Mix 6 tablespoons of liquid soap with 8 cups of water in a spray bottle and shake it up. Spray the area where you've discovered termites and watch them start dying off. Repeat as needed for several days. The great thing about soapy water is that you don't have to worry about toxicity.
Combining half a cup of vinegar with the juice of two lemons creates an effective, acidic spray that is safer than boric acid but also kills termites.
Borax, also referred to as sodium borate, is a home remedy that can be used to kill both subterranean termites and drywood termites. This substance can be used in powder form or mixed with water to be used as a spray. When ingested, it dehydrates the termites and shuts down their nervous systems.
Termites never stop eating wood because they feed on wood to survive. However, it has been found that termites do not like the smell of cedarwood, geranium, tea tree oil, cinnamon, clove bud, and garlic oils. Termites have antennae to smell and communicate for the food source instead of a nose like human beings.
Boric Acid: Boric acid is a tried-and-true method for killing termites. Many of the termite insecticides you can find at the store use the highly effective boric acid as the main ingredient. Boric acid works by dehydrating the termite and shutting down its nervous system.
In some cases of smaller infestations, it's possible to get rid of termites yourself. You can try some of the below DIY methods: Applying liquid or foam termiticides to your home's exterior. Using essential oils or beneficial nematodes as an organic solution.
Leaky pipes, improper drainage, and poor airflow all create moisture issues that attract termites. Dampwood and subterranean termites in particular thrive in humid environments. While dampwood termites prefer water-damaged wood, subterranean termites are unable to live unless surrounded by enough moisture.
Insects, Nematodes and Arachnids. The greatest hunters of termites are their slightly larger insect cousins, the ants. Megaponera analis is an ant species that only eats termites, which it does by raiding termite colonies for hours at a time.
A commonly mentioned substance termites hate can be found even in your kitchen. It's vinegar!
If you suspect your home is infested with termites, you don't need to burn your house down, you just need the right help to remove the colony. Another thing you shouldn't be doing is using insect spray to solve your termite infestation.
The fact that borax can be used to get rid of termites is obvious. Boric acid does not work on contact. It is necessary to make insects ingest borates. Once eaten, borax acid comes into operation and starts killing a termite destroying its stomach and nervous system.
White vinegar is another effective substance for killing termites and other insects. There are multiple ways you can use it: Straight. Diluted in water using a 1:1 ratio.
White vinegar is an acidic solution that can penetrate the exoskeleton of termites, dehydrating and killing them on contact. To use vinegar as a termite killer, it is recommended to mix equal parts of white vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray it directly onto any visible termites.
On average, termites will start dying off within a day or two, if you are using chemical treatment. In the event of serious infestations, you may have to wait longer for the treatment to kill the entire colony, since it has to reach the queen.
Borax can kill termites by interfering with a termite's digestion, which can cause its death. While it can be injected in powder form into a drywood termite colony, it is difficult to fully expose all termites in a colony to the powder.
Bleach can only be used to kill the termites that you can see. If there are termites living in the walls, floor or roof of your house, you will not be able to get rid of them with bleach. Chances are, if you can see some termites, there are probably thousands that you cannot see.
Baking soda has absolutely no effect whatsoever on termites, and it certainly won't kill them.
Have you ever wondered if Epsom salt can kill termites? The answer is yes, salt, even Epsom salt, can kill these creepy pests. Pouring saltwater with a high salt content into termite holes can be an effective remedy.
Orange oil can irritate the stomachs, eyes, and skin of humans, but it's absolutely devastating to termites. In fact, for creatures like cockroaches, ants, dust mites, flies, wasps, spiders, crickets, and termites, orange oil can be a deadly toxin.
The termite king lives a well-protected life underground. Its primary roles are to mate with the queen and to release pheromones. Since termite kings do not move out of the nest, they do not directly harm humans.
If you spot a termite infestation, do not disturb them; the sharp survival instincts of these pests allow them to sense disruption and immediately move to another spot close by to build a new colony site. You must call a professional to get rid of termites.
Salt is a very effective termite killer according to the team at termite Phoenix.
During mating season, winged reproductives, called alates, swarm at dusk in the spring months, usually after rainfall, to find a mate and start new colonies. Sometimes termites swarm because the colony has matured to the point where it is no longer manageable and new colonies need to form for the colony to survive.