance if you have cats.