Termites are irritating to have around. Unfortunately, these annoying insects are the bane of most households, thanks to their diet of wood and cellulose. If you find a couple of them at a dark corner of your home, chances are there is an entire colony living within the walls. They will ruin your home if you don’t deal with them immediately.
Verify their Existence
First thing you need to do is to determine if you actually have a termite problem. Just because you haven’t seen a straight line of lumber munchers in your home doesn’t mean you’re safe from them. Look for these signs in and around your home:
- Discarded wings, bigger than a housefly’s but smaller than a dragonfly’s.
- Damaged wood- knock and check to see if they feel hollow
- Weird moisture within doors, tiles, and windows left behind by termites
- Termite droppings. Note that they are indistinguishable from other insect droppings
- Mounds in your back and/or front yard or mud tubes on walls and corners
Mud tubes, a sign that they live in your house rent-free.
Prevention
Termites thrive on two things: moisture and wood. Having your home cleaned and your pipes fixed are just some of the simplest ways of taking preventive measures. The more complicated steps involve removing the elements that attracted them to your home in the first place. This includes tree branches, barks, driftwood (if you live near the sea) and trash. You should also consider having your house inspected by a professional if your entire home is built with more wood than concrete.
Treat them with k̶i̶n̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ a canister of insecticide.
Handling the Threat
Unfortunately, because of their size, not everyone is aware of the possibility that they have a termite infestation. If they haven’t already overrun the house, chances are there is still a chance that you can mitigate the problem with a bit of effort.
- Lure them out – Use scraps of wet wood or cardboard and place these close to where they usually scurry about. To their eyes, it’s free real estate, and they’ll quickly swarm to it like hotels on Valentines. Upon entrapment, you can drag the lure into the sunlight (once they’re on it), or burn them by using:
- a termite pesticide
- a homemade pesticide, using acidic juices from fruits or vinegar
- a UV lamp
Note: We don’t recommend burning them with actual fire due to obvious fire hazards.
- Destroying the infested areas – As mentioned before, you can take care of these hungry pests by dousing their colony with boric acid and insecticide for a few minutes. Repeat until you’ve treated your entire home. Keep in mind that one round of spraying is hardly enough. You will need to repeat the procedure a couple more times a month until you are sure that they are all gone.
Like rice grains with legs. Deal with them quickly before they start munching on your priceless wooden valuables!
- Calling for Professional Help – Worst case scenario like whole house infestations, nests burrowed underneath your home, and other similar situations require expert solutions. Pest control professionals will even give you an estimate of how far the problem has gotten, and whether or not your house is destined for ruin.
Termites keep themselves wet to traverse through warm terrain. They act like vampires that feast on houses and fear the sun. If you know their strengths and how they operate, you will have an easier time dealing with them.
