Saturday, September 04, 2004
Ways to Eliminate Termites
I'll start by listing the basic ways of eliminating termites. In later posts, I'll go into each of these ways in much more detail. First, I'll start with the proven ways. These are the methods most professionals use. The last part of the list will include some less proven ways which can be cheaper and less toxic.
- Liquid pestisides are probably the most common. Like all pestisides, termiticides are toxic and should be applied safely. But one thing that makes termiticides application safer is that they are usually applied to the soil under and around the home so it has less chance to come into contact with people and pets.
- Termite baits are beginning to be used more and more. Instead of killing the termites like the pesticides, the baits are picked up as food by the worker termites and brounght back to the colony. This can provide a less toxic solution to getting rid of termites, however, it is usually more expensive and take a longer time.
- Nematodes is one organic alternative to chemical treatments. Nematodes are wormlike creatures which are deadly parasites to termites, but are harmless to people and pets. They can be bought online and delivered through the mail. One thing to point out is that their effectiveness is questionable.
- I've seen information regarding temperature methods to get rid of termites (also ants and roaches). One method would heat the house to above 120 degrees farenheit by blowing hot air into the rooms (after all flammable items have been removed). Another method does the opposite and chills the house with liquid nitrogen to -20 degrees farenheit (after pipes have been drained) These temperatures make the condition inside the walls unsurvivable for the insects. I have just seen a little on these techniques and I'm not sure how cost-effective they are.
# posted by Ken @ 5:15 PM 
