Termites are insects that dig through dead wood.
They feed on the woods depending on its density, mass, and internal damping. [1].
If there’s a massive termite infestation at your house, you need to opt for a fast pest control method.
You may call in a professional to kill these destructive pests.
Termite fumigation and liquid chemical termiticides have potential health risks for humans. They are quite expensive as well.
Luckily, there are many natural ways to inhibit termites. These methods will help you get rid of termites without using chemicals.
Read on to learn some effective home remedies for killing termites.
Evidence-based Home Remedies to Get Rid of Termites
1. Orange Oil
An experiment reported that orange oil was effective for diminishing termites. The results showed around 68-96% mortality. [3]
Orange oil has an active ingredient known as d-limonene. This component acts as a toxic to insects, especially against termites.
Orange oil extract can be a helpful remedy for termites. [2]
How to use orange oil for termites:
- Drill small holes in the termites infested areas. Inject the orange oil in those holes.
- It will let you get rid of termites in three days or a maximum of 3 weeks. It depends on the severity of termites’ existence.
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2. Boric Acid
Termites can be a real pain when it starts to invade your house.
Boric acid is a natural insecticide. It dehydrates the insects like termites and halts their breeding. [4]
Learn how to use borax to kill termites:
- You may coat boric acid or spray borax solution on the wood where termites have invaded.
- Avoid inhalation of boric acid as it is toxic.
- You have to use a mask and gloves while performing the treatment with the acid.
- Ensure to keep your pets and children away from it.
3. Neem Oil
One of the most natural and simple remedies to get rid of termites is neem oil.
Neem oil has an odd smell. It’s nontoxic which makes it safe to use at home.
It’s like orange oil to some extent. Neem oil is even more effective.
Neem oil has a natural growth regulator. So, it won’t let the termites breed, grow, and spread. As a result, termites will have a short-lived infestation. [5]
You can buy organic neem oil from Amazon stores online.
A simple way to use neem oil to exterminate termites:
- Apply neem oil in the infested areas or on the surface of affected furniture.
- You can apply this regularly for fast results.
4. Salt
Sodium chloride in salt is an insecticide.
sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, an organic compound in salt may be insecticidal.
Hence using salt may destroy termite mounds in the yard and prevent it from occurring again. [6]
How to use salt to kill termites:
- Spray a table salt termite killer solution on the affected areas. Also, dip some cotton balls in the solution and place it where you have termites.
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5. Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a natural termite killer.
This remedy will vanish everything starting from carpenter ants to termites.
A 2018 research shows 100% mortality rate of subterranean termites with a treatment of dry DE for 6 hours. [9]
DE has the potential to control termites in-house. It is powerful enough to break through the outer shell of the termites and other bugs.
The best part is that it is not toxic to any humans or animals.
You can get this substance from online or in any local hardware stores.
Learn how you can use diatomaceous earth to kill termites naturally:
- Sprinkle DE in termites infested areas.
- You can make small DE coatings as well.
- Do once daily for a week and see the results.
- You can even sprinkle some of this substance around the foundation of the home. It will prevent termites from recurring.
Other Potential Home Remedies for Termites
6. Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly consists of phenol which repels the insects such as termites. It controls the infestation to a great extent. [7]
You can coat your furniture or wood with a layer of petroleum jelly to keep the termites away.
How to use petroleum jelly to prevent termites:
- Rub the petroleum jelly on the areas where there are termites and keep it on for a day.
- You may use a cloth to clean off the excess petroleum from the areas.
7. Spray Soapy Water
Well, yes that’s the remedy- soapy water!
It may control termites by making their exterior shell impermeable. [8]
Thus, the termites cannot breathe and die.
Here’s how you may use soapy water to control termites:
- Mix 2-3 tablespoons of liquid soap in 4 cups of water.
- Fill this soapy water in a spray bottle.
- Apply it on the areas where there are termites.
- You can re-apply it to diminish all the termites.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does termite treatment last?
There are many termiticides available at stores such as Termidor foam and spectracide termite stakes that you may use. A liquid or chemical termite treatment lasts up to 5 years. Termite baiting stations need continuous management all the year round.
Subterranean termites vs. dry wood termites what are the differences?
The primary difference between these two types of wood-eating pests is their habitat.
Subterranean termites live underground and build mud tunnels. The tunnels may stretch from the ground to your wooden house.
Drywood termites build their nests in timber such as in wooden furniture. These can reproduce swarmer winged termites that fly around and create new nests.
What are Termite fumigation health risks?
Inhaling termite fumigation may cause several health risks for humans. You may experience nausea, coughing, red and itchy eyes, sweating, difficulty breathing, vomiting, etc.
It may pose a threat to pregnant women and children at home.
What do termite eggs look like?
One of the signs of termite infestation is finding termite eggs in and around your house. Termite eggs are very tiny, and you may have a hard time finding them. Termite eggs are white or brown. A cluster of termite eggs looks like a mound of white powder. A queen termite lays up to 25 million in its lifetime.
How to kill termites in a tree?
If you detect a tree infested with termites, prune away the infested parts soon. The termites build tunnels through the woods. You need to burn or destroy the tree to inhibit the spread of termites. Otherwise, you can spray chemical termiticides on the infestation and base and stump of the tree.
It can be difficult to remove a tree alone to get rid of the termites. There are some good tree removal services that can help you with services like tree removing, trimming, dead tree removal, etc. You can visit https://www.thelocaltreeexperts.com/la/lafayette/ to learn about these services.
What are Termite droppings health risk?
Termite droppings or poop are oval shaped and of wooden color. You may find them on your bed, window sills, carpet, furniture, and floor. Termites dropping may cause allergy, skin irritations, etc.
How do you get termites in your house?
A lot of issues may attract termites to invade your home. Moist, damp, and dark areas attract the termites to build their colonies. Leaky pipes, wet woods, piles of cardboard in the attic, clothes, etc. are also possible places of termites infestation.
Final Word
Having termites at home can be threatening. [10]
Termites treatment may cost a lot of money. Most homeowners in U.S.A spend over $2500 to treat large termite infestations.
The natural termite treatments discussed here may reduce the severity of the infestations.
Call in a professional in case the methods discussed here don’t provide with effective results.
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