Termites are small, and difficult to spot as they favour the darkness, and they can do a significant amount of damage to any home. The truth is that termites eat wood. They build large colonies, often in the space under your house, and it’s estimated they will munch their way through as much as one foot of a 2×4 pine board in just six months.
It may not sound significant but it can affect the flooring, ceiling, or even structural stability of your home.
Prevention
The best termite treatment option is to prevent the termites from getting into your house. That means checking every piece of wood that enters your home, even if it is brand new furniture.
You’ll also need to fill gaps and cracks around your home to prevent termites and other pests from coming through your walls.
A real sign that you have termites is the appearance of small holes in the soil around your home. These are mud tunnels, allowing the termites to get under your house while staying damp. To reduce this risk have at least 6” wide of concrete around your home.
Expert Help
Locating a termite nest can be hard as it is usually under your house and not easily accessible. But, if you want to eliminate them properly you need to make sure the nest is completely destroyed.
The best way to do this is to contact your local pest control company and get them to deal with the termites for you. They don’t just have the right equipment for finding and eliminating the termites, they also have the knowledge and experience. They’ll handle the issue and you’ll benefit from a guarantee that the termites are gone.
Bait Traps
You can use these if you are determined to deal with the termite issue yourself or as a supplement to the pest control company.
Termites live in a colony and work together to survive. Each termite has its own job and that’s why only some search for food. A bait box gives them food and, ideally, this should be good food. This will encourage the termites to mark the box as safe and use it again.
Once you know that the bait box is being visited by termites, you swap the bait for poisoned bait and the termites will take it back to their colony. It can be very effective at wiping out the colony but, it is difficult to know how successful it has been.
Pesticides
It’s possible to purchase over-the-counter termite treatments. The best are in liquid form and they are capable of preventing termites from accessing your home for up to five years!
However, you will need to dig a trench around your home and add the liquid, ensuring there is a complete barrier around your home before covering the trench up again.
While this can be effective it can also have negative effects on beneficial soil species. That’s why the best approach is to let the professionals deal with any termite invasion and then have regular pest inspections.
