Out of all the pests that homeowners are forced to confront, termites are certainly the most destructive and expensive to treat. Regardless of whether or you have ever dealt with pests before, it’s worth knowing how to get rid of termites as you can never fully prepare for an infestation. Termites can destroy both the interior and exterior of your home, and if you fail to spot the early warning signs, the damage can become extensive.
This guide will give you some helpful techniques on how to keep termites away from your home and get rid of them quickly and effectively:
Vinegar
Vinegar is a valuable solution to store in your cupboards. While it is useful for cleaning your bathroom and kitchen fittings, it has also been proven to destroy termites almost instantly, providing they come into direct contact with the substance.
Mix vinegar and lemon juice and pour into a spray bottle, to make it easier to distribute into the disturbed areas. Then, spray the solution into any gaps or cracks where termites may be present or even on any wooden surfaces or furniture that they may be likely to infest. It would be best to do so regularly to kill any termites still lurking which may not have been targeted the first time around.
Pest control service
Ideally, it would be advisable to hire a pest control service to take care of a more severe termite infestation. If your house has become overridden with termites, you’ll start to notice significant damage – particularly around wooden surfaces. It can be challenging to tackle the situation without a professional if it has reached this extent. Local Pest Control Houston company Gulf Coast Exterminators are highly effective in dealing with the most severe termite cases, by using advanced technology and years of experience in the field which should give you the peace of mind that the pest issue will be dealt with efficiently.
Sunlight
Sunlight can instantly kill termites. Therefore, if you have a piece of furniture or a wooden object that is infested, you can simply leave it for several hours outdoors during the hotter months of the year, and the termites should start to die off. If there are specific sections of the home that have become termite-infested, you can simply place UV lamps over them which should hopefully achieve the same result.
Orange oil
Oranges contain a type of oil named ‘d-limonene’ which is an active ingredient that kills termites quickly. It is typically used within home cleaning products and as a food flavoring but can also be bought by the bottle as a form of pest control. Do be aware that this treatment is only effective in exterminating dry wood termites, rather than subterranean termites.
Prune trees and bushes
As a preventative measure, it would be sensible to prune trees and bushes around the perimeter of your home and on the exterior of your property. This ensures that there are no moist areas which may otherwise attract termites to gather and will also allow you to spot any damage with immediate effect, rather than months later when the problem has escalated.
