10 Reasons DIY Termite Control is Easier than You Think

Introduction for DIY Termite Control

DIY, have heard of this term before too right? But not many do know the full form of DIY. Well, the most common place where one has seen this word ‘DIY, is YouTube. But what does it mean? ‘Did it yesterday? just kidding. It means, ‘Do-It-Yourself’. Like, from the very beginning, a mother teaches her child to be independent and do their chores themselves, we have learned that when one does their things themselves. It reduces the cost that they had to bear if someone else does it. Also, makes them more knowledgeable and not to forget, adds up to their skill set. And even if, that’s not reason enough, well one might just take this thing of ‘Do-It-Yourself’. In increasing self-productivity. Anyway, it does more good than harm. So why not do it yourself?

 Having read the earlier blogs, one should know how harmful termites can be. One will have gathered so much knowledge about pests and termites, that it won’t be wrong. If one says that they know a lot about pests and termites. But, how much is ‘a lot’? Well, definitions vary from person to person, but being the one writing the blogs. You know enough about these pests and termites, that you can write up a ‘birth chart’ about them; or whatsoever it’s called. No, like quite literally, starting from the scientific names, their physical features, their natural habitat, the diseases they spread, how they can be controlled, and whatnot. Well, one might be tricked into thinking that it’s the spouse of the writer that is being talked about. But, that can be the case, for ‘pest’ can be used as slang. Pun intended. Quite obviously, Pest Control is the best option for prevention, but one cannot just cross out the concept of DIY. Almost everyone uses DIY videos for decorating their homes. So, why not use the same concept of ‘DIY’ for preventing pest infestations? 

The really of less use or, adaptation of DIY pest control by people can be blamed on the presumptuous nature of human beings. People have presumed that DIY pest control is hard. But, to one’s surprise, it is not. 

Basics of DIY

For doing DIY pest control, there are three main questions that one needs to ask themselves. They are:

1. For how long and how large the infestation is?
2. What types of pests and termites have infested?
3. How many infestations can your house take?

To explain the essence of the last question, depending on that, whatever the answer might be, i.e. the house can handle more infestations or not, the removal of the infestation needs to be done in a way that it remains effective for a long period. And, as for the first two questions, knowing the enemy, their spread, and type is important for the equipment should be arranged accordingly. This would be the case when there already has occurred an infestation. But, if one is conscious enough, they can try the DIY pest control beforehand for, it’s better to squish the problem in the bud rather than thinking about how to get rid of it when it has already occurred. 

Some might argue that DIY pest control was not as effective as the service providers’. To counter that, there are certain things that one needs to keep in mind while doing DIY pest control. They would be:

• The most important one: expert guidance
• Proper products to perform pest control. At times, people use cheap and non-professional products and wait till they get professional finish pest control. Guess they are still waiting. 
• And another important thing would be getting the proper equipment to make proper use of the product to get effective results and not let the products go to waste. 

As for the home DIY techniques that one can use, here are some of them:

• Liquid termite treatment: Spraying liquid anti-termite products around the compound.
• Pre-construction treatment.
• Sentricon baiting system.

Not to mention, there are a lot more ways for doing DIY pest control and not just these mentioned ones. The end line is that DIY pest control might look hard to perform, but it is not as difficult as it sounds. Rather, it will save you the labor cost; have a significant increase in your knowledge. Also, new experiences are fun and one doesn’t know which skill can come in handy. And if that also doesn’t encourage you enough to go independent; well, feel free to load the pest control service providers with your hard-earned money.

Methods of DIY Termites Control

Termites are potential destructors of furniture and personal belongings. These pests are literal cosmopolitans and are found in every inch of landmass other than Alaska where they cannot thrive due to the freezing temperatures. The subtropical countries with their humid atmosphere and increasing temperatures provide excellent conditions for termites to thrive and build up a colony in no time. Adding to the problem of infestation, there is no knowledge or faint knowledge of pest control and the harm any kind of pest infestation can cause. The only reason behind this dilemma is the lack of practical knowledge and the economy of India. Imagine a daily wage earner opting for a 5000 bucks annual pest treatment that too in his kutcha house.. this is beyond ambition right? So, in such a situation only and only Do it yourself or DIY measures come handy. Following these measures, you can control any kind of pest infestation in your house, at a reasonable expense without making your daily salary upset, with household products and with minimum or no side effects.

Measures that can be taken

• Using Kerosene or Turpentine oil: Initially try to find the termite colony’s nest and pour kerosene or Turpentine oil into the inlets of the termite’s nest. Most likely the termite’s nests are found in crevices of Wooden frames, cabinets, bed boxes in the form of small pores. This method is very easy as kerosene and turpentine oil are available in almost every household and very pocket-friendly as there is no manpower involved.
• Spraying DIY termite repellent: Prepare a solution of half portion of white vinegar and half portion of lemon juice. Put it in a spray canister and spray it 2 to 3 times a day in the places where you commonly see the termites. This process is absolutely a natural termite repelling one and requires no trained hand or experience. Just spray it!! And the termites are gone!
• Using Termite Repelling Wood to make furniture: The main food for the termites is wood. But if their food becomes their enemy, then they will die starving… Interesting right? Some woods have the natural capacity to withstand termite devouring activity and thereby repelling them for a better cause. The timber of trees like Redwood, Bald Cypress repel termites, so if the furniture is made from the timber of these trees, the termites will not be able to chew off the wood, and further, they will be repelled by them, so this process is a very effective one to curb the termite population indirectly by attacking their thriving resource. 
• Infecting Technique: Termites infect our furniture and destroy them off. Now if we do the reverse? We are not talking about furniture infecting the termites, that is impossible, right? We are talking about infecting the infectors. This principle has been used from ancient times to remove termites. This process involves pouring water mixed with nematodes into the termite’s nest. As the water washes down the nest it also falls on the termites and infects them with the nematodes and eventually kills them off. 
• Introducing natural enemy: Just as Termites are the enemy of our furniture, ants are the enemy of termites. It is very often seen that ants attack termites colony and eats them up as food, and Carries off their larva for future use. So, the introduction of ants near the termite infestation spot can significantly bring down the termite population and save your house from them.
• Using Boric Acid Solution: Boric Acid Solution is widely used as a disinfectant in medical science. But did you guys know that it also acts as a game-changer in curbing the catastrophic growth of termites populations? 25% solution of boric acid is used in termites control, as the boric acid interferes with the digestive system of the termites and suspends the entire process, and kills them off eventually.
• Termidor Foam and Anti Termites Spray: Nowadays termites repellant are available at reasonable prices in markets in the form of foam. Once sprayed, the foams block the termite’s nest completely and destroys the termites inside the nest. The anti termites spray is also available, spray it inside the nest and the birthplace of the termites turns into their graveyard in no time.

Speaking critically, the foam is much more efficient in termite control, as it kills the termites inside the nest, the spray doesn’t permit this, as the spray irks the termites and they flutter around the house, they die eventually but only after spreading inside the while house, which in turn requires the separate amount of cleaning. 

Thus it is very evident that DIYs can also prove useful in termite control.

Positive effects of DIY termite control-

Termites are insects, which mostly feed on dead plant matter like woodchip, decayed wood (logs), leaf litter, and soil.

The food of termites is wood. As the termites eat the wood inside the home, they can disturb the mold and mildew, causing spores to be released into the air. This causes the spores to be spread to other areas of the home. 

“Do it yourself” or “DIY” is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of experts or professionals. In today’s world, DIYs are very famous, and people opt for them in real practice almost every day. So people are trying to do some DIYs to get rid of Termites from their homes as well. 

There are several positive sides to these DIYs for termite control:-

1)What more do we want than a thing which we can get or prepare at home?! We can make DIYs at home only. There is no need to go outside and spend our valuable time searching for good and effective Termite control. 

2)DIY pest or rather a termite control is easy to do. Most people who decide to hire out for termite treatments do so because they feel getting rid of termites is a challenging process that requires a lot of experience and expertise to tackle. The truth is that termite treatments are not that complicated in most cases. With a little direction and the right products at your disposal, anyone can pull off an effective DIY termite treatment with satisfying results.

3)Hiring a professional termite exterminator to inspect and treat your home can cost a lot. It is expensive. DIYs are relatively cheaper in terms of money and can save a lot of money yet get our requirements done. 

4)DIYers often get intimidated because they feel they may need complex equipment such as a drill, injection rod, and similar pieces of equipment since termites mainly live in the soil. While these items are helpful tools, they aren’t obligatory to conduct effective treatment. One can use bare minimum tools and yet can get effective results. 

5)For guidance, one can easily check on Youtube rather than consulting a termite controller. That will also save some money. 

5)If you contact Exterminators for a pest problem, they usually bring their equipment and chemicals to clear out the problem. Many people are not satisfied with the quality of the products these companies have to offer and feel that they will be better off if they buy their products and do the job themselves. So it is better to DIY.

6)In households where there are pets or small children, safety is a big concern; people often feel safer if they are aware of the chemicals put into their homes. With professionals, you cannot tag along to every room while they do their job. Hence, if they use harmful chemicals on the floor and you have a toddler who crawls on the same floor, the chemicals can do more harm than good for your family. Thus, people choose to do the job themselves so that it is easier to protect their family later on.

7) As we are using maximum natural products and we are well aware of the chemicals we are using for making DIY termite control, the side effects are minimum. These homemade termite controls are not that harmful to us and for children as well.

8) As DIY termite controls are relatively cheaper than professional termite controls, Every class of people can afford it and can make their houses termite-free. It is accessible to everyone.

A study on Termite and their control through basic means

Termites are highly destructive insects that are notoriously difficult to exterminate and can cause substantial, costly damage to your home if not treated with a science-based solution. After all of these things, there must be one thing that remains. And the question is to know what kind of termites are ruling in your home or bedroom! Termites are attracted to wood and cellulose materials, they are fond of moisture, except for dry wood termites, they love to spend time in warm, dark places where they will be left undisturbed. Most regularly, termites can be found in a variety of areas of our households, such as furniture (particularly in vintage), Inside buildings, cabinets, door window frames, exposed beams, and wood paneling. 

 

We have already discussed how to control these termites and what are the permanent solutions, so let’s recap. There are many highly effective DIY termite control steps that homeowners can take to guard their homes. Here is what you need to know. Several times a year, take a slow walk around your foundation and look for any signs of damage so you can formulate a termite treatment plan. We know that termites are active all year-round, so there’s no bad time to start preparing our defenses against these wood-chewing pests. There are mainly ten ways out we can apply. Firstly, we should inspect our foundation each season, it’s the main tactic to control termites. During inspection if we find any mud tubes, that means they’re a sign of their presence, so we must be careful and take the necessary steps. Secondly, we have to maintain proper ventilation and sealing. Ventilation and sealing are key to moisture control, improper ventilation processes in our home can build up a colony of termites, and also without the right sealing moisture can even build up behind our walls. 

 

Thirdly, we should keep woodpiles away from our house. Termites make their entry into the internal parts of the woods, so we have to keep all woodpiles at least 20 feet away from our house, whenever possible for DIY termite control. This is one of the quickest termite control methods we can apply. Fourthly, we have to trim trees and shrubs and keep them away from our house because termites make their nests in between the lining vegetation and bushes. Fifthly, it’s the best way out if we can create an 18-inch gap between soil and wooden furniture. Because termites mainly make their nests in the soil, so if we can maintain at least 18-inch space, we can get rid of them. Sixthly, if we can use durable plastics instead of low-quality plastic bags, and store them outside of our house, it can reduce the nuisance of termites. And also if we store anything in cardboard around our house or garage, we should replace that cardboard with plastic bins. Seventhly, if we dig a trench around the entire problem area and fill it with a foam-based non-repellent termite insecticide, it can be the most effective solution. Eighthly, heat can also kill termites, if we can heat a space to at least 120 degrees F. for at least half an hour, the termites there will die. This is a cost-effective way for DIY termite control without using pesticides. Ninthly, in the daytime, we should open the window and let sunlight enter the room. From the sunlight, we get the necessary heat and light, which can destroy termites, it’s the best cost-effective way we have ever used. Lastly, we have to guard our air conditioners, Because of the way that air conditioners and heat pumps work, they are always creating and draining moisture via a natural condensation process that occurs as temperatures change. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to mention that our home remedies and natural way out can make our lifestyle better. We should follow all these steps and we can lead a termite-free environment. But we have to be conscious about the limited uses of harmful pesticides so that these products can kill useful pests. If we can use organic products, that will be the most appropriate solution because extreme uses of pesticides and inorganic materials bring bad effects on human lungs, and for children, these things are very dangerous. So, it will be the thing if we go forward scientifically so that we can control these evils and can get rid of termites accumulation without harming any useful living beings. 

 

Frequently Asked Question

1. Why use natural methods when pest control is there?

No one can deny the beneficiary of Pest control management in this field. This is just for temporary and basic precaution.

2. How to apply?

These are very basic tips and tricks used to control and prevent infestations but not a permanent solution.

3. Where to approach professional pest control management?

Good Bye Pest has professionals who are experienced and takes care of Pest.

4. Are these DIY chemical-free?

No, they are not chemical-free. Few of them are, they are a mixture of both natural and chemical elements.

5. What is the availability

Pest Control Management in Kolkata is the best solution where Goodbye Pest as experts helps you to be safe and healthy. On the other hand, general DIY products are easily available.