Termites are one of the world’s oldest insects dating back 138 million years, or roughly 131 million years before our first human ancestor walked the earth. When termites infest your home, they are not invading your property but reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. Unfortunately for them, they’re at near the bottom of the food chain and we have the capabilities to eradicate these destructive pests. Each year in the United States, homeowners spend billions of dollars repairing damage caused by these little buggers. Termites are much trickier than controlling ants, spiders, or rodents because they are blind and have trouble finding their way to poison placed out for them. Your best option for removing these pests from your home is to use baits, liquid insecticide, and having a professional come to your home.
The most common store-bought treatment for termites is bait. These baits follow a similar technique as other baits – to poison a food item they commonly consume. Since termites are blind this is a little trickier. You will first place the bait in several locations without poison. Once you’ve determined they have taken the bait you will add a small amount of poison that they will ingest. It’s very important to place the directed portion of poison, because if it’s too strong the termites will die at the food source and scare off the rest of the colony. Ideally, the termite will ingest a small amount of slow acting poison that they will excrete back at the colony where other termites are poisoned.
Although baits are common, they have been proven to be largely ineffective at controlling a termite infestation so you should also use a liquid spray to supplement the treatment. Liquid termite treatment is also used as a preventative barrier around the exterior of your home. Once the blind termites enter your home spraying the exterior of your home will only affect a small portion of the colony. If you have found areas in your home with termite damage, you will have to drill small holes in the walls to spray in the insecticide. If you feel uncomfortable with drill holes in your walls, or do not know how to repair the walls once the holes have been drilled, then you should call a professional to handle the problem.
Termites do not only cause superficial damage to your walls, they can eat away the very structure supporting your home. For this reason, if you have a large infestation you must call a professional immediately. A termite queen can lay several hundred eggs each day, and a professional will understand which areas they should attack the colony to maximize the efficiency of pesticide. Unlike many common household pests, termites do not have natural defenses to pesticide so they are extremely vulnerable to even the lowest grade poison. The absolute best reason to call a professional is that they will do a complete inspection of your home and give you personalized advice about securing your home and keeping it safe from destructive pests.
