Termite infestation is a common problem in Australia. According to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), about 32 percent of all houses in Australia currently have termite activity. That is about 130, 000 homes per year, or at least 1 in every 3 houses in the country suffer termite infestation.
Considering the number, each home has about an 80 percent chance of being situated within 25 meters of a termite colony. The risk of termite infestation among homes in the country is high. You can’t count on termite infestation never happening to your home. So how do you kill termites and get rid of them forever?
In this article, we will take a look at some ways to effectively exterminate the little menace in your home.
Getting Rid of Subterranean Termites
- Termiticide barriers – Conventional termite barriers work well in securing your home from a termite infestation by putting a chemical around the exterior of your fence. Termiticide barriers are applied around the perimeters of your home, you will only need to infect one termite to infect the whole clan. When a termite hits a termite barrier, it becomes infected. It will carry the chemical around and infect others, ultimately killing an entire colony.
- Direct chemicals – These types of chemicals can be directly applied to your home’s interiors through fuming, spraying, or coating. Target locations can include cracks, voids, and crevices. It’s the best approach if it is found that there are termites in your home. The foam or fume is usually odorless and will expand in conspicuous places where termites are probably hiding.
- Termite baits – Since subterranean termites come from the ground, termite baits are a very effective method of killing them. Termite baits are devices that you can install on the ground that work on trapping termites as soon as they cross their path. The slow-acting toxin inside the bait will disable the termite’s growth as they try to molt but if the termite goes back to the colony, it will transmit the infection to them.
- Beneficial Nematodes – These include natural parasites like microscopic, segmented roundworms that can be eaten by termites. Once they’re inside the termite’s body, they will start to release toxic guts that will kill termites.
Getting Rid of Drywood Termites
- Spot treatment – If you’re dealing with dry wood termites, spot their holes and drill them. Once you hit their nest, start filling it with termiticides. Once termites eat the germicide blockage, termites will eventually die.
- Neem oil – Neem oil is an essential oil that is placed on plants to ward off plant-eating insects. But it can also kill termites and inhibit their ability to shed their skin or lay eggs. Just mix two cups of water with a couple of drops of dish soap and about 10 drops of neem oil. Shake it up and spray it against a colony of termites.
Getting Rid of Subterranean and Drywood Termites
- Boric acid – It’s an effective solution for killing termites. Many termite insecticides are available in your local hardware but you must connect with termite experts to ensure that treatment is properly administered.
- Diatomaceous earth – Diatomaceous earth is made up of silica. All you need to do is just sprinkle the powder around areas where you suspected termites might be and wait for them to crawl over it. Once they crawl over it, the element penetrates their exoskeleton and dehydrates them causing them to die eventually.
- Cardboard trap – This DIY method is effective in trapping alates or flying termites. Prepare cardboard and put bait on it. It could be some dried or decayed wood. Then you can place a sticky material such as glue or oil. Once flying termites swarm to it, it will be hard for termites to go back up. If you see some other termites that are still alive, you can spray termiticide on them.
Identifying Termite Infestation
Hollow wood – Try knocking up your wood and if you hear a hollow thud, it’s pretty clear you have termites. You can also try using a screwdriver and pressing it further to your wood. If it goes through, it means your wood is hollow and termites might be eating their way behind.
Mud tubes – Mud tubes are obvious signs of subterranean termites. It is made up of wood and soil and is used as protective tunnels by termites when making their way to their food source.
Head banging – If you have wooden walls in your home, try to stick your ears against them. If you hear a faint rustling sound, this could be termites banging their heads on the walls. When millions of termites have occupied your walls, they will create a faint rustling sound whenever they bang their heads on the wall.
Swarm evidence – Subterranean termites that are set off to create a new colony take their nuptial flights and occupy other areas in your home.
Peeling paint – The paints in your drywalls can peel as a result of termite damage. Remember that drywall termites can infest your walls even without moisture. But the most damaging of all termites are the subterranean termites. If you have water leakage anywhere on your rooftop or ceiling, the latter will be easily attracted to it. It will suck up all the cellulose in your drywall until nothing is left.
Frass – These are small, granular pellets that you usually see on your door frames, baseboards, and windowsills. These are commonly known as frass or termite droppings. When termites feed and make holes in your wooden structure, they will produce tiny droppings that will signify their presence.
Are you suspecting you have termites in your home? If you can’t determine where they might be hiding, don’t hesitate to contact The Local Guys. We have certified and licensed termites specialists who can help you identify whether your property has been infested with termites. Call us now to book a schedule.
What Services Do We Offer?
We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control the absolute best in the game!
