How to Get Rid of Termites

Finding out that your sweet abode has been home to an entire colony of termites as well, is not exactly a dream come true. But fret not, because even if it seems tragic, the situation is not an emergency and does not call for overly drastic measures.

If you have fallen victim to this unfortunate circumstance, your best bet to get rid of these creepy crawlies is to have a professional and reliable pest control company by your side. It may be costly but fighting them on your own would most likely end up with this scenario: Not all of the termites would be killed and they would only come back probably with more vigor and vengeance the next time. It is their home that you are destroying, after all.

If you would insist on giving it a shot first before calling in the rest of the cavalry, here are some of the more commonly employed techniques for termite control: Soil barrier termicides, treated-zone termicides, and baits.

The very first attempts at exterminating these pesky creatures involved adding chemicals to the soil around the foundation of vulnerable structures. Some of them act to repel termites. This move, although widely used for quite some time, does not make a lasting impact because of doubts on its long-term effectiveness and of the cost it entails.

Termites may not be the smartest creatures but their adaptation to the environment is fairly quick. If this part of the soil is treated, then they would avoid that area altogether and forage on other areas that are untreated. Furthermore, in order to enjoy a termite-free environment, the application of these chemicals must be maintained continuously.

To address this issue, a variation of the common soil barrier termicide has been introduced – the treated-zone termicides. These chemicals do not repel the termites but instead, subject their bodies to delayed toxicity upon contact with the treated soil. This gradually kills them but not before the toxicant has been transferred to other members of the colony through their elaborate social activities. Control via this method is achieved within a three-month timeframe.

The last method in termite control involves the strategic placement of baits. Bait, in its most literal term, is an object used as a lure. Similarly, baits used in the world of termite control are usually pieces of wood or cellulose that have been infused with a slow-acting chemical that is toxic to termites. These baits are then strategically placed around structures or sites that are suspected of having termite activity.

Like in treated-zone termicides, the termites slowly die, but not before infecting other members of its colony. Unlike in soil termicides, however, where the soil itself is infused with the chemical and acts upon contact, the bait system works more slowly because the bait has to be located first by the termites and they have to feed on this repeatedly to get the toxicant to levels high enough for it to kill them.

Employing one or all of these treatments may still not guarantee a complete eradication of all the pests. Termite control may be lengthy.  So you should be vigilant.  

If you have a serious termite infestation, I highly recomment calling a professional exterminator.