Termites can wreak havoc on more than the wooden items and structures in your home such as cabinets and furniture. These pests can also feed on your insulation, paper, and books. What makes termites extremely destructive is the fact that identifying the infestation is usually not easy. Most people only notice signs of termite infestation—such as the presence of winged termites (swarmers) in their living spaces and small mud tubes over areas such foundations, support tiers, and floor joists—in the later stages of the infestation. Fortunately, there are various treatment options you can employ to get rid of these destructive pests. Here's more on this.
Item-Specific Infestation
Dealing with termites on specific items such as furniture, cabinet, or framing, etc. usually involves spot or localised treatment. The first option under this type of treatment is exposing the infested items to sunlight. All you have to do is place the infested items out in the sun and watch the termites die. However, remember that this effective and natural way to get rid of the termites is ideal only for movable items such as your furniture. Besides, it's faster in summer or in hot regions that experience relatively high outdoor temperatures.
For the immovable items such as wooden cabinets and framing, electrocution and cold treatment are often used. Electrocution simply involves passing a hand gun with high voltage repeatedly over the surface of the infested wood to kill the termites. On the other hand, cold treatment is usually employed when the infestation is in hard-to-reach places such as voids between your house walls. With this treatment, cold liquid nitrogen is carefully pumped into the spaces to freeze and kill the termites.
Whole House Infestation
In the event that your entire house is infested with termites, you need to know what treatment measures would work best. The first option you want to consider is the use of beneficial nematodes. These are simply unsegmented species of worms that are meant to destroy pests by burrowing in and killing the hosts, which in this case would be termite larvae. You should find beneficial nematodes in a garden supplies store.
Treatment involves spraying the infested areas with these nematodes. If you won't be using the nematodes on the same day you buy them, store them safely in your refrigerator to prevent spoilage. Also, it's recommended that you use nematodes in the absence of sunlight because the UV rays can destroy them. For this reason, after sunset or before sunrise are considered the most ideal times to use nematodes.
Fumigation and heat treatment are the other treatment options for whole house infestation. If the house is being fumigated, remember to take out all your food items. While fumigation involves releasing of poisonous gases into your home, heat treatment entails inserting of heater-connected temperature probes inside it. Just like fumigation, the house is covered with polyethylene or vinyl sheets first. Both treatment options require that you vacate the house. However, for heat treatment, this is usually only for a couple of hours. Fumigation can take days.
