Termite Control Methods

Drywood termites are famous for their uncanny capability to ruin and damage furniture and wooden items. Unlike other species, these types of wood eaters require a very minimal amount of moisture in order to survive. A major problem with this species is that infestations do not often become apparent until the issue has hit a larger scale. By this time, it’s much to late to counter an attack. In this article, we will outline a few available ideas to help you become an expert at termite control.

Drywood infestations are able to be addressed through use of an entire house treatment, or spot treatments. House treatments are only necessary once the colony has attacked the structure of the home, whereas spot treatments are only carried out in a specific area. Various methods can be applied according to the type of depth of infestation.

Fumigation
Fumigation is an ideal method when an entire home requires treatment. The process effectively kills roughly 99% of the problem and takes around two days to achieve the best results.

This method is carried out by wrapping the entire structure in a gas-tight tarp. Once this is secured, a gas is pumped through the building in order to treat every nook and cranny in the house. While the method is extremely effective, the gas has shown to be toxic to animals, plants and people, and the structure must remain vacant throughout the process.

Heat Treatment
This method is a spot treatment where by the affected items or areas are covered in vinyl or polyethylene sheets. Afterward, temperature probes are inserted inside the cover, generating an excessive amount of heat through the use of a propane high-output heater, effectively killing the problem.

Cold Treatment
Another useful spot treatment is a method involving the use of liquid nitrogen. The nitrogen is a wonderful way to treat hard to reach spots such as wall voids or other enclosures in buildings. The substance is pumped into the areas which act to instantly freeze and kill the problem.

Other methods such as wood injections, borate treatments and the use of microwaves are other alternatives worth considering as well.

If you are interested in finding out more about your available options, the best place to start is by contacting a trained pest control professional who specializes in the extermination of termites. In this way, you will be made aware of your available options and provided with the necessary information to make a decision regarding your individualized circumstances.