Termite Treatment

Miche Pest Control provides termite treatment services in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. Termites cause costly damage to your property. Don't risk it by attempting a DIY termite treatment; instead, count on the professionals at Miche Pest Control to protect your residential or commercial property from termites. Contact us today to learn more about our professional termite treatment options.

Termites are elusive pests that can quickly form colonies in your home before showing significant signs of the infestation. Since termites feed primarily on wood and wood products, a colony in your home can quickly cause a lot of damage. Common signs of termites include discolored drywall, peeling paint, hollow-sounding wood, and pinpoint holes in the drywall. If a colony is left untreated long enough, your walls will literally begin to crumble. However, you can eliminate and prevent termites from reentering with the best termite treatment for your home. Miche Pest Control is committed to providing the best termite treatments possible. Contact us today to learn more.

Unfortunately, home remedies are rarely effective solutions for termites, so it’s recommended that homeowners simply hire professionals. However, home remedies can be used to minimize or prevent the spread of termites until a professional exterminator can provide treatment. Once you’ve scheduled your appointment with a professional pest control service, try these home remedies to keep your termites under control while you wait for help.

Essential Oils

There are a number of essential oils, including orange oil, neem oil, clove oil, and garlic oil that can be used as natural deterrents for termites. Essential oils are commonly used because they are generally considered to be nontoxic to humans and most pets, and therefore are generally regarded as safe to use around most homes. To use these oils to treat termite problems, simply apply one or more of the essential oils to a cotton ball, then apply liberally to the termite infested area. It may be necessary to reapply these solutions every few days.

Boric Acid

This household substance, also called sodium borate, is commonly known by the brand name Borax. While it’s a great cleaning product for humans, for termites it is a known toxicant. To treat a termite infestation with borates, you can create a spray by mixing a teaspoon of boric acid with a cup of hot water, then spray infested wood. You can also use this spray proactively to help prevent termite infestations.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is a commonly recommended pest control solution because it can be so helpful. This seemingly powdery substance is abrasive, and cuts the outer shell of termites, causing them to dehydrate and die. For this reason, it can damage lungs, so a mask should always be worn while using diatomaceous earth. To use, sprinkle a thin layer over infested areas as needed. You can also spread diatomaceous earth around the foundation of your home or other buildings to create a barrier in order to prevent infestations.

Termites are responsible for over $5 billion in damage each year in the United States. Individual homeowners often find themselves contributing to that figure as they are forced to replace damaged wood within their homes. Fortunately, there are ways to not only treat termite infestation but to prevent it as well. While you should leave termite removal to the professionals, knowing the methods they will use can help you in understanding how to kill termites, the best ways to treat the problem and help prevent termite infestations from recurring. When your home is treated for termites by Miche Pest Control, termite bait stations are strategically placed around your yard to intercept foraging termites. Once there, the termites ingest an insect growth regulator, then return to their colony and spread the active ingredient(s) to the rest of the termite colony. Contact us to get started.

Subterranean termites need contact with the soil and moisture to survive and live underground. They can build tunnels through cracks in concrete. Because subterranean termites thrive on moisture, you should try to prevent water from accumulating at the foundation of your home including installing gutters, splash blocks, or downspouts. Creating an artificial slope will allow water to drain away from the structure. Humidity in crawl spaces may be reduced with proper ventilation. Secondly, sanitation is crucial. Keep trees, vines, and trellises trimmed so they are not touching the structure, and never pile or bury extra wood scraps or lumber near the home.

Lastly, termite baiting is a fairly simple process and can be used as a tool to monitor termite activity early on before infestations flare-up. The termites feed on the bait and take the bait back to the colony to kill the most termites possible. Termite baiting systems also have an effect on the entire termite colony which suppresses their population and can eventually lead to the death of the entire colony. Installing bait stations around your home provide excellent control, and while they are a complete, standalone solution for subterranean termites, bait stations are even more effective when combined with a barrier/soil treatment. If you suspect an infestation, contact a pest professional about a subterranean termite treatment.

When termites infest wood, there are several options to reduce chances of further damage and spreading of the colony.  First, one can remove the infested wood, but that does not prevent further infestation of existing or even the replacement wood.  Second, a treatment can be done and this is the typical course of action. Treatment of the infested or potentially infested wood is sometimes called "Direct Wood Treatment". Direct Wood Treatment is an approach to termite management that includes treating the wood directly with a product designed to control termites. Subterranean termites colonies are large and spread out. Sometimes, subterranean termite colonies occupy parts of a house, or even multiple houses and soil areas. Infested wood can be protected and preserved by directly applying treatment to the wood - this will control not only termites infesting the wood but will also help prevent future infestations. Use of a Direct Wood Treatment for subterranean termites is a good but limited application. Because it doesn't target the termite colony itself, it is not recommended as a standalone solution, but it will help limit termite damage to the structure(s) treated.