How to Get Rid Of Termites?

So you suspect a termite invasion, huh? The good news is there are several DIY options for removing termites, and you can try all of these. The bad news is, that a termite infestation is a time-sensitive issue. This means the more you let them sit around your property, the less likely you are to solve the situation since the termites will multiply, and rapidly destroy the entire house.

In this article, we explore some common options for termite removal and discuss how efficient each one of these is

First, you’ll want to look for an infestation.

Before we move on to removal, we need to make sure we’re dealing with actual termites here, and not something else. There are some common warning signs that may alert you to a termite problem, such as sagging floors, or hollow parts of the foundation. Similarly, holes in the woodwork of your home may alert you to a termite problem.

Using a flashlight, and other appropriate tools, we recommend performing a quick inspection of areas like the foundation of your home, the basement, known crawl spaces, etc. 

Remember you’re looking for a termite nest, and/or the presence of termite droppings. When performing your examination, you should also be wearing protective gear, and try not to interact with the termites directly.

How to get rid of termites:

• Termiticides.

Termiticides are special chemical barriers that you spray around the exterior of your property, to keep termites off. The smart thing about termiticides is that the termites won’t actually be able to detect the termiticide, and so won’t know how to avoid it. Once a termite chews on a sprayed material, it will ingest the chemical and die. 

Termiticides are also an efficient way to reduce and eliminate termites from your properties because they are similar to a virus in that, once infected, a termite will also carry the termiticide around, infecting and killing off other termites.

• Direct Chemical Foam.

This is also a useful trick to have up your sleeve when dealing with termites. These direct chemicals are great if you want to come at the problem from within. Here’s how it works – you spray the direct chemicals into the nooks, crannies, and crevices that might make for excellent termite nesting areas. The chemical then acts pretty much like expandable foam, growing and growing to fill the entire available area, after which it disappears. 

But don’t worry, even after the foam itself is gone, it leaves behind a poison trail that damages the termites and intoxicates them upon contact.

• Baits.

You can also purchase termite baits at specialty stores, which are usually placed around the foundation of your home. Like traditional baits, these will attract the foraging termites, and employ slow-acting poison to stop their growth, and kill them. Because the poison works slowly, this also means that the termites have plenty of time to carry it back to the other termites, and infect those, also. Thus, termite baits can prove to be an extremely efficient option, as well.

• Pest Removal.

Although the above methods can work well and can be put into action by non-professionals, by far the best and most efficient option available to you is calling a professional pest removal team. The more you wait (to try inefficient solutions), the more the termites will reproduce and the more extensive the damage to your home will be.

Should you try natural remedies?

Not really. While natural remedies like essential oils are often touted as great termite remedies, they’re actually quite inefficient, and so we wouldn’t recommend wasting time on them.