The termite is one of the most destructive pests around. Termites are truly dreaded by homeowners, and the presence of such insects in or around a property can easily lower the value of that area. A colony living in your property can slowly eat through your house and cause structural damage that will cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair. Termite treatments can also cost a lot, especially if you hire pest control companies. Moreover, many kinds of chemicals used against termites contribute to environmental degradation, and such harmful substances are poisonous when inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin. Therefore, if you want to get rid of these creatures but you also want to protect yourself, your family, as well as your environment, try using organic or eco-friendly methods first before you bust out those powerful chemicals.
What Is Organic Pest Control?
Organic pest control focuses on methods and products that can help eradicate different types of creatures using eco-friendly techniques. Organic products are derived from natural substances that, when used, do not cause harm to the environment. In addition, these items are generally safe to use even when there are pets or children around as most of these are non-toxic. Many methods used in organic pest control target specific pests. This means that beneficial animals are not harmed.
Organic Ways to Control Termites
Termites are insects that are quite tough to totally eradicate. They create complex pathways within walls, ceilings or baseboards, or they can also make an expansive network under the ground. Also, it is a must to find and kill the termite queen because if you don’t, it won’t matter if you kill hundreds or even thousands of these bugs. The queen can readily replenish the termite army because it spews out a new baby termite every few seconds.
In case termites are plaguing your property, here are some methods that you can try.
1. Use a boric acid bait.
There are several uses of boric acid or borates. It can also be used to get rid of termites. You can readily spray borate onto surfaces or incorporate this into paint that you’ll use on wood. It is also quite simple to make a boric acid bait. Simply mix boric acid powder with sugar. You can also mix this with wood chips; so you’ll have wood chips smothered in boric acid powder. The worker termites will bring the poisoned food to the queen and other termites in the colony. Just make sure to keep baits away from pets and kids.
2. Make use of beneficial nematodes.
Nematodes are microscopic parasites, such as roundworms and threadworms. These organisms live in the soil, and are pretty harmless to pets and people. These creatures can be introduced into a termite-infested area because they eat termite larvae. This method is also known as “biological control.” If termites are not allowed to mature, then their colony will definitely mature with no new termites to keep their place alive. You can ask a professional gardener or a pest control expert about beneficial nematodes. Make sure that you also understand how to introduce such organisms into a specific area.
3. Try essential oils.
Many kinds of essential oils can be used against termites. D-limonene, which is found in orange oil, can easily kill termites upon contact. Another example is clove bud oil. Its action is quite similar to d-limonene. A termite that comes in contact with clove bud oil will die in a few days. Neem oil can also be used against termites. But you’ll not see immediate effects since neem oil must be ingested by termites. Once ingested, neem oil causes imbalances that stunt growth and development. Insects also forget to eat or reproduce, which means that they will gradually die off.
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Claire Brent is a freelance writer. She’s involved in a number of green projects in her community, and she shares her passion about environmental protection through blogging. She also blogs for Preventive Pest Control, a company that makes use of organic pest control methods.
