Termites are wood destroying sly pests and are unwanted, unwelcomed for they destroy the most precious furniture. Termites consume plant materials which are cellulose based.
To protect your home and garden, you need to identify them. They are often mistaken to be Ants for their soft body and shape.
Termites also dwell in a colony with a king and the Queen and can give birth to 2000 eggs a day, having a lifespan of approximately 20 years.
But, unlike ants, they are pale white and are mostly renowned for causing Severe Damage at household.
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How To Identify Termites?
Firstly, you might see a mound of soil and some tiny winged creatures in pairs near it. There may be mud tunnels, scraps of wall paint falling from the ceiling.
They are straight in the shape of the body with an antenna and feeding on dead material or detritus like wooden shelves, books as well.
Not only these areas are susceptible but also your garage, indoor plants, and porches or certain cracks on the wall, corners of the house less used and cleaned and some moist, damp walls as well become the nests of these needy species.
Names Of The Untamed
There are 45 Species of termites but to name a few found commonly at home and office are-
1.Dampwood Termites
These are brown with six legs, an antenna, wings, and oval. As the name suggests they feed and live in damp moist wood and surely carry a lot of diseases
2.Drywood Termites
These are oval-shaped, light brown with 6legs and wings and an antenna again found in dry woods such as furniture and wallpaper and other similar fabrics.
3.Formosan Termites
They share the same features like the former ones in appearance except they are Yellowish Brown. They also eat wood and plants.
4.Subterranean Termites
They are creamy brown eating wood, plastics, pipes, and plants and destroying everything around them.
How To Get Rid Of Termites Naturally?
The following are a few Easy Homemade Remedies to Fight them:
1. Orange Oil
Orange Oil is extracted from the zest of oranges and can be made at home very quickly.
Steps To Prepare
- Collect the peels of oranges.
- Store them in a tight container.
- Pour in it a distilled white vinegar until the peels are completely submerged.
- Store the mixture in a dark place, away from direct sunlight for about two weeks.
- Stir it with a wooden spoon at times
- Next, strain the oil/ the liquid, i.e., the final product using a colander.
- Pour it in a spraying bottle and use your three homemade citrus cleaner.
* Also, shake well before use & it is not consumable*
; it is a useful remedy for destroying our tiny uninvited friends. Simply spray on the area of the furniture affected and gets an instant reaction.
Keep in mind; it is effective when the termites are in their early action phase and not after full production. Also, it is beneficial for a small local area. In some cases, it takes 3 days to 3 weeks.
2. Boric Acid
It is a white powder usually mined in the Mojave desert of California & obtained naturally from rocks and soil but is a great commercial product and available easily in the market. Boric Acid has different benefits, it is used to get rid of thrush naturally.
It is odorless and less toxic for humans and pets. It acts as a Silent Killer. A solution needed to be made of it with water and applied in the areas where the termites and also other insects and ants travel.
On consuming this, just like the Barter system, we receive in return an end of their entire colony from out house.Use a; it or wear Gloves while applying the mixture to the wooden furniture’s or your Garden.
*Be Careful in not to cause skin and eye irritation*
3. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum Jelly is a good Termite Controller. It not only prevents dryness of our skin but also of the woods. Rub on that part of the furniture that has dried out with a soft cloth and leave it overnight or for two days and see the polish hereafter.
4. White Vinegar
White vinegar is also a beneficial household remedy. Shake and Spray it in cracks and holes and check if the termites are dead. You can also polish your furniture with it.
Steps To Prepare The Mixture
- Squeeze the juice out of two lemons.
- Mix it with a half cup of vinegar.
- Olive oil can also be used as a substitute for lemon juice.
- Put the mixture in a spray bottle.
*keep away from direct sunlight and kids*
5. Aloe Vera
A very useful plant in fame since the time of Cleopatra. Rich in Vitamin C, if the Aloe leaves are soaked in water till they become moist, and then crushed in water to extract all the juices, the liquid obtained then by separating the leaves from water acts as an environment-friendly termite killer spray. Aloe Vera is of great use, it is a natural ayurvedic cure for psoriasis.
6. Sunlight
Sunlight is another solution. Make sure the rooms get ample sunlight and if the furniture is damp keep them out on our terrace or garden or veranda for nature to kill naturally the perpetrators.
7. Freezing
Termites cannot tolerate extreme temperatures. If there is a continuous rainfall or the weather is too cloudy without any sunshine for long, use your Refrigerator.
Put the pieces of the infected furniture in the deep freeze and let it stay for a few hours till you find the termites dead or disappear.
Seek the help of your friend’s & neighbors Refrigerators too!
*Do maintain Hygiene by keeping the food and other products out while freezing and also Cleaning the fridge Post Operation*
8. Cardboard Trap
Take a few pieces of cardboard and stack them in the area where termites are likely to be. Cardboard is an excellent trap as it contains cellulose (termite’s food). Keep it there for a few days.
You will notice all the termites have gathered there. Wearing Gloved carefully remove the cardboards to an exterior of your house and burn them. Repeat it several times till your problem is permanently solved.
9. Using Drywall Or Plasterboard
Also known as Wallboard or Gypsum boards are a material made of gypsum plaster which is compressed between two thick sheets of paper. It is an alternative to traditional plaster for walls and ceilings.
It also contains cellulose, and if the termites have particularly attacked the walls, this is a good way out. Use Gloves to apply it and remove.
10. Spices
Spices do add flavor to our life and so does Cayenne Pepper/ Red hot chili Pepper. In small localized areas if sprinkled in a large quantity it might provide temporary help to remove the termites.
11. Microwave Spot Treatment
It involves using microwave length frequencies and electromagnetic energy together to kill the termites. It is advised not to carry this out without technical assistance.
12. Purchase Products Otherwise
Chemicals and Sprays are easily available in the Market and now a day’s also in all the biggest renowned Online Shopping Websites, where with one click the description of the Product appears, and we can choose between purchasing a suitable termite killer insecticide.
Ways To Prevent Them Coming
- Purchase Termite Resistant Woods that are already well polished or Good quality costly leak to prevent further expenses.
- Seal the cracks at your home.
- Fix leaking pipes immediately calling the plumber to prevent damping of walls or floor.
- Remember some termites love humidity and warmth. So, to protect your garden, trim the plants and shrubs and remove excess soil by flooding the soil with water.
- While a few love cooler places too, make sure ample sunlight gets to creep in at your home and don’t forget to check the exteriors of your AC.
- Fix broken walls and shelves and clean them every day. Proper dusting also helps at times.
- Light Firewood at some distance from your Garden and home in Winters and Rainy swampy Seasons.
- A routine inspection at home by seeking help from the Pest Controller.
- Act like a Professional when Self Cleaning your house and property.
The Final Call
To avoid damage of hundreds and thousands of rupees or even more, contact the nearest Pest Management or Pest Control Group for a group of professionals to deal with the termites using technical knowledge and appliances.
It is advised to certainly have a contractual deal with them if you feel your house or office or locality is termite prone and is causing any damages.
There are many such Agencies and Organisations, some using Government aided products as well to minimize the costing.
They have their Policies and Costing prices but all work with one sure principle: They destroy the termites without causing any damage to your property and health.
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