Subterranean termites are a subclass of termites that have a long life period. Subterranean termites can live in very large colonies and travel to places where there is a lot of wood and metal, including your home. In addition to wood, this type of termite can even weaken the supporting structures of buildings made of metal, and in extreme cases, can cause the house to collapse. In the United States, subterranean termites are the most destructive insect pests; This type of termite causes more damage than a combination of hurricanes and fires. Subterranean termites are hard to spot, but if you find them in your home, you need to act quickly to get rid of them.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Chemical Treatment
Step 1. Treat the wood
One simple but effective way to prevent termite attacks is to strengthen the resistance of wood. You will save a lot of money by investing now in treating your wood. However, over time, wood will continue to age, soften, and become more susceptible to termite attack.
Step 2. Apply the chemical to the wood
You can spray the termiticide directly on the wood surface to prevent subterranean termites. However, the spray will only protect the wood right where it is sprayed, and is not a complete protection.
Step 3. Create a chemical barrier on the soil
By creating a chemical barrier around your house, you can prevent subterranean termites from entering. Making chemical barriers can be done by using liquid insecticides. Spray the soil under the foundation of your house with an insecticide. This action is best performed at the preconstruction stage, and is now mandatory for most areas of the United States.
- You can also give this treatment post-construction. To do this, you'll need to drill holes in your foundation and inject insecticide into them.
- There are many types of products that can be used for post-construction treatment. Most homeowners in many states of the United States can legally purchase these products if they are only used for personal use.
- Usually, online sellers have videos that you can watch to fully understand the method before you buy the required product.
- If you are unsure of how to do this, seek the opinion of a professional instead of risking damage.
Step 4. Choose between repellent or non-repellent chemicals
Before you start using chemical insecticides, it's important to know what type of insecticide to use. The two main types of insecticidal chemicals are repellents and non-repellents. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, so make sure you understand how they work and try to evaluate which one will work best for the treatment you need.
Step 5. Use a liquid repellant
As the name implies, this liquid is used before termite attacks and serves to block termite attacks on the foundation of your house. This liquid will create a barrier to stop termites from entering your home and will last for years. However, even though termites cannot pass through the barrier, termites can avoid it and surround it. It is very difficult to create a perfect flawless barrier under an already built house, and termites can find these gaps to enter the building.
If some wandering subterranean termites find a gap between the repellants, they will return with more termites
Step 6. Use a liquid non-repellent termiticide
There are several non-repellent termiticides you can buy. This type will not prevent termite attacks, but the chemicals they contain will be lethal. If termites consume these chemicals, they will be contaminated with termiticides and die.
Wandering termites exposed to these chemicals can transmit it to other termites in the colony through contact and feeding, so the number of termites that die will be even greater
Method 2 of 5: Baiting Termites
Step 1. Use bait traps to target the entire colony
Given the size of the termite colony, the use of soil termiticides will have little impact on the overall population. Passing is an increasingly popular way to deal with an attack, and can make a long-term contribution to defense and protection. Bait is an insecticide that is slow in reacting so that when consumed it will be carried back to the colony and spread throughout the larger population.
- Some baits use Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs), which are very effective in reducing and destroying entire colonies.
- IGRs are low in toxicity to humans and pets, but the most effective products are usually only available to professionals.
Step 2. Use bait traps to look for termites outside
You can set some traps to see if there are subterranean termite colonies near your home. If you put untreated pieces of wood in a plastic bait trap and plant them in the ground around your house three feet apart, you can lure termites nearby.
Step 3. Examine your traps
Check regularly, once every month or every few months. If you remove the trap from the ground and find that there are a lot of termites living in it, attach some poison bait to the trap and return it to the ground. Now, the termites that have come to eat untreated wood will return to consume the toxic wood, and bring it back to the colony, where the chemicals can spread throughout the population.
Step 4. Use bait traps to deal with termites in the house
The traps you set around your house will not have any impact on the subterranean termites that have tunneled into the structure of the house. There are several bait traps of this type that you can purchase. The traps are designed to work in more or less the same way as the types grown in soil outside the home.
- You can install it in areas where there is a lot of termite activity such as mud tubes or some damaged wood products.
- Make sure you read the label of the trap you have on hand first. Some trap systems are designed to work on their own, while others will work with a liquid spray treatment.
Method 3 of 5: Home Fumigation
Step 1. Consider fumigating your home
If the termite problem in your home is severe and urgent action is needed, you can use fumigation to control termites. The advantage of fumigation is that it can be applied to all parts of your home and its structure in one treatment. Usually, fumigation is only recommended when several colonies are found in one structure.
Step 2. Call a fumigator
This treatment is not something you can do on your own. Your house will be shrouded in a giant tent, and the smokers will pump gases that spread throughout your house. The gas is intended to seep into all crevices and recesses in one treatment to kill all termites that have resided in it.
A specialist will draw up a specific plan based on the attack on your home
Step 3. Get ready for fumigation
If your house is going to be smoked, a pest control company will enter your home and work in it for three to five days. Before they arrive, you have to be prepared too, including by making sure all food ingredients are properly sealed or removed from your home. The smokers will take care of everything else and advise you on what preparations to make. You won't be able to access your home until they're done with work, so you'll need to be prepared ahead of time.
- There are two different types of poison used to kill termites; one is a stomach poison, and the other is a hormone that will prevent termites from growing back their cuticles after molting. The poison will have a double advantage because the termites will consume the remains of members of their colony.
- Once the fumigation process is complete, you may face termite problems again because, unfortunately, this procedure will not remove termite eggs from your home.
Method 4 of 5: Protecting Your Home from Future Attacks
Step 1. Avoid water accumulation near the foundation
One of the best ways to prevent future termite attacks is to make sure you don't have water accumulation near the foundations of your home as these areas will become prime habitats for subterranean termites. You can direct the flow of water with gutters, pipes, and splash blocks.
The same goes for moss or other wet gardening materials that can attract termites
Step 2. Identify and fix structural problems in your home
Some structural defects can have a major impact if you are exposed to termites. By addressing this, you have implemented long-term measures that will limit the chances of subterranean termites growing. Since termites tend to enter your home through the point where the wood meets the ground, it's a good idea to keep the wood in the foundation of your house at least 30 cm apart.
The same applies to the terrace area or wooden floors, namely by preventing direct contact between the wood and the ground
Step 3. Ventilate hidden spaces in your home
Warm, damp, dark areas of your home such as basements, attics, and basements can be very inviting to termites. For subterranean termites, the attic or basement is the preferred area. You can make these places less inviting to termites by making sure they are well ventilated to avoid warm and humid conditions.
Method 5 of 5: Finding out the Presence of Termites in Your Home
Step 1. Learn what subterranean termites are
Termites are divided into three main types: drywood termites, subterranean termites and wetwood termites. Each of these types has different characteristics. It's a good idea to find out and confirm in advance what type of termites you're encountering so that you can take the appropriate action. Subterranean termites consume cellulose in wood. The location where the wood meets the ground is the main entry point for subterranean termites.
Step 2. Identify subterranean termites
Although subterranean termites usually dig tunnels under your home and are rarely seen in person, you should know a little about their appearance and characteristics so you can identify them. There are three 'castes' in a termite colony, and each has different characteristics.
- The moths (usually appearing in large flocks) are dark brown or black in color, range from 0.6 to 1.2 cm in length, and have two pairs of wings of similar length.
- Workers do not have wings, have a length of approximately 0.6 cm, and are cream in color.
- Soldiers are also wingless, but have large mandibles (jaws). Soldier termites are the protectors of the colony and are easily recognized by their jaws, cream-colored body, and brown head.
Step 3. Observe the markings on your wood
Perhaps the best way to tell if there is a termite infestation in your home is to look for signs that a subterranean termite colony has inhabited your home. One indicator is that your wood appears to be layered. Subterranean termites only attack the sapwood and leave the core wood, so your wood will look like it's layered.
- Black dots or bubbles on a wooden floor can indicate termites.
- It's possible that your wood doesn't look damaged, but if it's knocked and sounds hollow, it's an indication that although the overlying layer isn't damaged, the softer wood underneath has been consumed.
Step 4. Look for the remains of the wings
Laron are the easiest class of termites to find. You might think of them as flying ants, but they are actually moths. One of the differences is that the moths are smaller and have four wings that are roughly the same size, while the ants have one large pair of wings and another pair of smaller ones.
- After mating, the larvae will shed their wings. The wings will be left in the form of a pile and can be like fish scales.
- If you notice a pile of wings like that on the windowsill, this could indicate a termite attack.
Step 5. Look for the mud tube
The tubes run from the ground onto the affected wood and are brown as mud. The tubes are the pathways used by termites to reach wood from the ground, and are usually the same width as a pencil. Sometimes, mud tubes are easy to find, but they can also be hidden behind plinths, wooden floors, or in other places where you can't see them.
Tips
Prevention is the best way to control termites. Subterranean termites desperately need a water source, so don't give them access to it
Warning
- There were several cases of fumigation that resulted in the deaths of homeowners who returned to their homes. For safety reasons, the feeding method is usually the best and involves only the least amount of chemicals in your home.
- In using pesticides, it is your responsibility to ensure that there are no adverse side effects to animals, plants and other property around your home.
