In the United States, over $1 billion in damages are caused by termites. Many homeowners can attest to that since they are forced to repair and replace the damaged wood in their homes. Good thing that there are possible ways now to treat termites and prevent them from coming and damaging your property. You will find out the different options for treating termites, how to get rid of them properly, and stop them from damaging your home, especially the damage they cause to your wood structures.

Identifying Termites

Flying carpenter ants and termites are usually similar in appearance. So, without a proper and keen inspection, you may mistake termite carpenter ants. To effectively treat the insect infestation around your house’s interior and exterior, you must identify first which pest is responsible for the damage it brings.

Ants:

• Its body has a thorax, and the constricted abdomen is visibly defined.
• The front pair of ant’s wings are more significant compared to the rear pair of wings.
• It has unique elbow-shaped antennae and features an elongated segment.

Termites:

• Its ribbed abdomen body is like a continuous thick piece with a not clearly defined waist.
• It consists of two pairs of wings equal in size and twice the size of its body.
• Termite’s antennae are short and straight. They have no eyes.

In addition to termite identification, there are lots of signs to know if they are existing in one’s place. Termites formed mud tubes which is a small, fine mud structure with 1/4 inch diameter size. The mud tubes are connected from the soil to any part of the house or any wood frame structures. By gently tapping on the wood, you will know if there are signs of decay caused by termites. If the wood structure becomes hollow, possibly there is a subterranean termite infestations already. If you also see discarded wings, chances are you termite issues around the house. Also, if the mud tubes created by termites are wet, there are still active tunnels they are working on, mostly found on wood.

• Inspect outside fuse boxes or electrical meters if there are already subterranean termite populations on your property.
• Inspect cracks and joints around the house, primarily your home’s foundation and wood structures, for termite’s entrance sign.
• Examine your attic for water leaks, wood rot, and mud tubes.

What Are Termites Attracted To

A lot of things that attract termites to your property. Unfortunately, some of it you didn’t even know about.

Wood attracts termites. Depending on their species, some may be attracted to moist wood or be attracted to dry wood naturally. Different termite species consume wood and consider it as their food. That’s why it’s the first thing that attracts their attention. Wet soil permits termite species to prosper in their most effective way. It saves them from the death of dehydration. In fact, termites used moist soil to form mud tubes which cause a wood rot.

Dark and warm places attract termites. Since termites don’t want to be disturbed, they will find the most suitable place for them to hide. That’s why it’s essential to clean your pipes and gutters, too, as this is the possible place they’ll hide in.

By taking away the things that can possibly attract termites or other pests naturally, you’ll have a chance to control them and prevent them from damaging your home or any of your wood structures. Being conscious of what’s happening around your property helps a lot to keep termites away from the most effective way.

Popular Termite Control And Treatments

Some leave the termite removal from real professionals because it’s indeed a toxic problem, but it will help you a lot if you also know these effective methods or treatments. It will bring you an entire understanding of how to kill pests like termites and the effective way in treating the issue and prevent them from existing. Termite control has three major methods, the termiticides or the use of insecticides to treat termites, the termite baits, and the direct wood treatment. Many people choose these three methods to treat termites away from their homes.

Liquid Termiticides Treatments

One well-known method in treating termites is to treat the soil surrounding your property. You can do it by using insecticides or liquid chemicals like fipronil, borate, or imidacloprid. If there are termites inside the wood structure, they can be treated directly as well.

This treatment is designed not to allow the termites to come into the treated wood structure of your property. It prevents this pest that already inside the treated wood structure from sustaining the soil and get all the moisture they need to survive.

If this is your option for termite control, you will never go wrong as it gives a speedy result and kills termites. The process is to apply the solution to the invaded area. But this requires a drilling process to reach the invaded area and use the liquid termiticide. You can drill through the concrete slab, walls or roof which may be difficult for some homeowners, but this is one way to pump up the solution required to create a termite barrier pressure.

In case that you acquire clearance for crawl space, you can drench around your house and simply do all your termite work, and it’s not going to be difficult and left you with no pressure.

This technology of using insecticides means there is already an advancement for termite control and treatments. And with the option of using repellant termiticides like borate, even the tiniest gap in the soil can be treated and detected to stop termites from entering your place and kills them.

Termite Bait

It is done by strategically placing the termite baits around your house’s interior and exterior or outdoor yard to attract termites. Once they’re in, they will be covered with an insect growth regulator pressure or slow-acting insecticide. And when they go back to their colonies, they will poison the other termites, including themselves. This baiting system preventative technology for termites and other pests is improving and remains an active choice for many, which is a good thing also for home and building owners.

Direct Wood Treatment

When a termite infests wood, there are many options to reduce the chance of bringing termite damage and adding the colony. One is to take away the infested materials, but it doesn’t mean that it stops from there even if you already replace the treated wood. You have to examine if the infestation will continue or not and provide a solution right away. Second, you can do the wood treatment typically, and it’s called Direct Wood Treatment. It manages the termite by directly treating the infested wood using a product mainly created for termite control.

You can use the method for drywood termites, carpenter ant, and subterranean termites. Sometimes, with subterranean termites, they occupy the most considerable portion of the house interior or exterior, and their colony are spread out and extensive. This treatment is a good option, but it needs limited application. It will not only control termite infestations but also prevent the future ones.

On the other hand, the option for drywood termites with the wood treatment method will become even successful because they only smaller in numbers. It needs the right inspection first if which part of the home is invaded with drywood termites, or they might even present to some of your furniture. If the inspection is completed, you can do this treatment to protect the wood structure from termite damage or carpenter ants invasion.

How Wood With Termites Can Be Treated?

If you are repairing or replacing a deck or any other home project that might be at risk of termite infestation, you need to find a way to safeguard the wood using preventative termite treatments like borate or bora care. Borate is a chemical that is water-soluble used to control and stop termite infestation in your wood structures. The borate chemicals will spread into the wood structure, forming a barrier that termites or any insects like beetles cannot pass. Termites will be poisoned when they try to eat the wood with borate or bora care in it. Below are the following steps on how to effectively do the treatments using borate or bora care.

Step 1

Remove the dirt and make sure the wood is clean. The surface of the wood must be finished with varnish. The wood must be dry with a needed 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If the wood came from a cold place, store it first in a warm environment for few more hours before you proceed with the borate chemical treatment.

Step 2

Use a newspaper to cover your work. Aerate the place by running a fan or opening the window. When working, use gloves, safety goggles, spray, and filtration masks to protect yourself from the effect of borate.

Step 3

Mix one gallon of water and one pound of borate. You can mix multiple of this borate and water ratio in a big bucket with the use of a paint stirrer. Remember that one qt of borate preservative is equal to one lb.

Step 4

Using a paint brush or spray, put the borate preservative into the wood. One mixed of borate will already cover 200 to 250 square ft of wood. Place in the borate preservative thoroughly and liberally, soak both ends of the wood with borate mixture. Set aside the wood and let it dry first before putting another coat or spray of borate preservative.

Step 5

Using a paint brush or spray, apply the water-repellent finish for 48 hours after you put in the second coat of existing borate mixture.

Step 6

Make sure to clean yourself, especially your hands, your clothing, the paintbrush you used, and the working space with water and soap because the borate mixture might have a bad and toxic effect in your health, especially your lungs. Borate if not used and handled properly might be deadly too.

Is Termite Protection Worth The Money

Many homeowners believe that professional termite and pest control is helpful in search of possible ways to prevent termites from their property. But, it can be costly on their part. It’s nice to know that they can protect their home’s property from termites damage, but wonder if it’s really worth their money. They are concern with their budget unless fully explain to them the advantages of getting pest control services, especially for termites. They still ask if this is really a necessity that needs to be done as a homeowner.

Termites are difficult to handle, as well as to prevent them from damaging your property. Yes, it can be costly for some, but it’s a serious matter as well. A possible solution to protect homeowners and their property from termite infestation is getting professional termite and pest control. It can give homeowners peace of mind knowing they are protected and avoiding more termite problems. You will be thanking yourself for getting a professional instead of allowing yourself to treat it without the proper understanding of how to do it. With a professional with you, it will work!

Termites can travel from underground to your home through a crack in your walls and foundation. When they have that access to your home, they will start forming a tunnel through lumber or wood structures. They can do it for weeks, months, and even years without you knowing and realizing the big trouble. One day, you will notice that there is blistering and staining in your walls already, the doors stop closing, or when you tap your lumber or wood structure, it already sounds hollow. Before you know it, termites have invaded and infested your property. They are literally eating your house! The worst is, termites reproduce millions even with a single colony.

The good thing is, there is great news when it comes to dealing with termites. Yes, the damages they are doing are devastating, but they can be prevented by being conscious and proactive. Also, by considering a professional pest control team will help you eliminate this wood-destroying insect.

Now, the question still remains, is professional termite and pest control worth it? Yes, they are! You are one step closer in protecting your property from termite issues and damages, which can be more costly to repair and replace.

Termite Prevention

Follow the steps to avoid termites can give you an excellent deal. As you know, moisture is one absolute necessity for termite colonies to thrive and survive through a wood rot. So, getting rid of damp areas surrounding your property is vital to prevent termites. Below are the other things you can do to eliminate termite infestation.

• Examine improper grading and holes, leaky air conditioners, and plumbing leaks to ensure that the soil or ground near your home remains dry.
• Abolish contacts between wood and ground as possible.
• If necessary, change the soil surrounding your property with sand if you construct a lumber or wood structure near the ground. Subterranean termites and other insects like beetles will have a hard time building a tunnel with sand.
• Prevent from stacking the firewood in your house and get rid of the tree and wood stumps surrounding your yard.
• Give six inches of space between the ground and patios, porches, garden, and decks that are made with wood.
• Make use of termite-resistant wood in places where wood needs to touch the surface or ground. Make sure the wood is treated first when using it for building or renovating houses.
• Adequately clear the drain spouts, holes, and gutters to avoid water buildup, especially from your garden.
• Consider a regular inspection of your home’s property, especially with your wood structures.
• Cover all openings outdoor or the outside of your home like vents with a steel mesh. It will permit ventilation to exist while avoiding easy access for insects or pests like subterranean termites that kill your wooden structures.

If you consider these termite prevention ideas and home maintenance, it will not be difficult for you to keep termites away from your home for good. Get your property regularly inspected by a real professional as they can help you a lot. Investing with the right people is a must to live in a comfortable home you wish to have.