Make no mistake, when you find signs that termites have taken up residence in your home then you are at war! You will need to attack this problem as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you risk thousands in damage to your most prized possession.
I highly recommend that you hire a professional pest control expert to help you deal with this infestation before it becomes an issue. There are just so many factors involved that it’s in your best interest to seek professional help. But if you are determined to try fighting this war on your own, then we’re going to help with that too. Here are some battle strategies to follow!
Biochemical Warfare: Liquid Insecticides
Liquid insecticides are used to create a barrier around your home. That barrier will kill any termites that come into contact with it. They will also keep termites that are already in your home from getting back into the soil, thus keeping them away from the moisture needed to survive.
This method will give you fast results and you can apply this almost immediately. I recommend you do this even if you call a professional since it’s important to start fighting this war as quickly as possible. You should apply this liquid near the point of infestation or directly onto the wood itself. You might have to drill into the structure to get the liquid deep enough.
It’s also important to understand that termiticides and insecticides use entirely different technologies. Insecticides are more of a repellent than a killer. The problem is that termites are so stubborn that they will find any gap in the barrier created by insecticides and exploit it. They are going to find ways around it.
Termiticides will kill them dead in their tracks!
Deploy the Land Mines: Termite Bait
If injecting chemicals into your soil is not something you wish to pursue, then you can turn to traps as a way to start killing these nasty insects. You can place bait around the barrier of your home and the termites will gather it and take it back to their colony, where it will then be distributed to other termites. The technology behind termite bait is constantly changing so you will need to do a little bit of research to find the best choice.
Setting up these bait stations is super easy and you can also use it as a prevention method. I recommend you place them around the outside of your home now and monitor them. If you see the bait being used, then you know that termites might be a problem. Think of them as both a monitoring tool and an effective kill method.
Termite baits are one of the best tools at your disposal and should be used at all times as a preventative measure. They are also the only method of treatment in some areas. For example, you would not want to spray liquids in an area close to water or other unsafe areas.
Again, you should still consider calling a professional. These DIY methods will only work if the infestation is small but usually by the time you can identify a problem, the infestation is large enough that it will eventually lead to expensive damage.
