Among
the pests that can attack your home, termites are the most destructive. The
results of their infestation are catastrophic and expensive.
Among
the wood-destroying pests that destroys buildings, homes and crops, termites
are reportedly the most devastating, with an estimated $30 Billion all in all.
This translates to about $3,000 cost to homeowners every year.
The
insects eat 24/7 and the queen lays 40,000 eggs a day and these will become new
individual termites in addition to the hundreds of thousands adults.
Prevention
Treating
to prevent termites is typically less error-prone for the average homeowner
than treating an active infestation. There are professional termiticides and
termite bait systems available that can be used to help in the treatment
process.
However,
the majority of drywood termite cases would need the Ipswich termite services of a trained
professional termite expert. Another precaution is that applying chemicals to
combat the pest is not for everyone.
DIY termite control
There
are two major methods of termite control. Some use liquid termite insecticide
(termiticides) to create the barrier and treating the soil.
Others
opt for termite bait. Still others use both methods.
Liquid termiticides
These
barrier termite treatments are so designed to prevent termites from entering
the structure house or building). These barrier treatments prevent termites
already inside the structure from getting to the soil for their needed moisture
to survive.
The
liquid termite method can give faster results and you can apply the finished
solution close to the termite infestation. If there is an existing termite
infestation, you may need to drill in order to reach where the termites are.
However,
repellant termiticides are sometimes detected by the insects and are avoided in
order that they get inside the structure. These days, chemical barrier
pesticides are undetectable by the insects and are more economical.
The
technology of non repellent insecticides is advancement over other older termite
insecticides that are only offer repellent barriers.
Some considerations
If
you choose a liquid termite method, it will give you faster results, and you
can apply the finished solution close to the termite infestation. If you have
an existing termite infestation, applying a liquid termiticide may mean that
drilling is required to reach the termites.
Drilling
through concrete or a slab and pumping the volume of finished solution required
to set up a termite barrier may be too difficult for a homeowner.
If
there is crawl space clearance on the other hand, and you can simply drench
around your home, doing your termite work can be easier.
Termite baits
One
way of setting up chemicals into the soil is placing the termite bait directly
into the ground around the outside of a structure. The insects will find the
bait, feed on it and die.
The
technology of the bait for termites are changing and improving.
Baiting
the termites can also be used as a monitoring tool to detect termites and their
colonies when they are not yet a threat to the structure.
These
baits are effective and control the conditions when the structure cannot be
treated with soil termiticides. (Example: when these are near bodies of water.)
They also are not suitable in structures where soil treatments have failed.
