In nature termites are known as insects that breakdown wood. There are three distinct groups into which termites are divided: subterranean, dry-wood, and damp-wood.
Dry-wood and damp-wood are the most dangerous ones causing a lot of damage to the wood and making people spend great sums of money on protection and fighting with the consequences.
What is the best treatment for drywood termites? Chemicals, heating, fumigation etc – all the methods of killing drywood termites are in the article.
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- Drywood termite treatment. How to make out and choose the best plan of protection?
- Preventive measures
- Operational measures
- Orange oil for termite deliverance
- What are the safety measures while fighting against termites?
- What is the best method against dry-wood termites? What method is the fastest and the most effective?
- Prevention from termites
- Useful articles
- Helpful video
- Conclusion
As it’s clear from their name, dry-wood termites as they need little moisture live in wood mostly in warm countries especially with the tropical type of climate.
All these termites have wings and they settle in a tree from the air. They build nests in wooden frames, trims, window frames and other wooden elements. They can be found even in the attic.
A pair of winged termites appears through a crack in the wooden element and make tunnel into the core where they build a nest.To see them is almost impossible, except the moment when they move to another wooden elements or their presence can be found by the solids of the digested wood.
Drywood termite treatment. How to make out and choose the best plan of protection?
How to get rid of drywood termites? If you noticed some small holes in the wooden structures of a house or land or in furniture, if you noticed any “empty sounds” when tapping on the wall, it is high time you sounded the alarm.
Your house with a probability of 99% was attacked by termites. How serious is it? More than you can imagine.
One of the main dangers is that termites can be very secret enemies.
Their vestiges cannot even be observed. The worst thing is that they can ruin your house or other wooden elements in 2-3 years.
If you found dry-wood termites in your house, there is no need to worry. There is a variety of ways on how to kill drywood termites. All the methods can be divided into preventive and operative ones.
Preventive measures
This category includes actions for pre-treatment of lumber, i.e. before it gets to the part of the building structure.
These methods prevent the formation of mildew and make the wood unsuitable for insects.Operational measures
Lets learn about drywood termites treatment options.
These drywood termite control methods are used in emergency cases — when the insects has already infested in the wooden construction.
So, how to treat drywood termites? These measures do not give a 100% effect, rather it is about 50% of cases when it is possible to stop the development (breeding) of insects.
- fumigation;
- heat treatment;
- cold treatment;
- wood injection;
- borate injection;
- microwave injection;
- electrocution method.
Fumigation implies that the room is carefully sealed (big cracks are covered with alabaster) and then fumigated with flameless smoke bombs or sprayed with chloropicrin (or trichlorfon).
Then it is left for a few (till five) days: during this period there will be gassing.
After this period the room should be aerated properly and the holes covered with alabaster.
Attention: this method is forbidden for places where food is stored.Fumigation is done not so often because it doesn’t complete extermination from termites and moreover this requires some knowledge as extremely toxic substance (hydrocyanic acid or carbon disulphide) are used.
That’s why it can be done only be professionals.
Important! Drywood termite fumigation can give a 100% result only in special vacuum chambers for disposal.
Heat and cold treatment for drywood termites are the easiest ways as they don’t require great efforts but rather complex at the same time. They are suitable only for furniture or other not very big things.
Infected wood can be taken to warm up in the sun. High temperature and outdoor light kill termites as they are afraid of sun. For a full warm up, it will need 2-3 days.
Another more complicated method – freezing. If you have access to a big freezer, then take the furniture there. Termites will die in 1-2 days.
Heat treatment for drywood termites also implies heating in special sealed heat chambers. The products are heated to 140 °C and termites die from the lack of oxygen.
Next method is wood injection. The localization of insects may be handled with the specialized insecticide that can be bought in almost any hardware store.
They are: “Imidacloprid”, “chlorpyrifos”, “Chlorfenapyr” (especially against termites of the families “Kalotermitidae” and “Rhinotermitidae”), “Fipronil”, “Termisolve BPRO”.
Attention! According to the UN, Chlordane and Mirex cannot be used for termite control. Be careful, because these substances are not toxic for humans, but are carcinogenic, i.e. they can cause very serious health problems for animals.You can also find different recipes for the preparation of plasters on the Internet, which can treat locations of dangerous insects.
- carbolineum or chloronaphthalene;
- 4% aqueous solution of arsenious acid sodium;
- coal tar (creosote) or anthracene oil (500 g/m2);
- 30% aqueous solution of the vapor phase phenolic resin (200 g/m2).
One more method is borate injection. The efficiency of it is proved by people centuries ago. This is the basis of most of the popular pesticides.
The scheme is very simple: the acid attacks the nervous system and the termite dies from dehydration. Of course, it’s not necessary to spray all the termites. Feeding on treated wood, they will also die.
Watch useful video about drywood termites foaming:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naK_R7tUhdQ
Microwave injection. As heat kills termites, you can warm up your house to high temperatures, destroying insects. However, such processing should be performed by a professional because the equipment for it is not widely available.
Call to a few companies dealing with pest control, and learn whether this option can be performed in your house.
Attention! Never try this method at home using your microwave.
From invisible microwaves any protein (which is basis of termites), including human eye, folds. Being in the same room with a running appliance is extremely dangerous.
Electrocution method is one of the oldest and the most effective ones. In this treatment, a hand gun of high voltage and low current energy is passed slowly over the infested wood surface.
But don’t worry if one of the methods you tried didn’t work. Try another one. Or the best variant is combination. In the extreme case you may call professionals who will definitely help to get rid of the termites.Orange oil for termite deliverance
Orange oil is quite popular and a widely used method for controlling dry-wood termites infestation.
It has very high citric acid content and which can dry not only termites out but also aunts and other small insects. To combat these insects you must polish their way.
It is also recommended to drop oil directly on the little mink in the entering to the colony. We advise to use orange oil against insects regularly for 30 days and you’ll get rid of them.
Of course, in comparison with other methods of injections it’s not so effective and it won’t give you a good result on big affected areas.
What are the safety measures while fighting against termites?
While fighting against termites it’s important to follow some rules.
- Working with chemicals it is strongly recommended to use protective clothing (it is better to use impermeable fabric, so they won’t get on skin), respirator, gloves, glasses.
- Such methods as fumigation, microwave and electrocution injection require additional equipment, that’s why only specialists can treat it correctly.
- To be surer about your actions you read some additional information on the internet or watch some video lessons.
If you are still not confident in your abilities, it is worth calling a specialized company, which will do everything for you.What is the best method against dry-wood termites? What method is the fastest and the most effective?
As it’s seen from the listed above, the basic protection of wood against dry-wood termites must be combined (structural-chemical) including some prevention methods.
As for termites that have already developed, they must be carried out before departure of beetles from wooden structures (usually in the spring).
So, if we are to choose the fastest and the most effective of ways, they are microwave and electrocution injection though they’re quite complex to perform.
Here you can learn more information about effective treatment method called tenting (fumigation): dangers for termites, preparing for fumigation and cleaning after, how long does this procedure last?
Prevention from termites
If you have not yet met the termites in your yard or you have successfully defeated them, then of course, you need to deal with prevention. Here are some precautions recommended by experts:
- build your house on a high foundation, so that wooden structures are above ground level and have no contact with it;
- it’s better to use special sorts of wood which are not eaten by termites: cedar, mahogany and other species;
- if a house is built, note that around your house water is not accumulated. Consider or consult with a specialist how to do the drain;
- try to make the ventilation system in your house;
- treat the wooden elements in your house especially at the entrance to the building, the bottom walls of wooden houses and the joints angles of the wooden walls with plasters with the chemicals described above in the article;
- if the house, or wooden furniture or wooden components are exposed to moisture, you can lubricate them with special chemicals, repelling moisture, and contain the wood always dry;
- if there are any boards, firewood, stumps, or other wooden materials near the house, remove them away, because they can attract the attention of termites;
- if you find cracks or crevices in the walls of your property, fill them with sealant because through them the termites can easily gain access to your dwelling;
- make sure trees and shrubs are not planted too close to the walls of the house.
Learn more about drywood termites: signs of their activity; spot treatment and DIY methods of treatment; how to get rid of them in furniture?Useful articles
If you interested in more information of termites we recommend you to read the following articles:
- All types of termites. Are they harmful to humans? Can they bite you? And what is the difference between drywood and subterranean ones?
- What does swarmers of different species look like: drywood, subterranean, formosan?
- Signs of infestation outside and in the house: in walls or furniture.
- What does termite holes look like? What is droppings and is it toxic to humans? Do termites make noises?
- Posible termite damage, how does it look like? Examples of damage in walls and wood floors.
- All about flying termites: how do they look like, swarming season and what to do if there are swarmers in your house?
- How do they do nests and mounds? How to find it in your garden or inside the house?
- Termite life cycle – from egg to larvae. And social hierarchy: workers, soldiers, queen.
Helpful video
Watch video below about drywood termite detection and treatment:
Conclusion
As you can see the termites are quite active pests which can cause substantial damage to the dwelling, therefore all the measures should be applied to prevent the appearance of these insects.
If the termites are already “hosted” in the house, then you should immediately take measures to eliminate them.
Remember, termites unlike other insects, are very difficult to withdraw alone.
That’s why it is better to use the services of professionals, because they have the experience and the appropriate tools against termites.
