Get out of my house!

Get out of my house!

Natural Ways to Get Rid of Wood Termites

by Devon Perez

Having a wooden fence around your property might mean you'll have to deal with termites if they are prevalent in your area. While liquid termiticide treatments do the trick, such products contain harmful chemicals that are unhealthy for you and bad for the environment. Instead, try these two natural termite control methods.

Orange Oil

Orange oil contains an active ingredient called d-limonene, a natural insecticide. This active ingredient immediately dissolves termite exoskeletons and the termites die.

To use orange oil, put on protective gloves and pour the oil into a spray bottle. Even though it is natural, it is still very strong and can cause allergic reactions and irritate eyes and skin. Always wear protective gloves and make sure you don't ingest it. Orange oil must be potent to work, so don't dilute it with water.

Next, drill holes into the fence where you see the infestation. The holes should be big enough for the nozzle of the spray bottle and deep enough to reach the termite population within the wood.

Spray orange oil into each hole until the inside of the hole is saturated. Orange oil is a poison, not a repellent—it must touch the termites to kill them—so spray all the affected fence posts. Eventually, the dead termites will fall out of the holes.

Neem Oil

Neem oil is another all-natural insecticide that contains several active ingredients. When a termite touches it, the oil enters the termite's system and stops their hormones from working properly. The termites forget how to mate and eat, so the colony dies out.

Dilute neem oil with hot water and pour it into a spray bottle. Shake it well. You can spray the mixture into entry holes that termites have bored into the wood, or you can drill additional holes. Be sure to apply neem oil to both sides of the fence. Spray generously to saturate the holes and surrounding areas, including the ground around the fence. In a few days, you will see dead termites on the ground.

Whichever method you use, you can dispose of the dead termites by putting on your gloves and sweeping them up with a broom and dustpan. Pests such as termites and wood-boring beetles can wreak havoc on your home. An inspector will look for visible signs of damage as well as active colonies of termites. The inspector should note inactive or old colony signs as well as signs of previous treatments.


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About Me

Get out of my house!

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, one that should set you up for several hours of active, busy life. Nothing turns a breakfast bad like picking up your coffee mug, or a plate, and having a critter skitter out from underneath! Ants, cockroaches and more do their best to work their way into our homes, where they aren't welcome and don't belong. Sometimes ant traps and insect bait are enough, but if you ignore the problem it can quickly escalate to where you'll need professional pest control to get rid of your unwanted guests. Professional pest control can provide a wide range of rates and service, and are worth calling.