“BUT TERMITE BE ANOTHER WAY!” DIY Termite Control Methods to Try

While you’re in love with the rustic charm of wood, you’re afraid of bombarding your home with the termites’ favourite food, and possibly inviting them to live with you. You just can’t; it’s not safe for your home. First it’s a termite infestation, and the next thing you know, your house is collapsing to the ground. Worse about that is: while you’re homeless, your termites aren’t—sure is harsh.

Wood, however, is one of the basic materials that builders use in home constructions. That means, having wood in your home is inevitable. And since termites are creatures of tropical countries, attracting them to your wood-formed home is also inevitable. You must know what number to call for help, or, for the few of you with a tight budget, good methods of DIY termite control.

Because DIY is the trend to getting everybody’s fix nowadays, you may want to give it a shot. These are your options:

Trap them critters

There is a way to dispose of these unwanted wood-munchers without stressing the bones on your back: setting up a cardboard trap.

You sure did read “cardboard”, and you certainly will be a believer once you try it. But how do you exactly make a cardboard trap? Simple: you just have to wet pieces of cardboard, which you stack on top of each other, before placing where your termites are.

Hard to believe that easy trick is so magical, isn’t it? But there is a science to it. See, your termites feed on cellulose, which is basically the cardboard. Once they’re attached to the cardboard you may remove it from the area and burn it. Another take on this method it that you can wet the cardboard bait with termite control chemicals, and let the critters perish without you necessarily making a barbecue out of them.

Bust them the beneficial nematode way

This sure is new to the ears, but it has been around since the earth, itself.

Beneficial nematodes are natural parasites that are the stuff of garden pests’ nightmare. They’re tiny worms—even tinier than your termites—that have a gigantic appetite. See, these bad boys enter the larvae of any garden pest—through any opening, be it the mouth or the other famous end—and feed while in there. Their bodies also secrete bacteria that completely destroy host bodies, leaving carcasses that are barely recognizable. Freaky?

But good for you, beneficial nematodes are called “beneficial” because they help with most of our pest problems, while posing no health threats against us humans, plants, animals, and even earthworms. They’re a true problem of only the pests of your soil or garden.

And while they’re natural critters of the soil, beneficial nematodes may not be naturally in your soil—which is why you have termites in the first place. You buy these saviors from pest control stores, before planting them yourself.

Beneficial nematodes will most likely leave your termites’ underground burrows empty and sad, but not of soul-sucked husks of doom. Your termites had better run or they’re going to be the next course.

Light them up

In handling beneficial nematodes, you should know that they are harmed by the UV from sunlight. That means planting them at a time where less of the sun is out gives you more chances of winning. Know why that’s important to say now? Well, because the same thing is a problem for termites—which, in contrast, is a cause of celebration for you.

Termites are creatures of the dark and the damp, so you may be close to a hundred percent sure that this method will work. If it is furniture or any movable object that has been infested, you can quickly say bye-bye pest by exposing it to sunlight. And we mean for 2-3 days, as the treatment works best that long.

Lighting—or sunlighting— up your termites is not only a good and easy way to get rid of them, it’s also free and not that evil. Your termites will just be thinking that you’re giving them a bit of Vitamin D.

Whether you’re itching to get rid of those pests, or saving up a few pesos, DIY is your easiest solution. So go for it, but remember: experts still know best.