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Uh oh, it's that time of year again. Springtime often lends itself to the discovery of termite infestations, due to noticing swarming flying termites. So, you've seen some evidence of termites, and now you're looking into methods of killing termites.
The methods of killing termites you are going to consider are going to depend, in part, on the type of termites you have. Subterranean termites live underground, and have strict moisture requirements. This is why you may see mud tunnels as an indication of an infestation. They mud tunnels are used for the termites to travel from the moist soil to the wood they are eating, all while being protected. Drywood termites, as the name would suggest, prefer dry wood, over wet, rotting wood that subterranean prefer.
Subterranean termites are treated differently than drywood termites. If you are looking into methods of killing termites of the subterranean kind, you are likely looking into choosing between multiple options of baits and barriers. Bait methods of killing termites include introducing an attractive poison to the colony (with a food bait), by the termites who are exploring for food. It needs to take enough time for the termites to return to the colony and spread the poison throughout. Barrier methods of killing termites present a chemical or physical barrier to block termites from accessing your home. This barrier is often applied both around and under your home, in order to make it most efficient. It can sometimes be difficult, due to the landscaping or yard features, to get full perimeter coverage. Without full perimeter coverage, it is easier for termites to re-infest if the barrier is of a repellent type. They may also check and hunt for spaces where the barrier is incomplete. There are now repellent type barrier treatments and non-repellent types as choices of your methods of killing termites. The non-repellent types seek to eliminate the termites by killing them off, instead of repelling them.
Drywood termites are treated in different ways than subterranean termites. Drywood termites are typically treated by fumigation or heat treatment. Both in fumigation and in heat treatment, the typical treatment includes tenting the house. With fumigation, a chemical is pumped into the home over a matter of time, in order to eliminate the termites. With heat treatment, the house can be tented, and then the walls of the home are actually heated to a high temperature, in order to eliminate the termites. With the fumigation option, you will have to be out of the home for a longer period of time than the heat treatment.
Hopefully, one of these methods of killing termites will work well for you for taking care of your termite infestation. Hopefully, after you take care of the problem once, you won't have to take care of it again. Be sure to look into contracts that include annual inspections, as keeping a close eye on things can help make sure the termites don't return to cause another infestation for you another day.
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There's a good chance if you've just come across evidence of termites that it's springtime, since that's when a lot of people notice evidence of flying termites swarming. There are different types of termites and the different types of termites have different treatment options. Subterranean termites live underground in moist soil, with strict moisture requirements, but drywood termites don't have such strict moisture requirements. Drywood and subterranean termites also tend to leave different types of evidence of the infestation, which also helps in identifying the type of termite involved. Drywood termites are treated by heat treatment or fumigation, in which the home is tented and then, for heat treatment, the walls are heated to a high temperature in order to kill the termites, and for fumigation, a chemical is sprayed into the home. Subterranean termites tend to be treated by barrier or bait options. Barriers provide a physical or chemical barrier between the home and the termites. Baits provide an attractive poisoned food option for the termites, in order for them to return to the colony and spread it throughout. They need to be slow-acting enough for the termite to be able to return to the colony to spread the bait.
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