6 Easy Facts About Termite Control Using Borax Explained
There are 3 main types of termites: drywood, dampwood and subterranean. Every kind of termite colony includes workers (who eat your house), soldiers (who defend other people from predators such as ants) and swarmers (flyers that locate new places to colonize). Although you dont generally see termites unless theyre swarming (flying), its great to know how to identify them, Wilson states.
Drywood termites commonly have a brown body with a red head. Swarmers have sheer, tan wings but there are colour variations. Workers are light, tan and look like maggots, with no wings.
Dampwood termites are similar to drywood termites, often with a tan or brown body and sheer wings. These workers also resemble maggots.
Things about Termite Control Use
Drywood termites are partial to dry, nondecayed timber and often end up in attics, flooring boards and window frames.
Dampwood termites such as decaying wood or timber that's loaded with moisture. They often attack wood that is making contact with the ground and are found in regions with high rainfall or humidity.
Termite Control Use for Beginners
Drywood and dampwood termites enter your house through small cracks, often around window frames through cracks in the caulk. Be sure to check around windows regularly and reapply caulk when it begins to show signs of age and cracking. Swarmers shed their wings and burrow into the wood. Cracks in paint are another easy access point for termites.
Be mindful of maintaining your exterior paint. For example, when you hammer Christmas lights then take the nails out, you leave behind small holes and produce an open doorway for a termite colony. .
Subterranean termites often seep into cracks in the homes foundation. In regions such as the San Francisco Bay Area, a lot homes have increased foundations, Wilson says. Termites build mud tubes up to the floor, often along articles. But even in the absence of articles, Wilson says, mud tubes can stretch from the ground up through thin air to connect with the base of the home. .
Termite Control Using Neem Tree Fundamentals Explained
So what do you do if you find a termite in your home when you see one shed wing or one termite flying , it doesnt mean you've got an infestation. But if you find a group of shed wings or any of the other warning signs noted above, its best to find a professional inspection.
Termites are in fact easy to kill,'' Wilson states, but you need a termiticide to perform it. Unfortunately, good pesticides are not readily available to the general public. Most home stores promote termite spray, but these are watered down to meet public safety specifications, so theyre not as successful.
If you've got an infestation that is isolated to one part of your house, say the door trimming, you can replace the trimming, Wilson check my reference says. But if you've got a full-on termite infestation, you need a larger scale treatment.
Little Known Facts About Termite Control Using Neem Tree.
Subterranean termites must be cut away from the house at the soil. Pacific Coast Termites makes a chemical barrier between any regions of dirt and the home, as well as around the entire home. It acts as a shield that the termites cant break through.
Drywood and dampwood termites can be murdered with a wood treatment product like XT2000 Orange Oil, which can be injected under pressure into the wood through ink-pen-sized holes. This product saturates the timber and will prevent future infestations. Treating a moderate infestation this way takes approximately four to six hours.
Homes which are massively infested (you can see termites everywhere) can require fumigation. Either a huge tent is put over your home, or all of the doors and windows are sealed, and the residence is gassed with pesticide that will kill all the termites. This procedure can take anywhere from six hours to one week, depending on the type of infestation.
The Buzz on Termite Control Using Borax
Apply an excellent, quality coating of exterior paint on your house, since termites wont consume through paint. Ensure that all windows, doorframes and foundation openings are caulked and sealed. Dont staple or nail up Christmas lights then pull them down. The tiny holes create termite homes. Instead, either abandon the nails in the pockets year-round or fill the holes when you remove the nails. .
Quickly solve any plumbing leaks, standing water on your roof or other difficulties involving decaying wood. Provide appropriate ventilation under your raised home to keep that area dry. Subterranean termites love wetness.