Termites are a nuisance and cost the insurance industry billions every year, that’s despite the fact that in most cases your home insurance policy doesn’t offer termite protection. 

The problem with termites is that they eat your wood. A colony can eat as much as one foot of 2x4 in approximately five months. That doesn’t sound significant but imagine any piece of wood in your home suddenly twelve inches shorter!

But, the real issue is that they can go unnoticed for long periods, dramatically increasing the potential damage they can do. That’s why you need to be alert for termites and use the following five methods to eliminate them naturally. 

1. Termite Bait Traps

The termite bait traps is a great way of eliminating a colony once you know it’s there. The trap is a simple box that you position near where you’ve seen termites. Inside the box, you place things that termites like to eat, that’s cellulose-based materials. 

Termites are surprisingly organized, only certain ones collect food for the entire colony. They’ll find the bait trap and take the food to check it’s okay. They’ll then scent mark the trap to tell other termites it’s a good source of food.  A few days after they’ve taken the bait you change the bait for poison. The termites take this back to the colony, believing it’s safe, and kill the colony off surprisingly quickly.

2. Cardboard trap

The cardboard trap is very simple. You place a piece of cardboard on the floor near where you’ve seen the termites. The cardboard attracts the termites and you scoop it up when there are as many termites as possible on it. You can then burn it to ensure they are all killed. 

Thanks to the way the colony is organized the others are likely to die from starvation. 

3. Diatomaceous Earth

This is made of fossils dating back millions of years. As such it is full of tiny sharp points that will pierce the hard outer shell of termites and many other pests. It has no effect on humans and our pets.

When it pierces their skin it causes them to dehydrate, which equals rapid death. 

4. Boric Acid

Boric acid kills termites and many other pests. You can buy it in a liquid form to spray the nest, if you know where it is. Alternatively, you can simply sprinkle powder wherever you’ve seen termite movement. It will kill them after they’ve walked through it. 

5. Essential Oils

There are an array of essential oils you can put around your home which will discourage termites from arriving or staying at your home. Orange oil is particularly effective although peppermint and even lavender can keep the termites away.

However, it is important to remember the damage termites can do. Trying the above methods is a good idea but you should always call the professionals to check your actions have worked or to have them eliminate any that are left. 

With termites, it’s better to be safe than sorry.