Keeping Fleas Out of Taxidermy and Other Pest Control Tips

Terminate The Termites: 3 Common Questions

10 June 2016

Letitia Smith

Termites don't usually bite humans. However, their presence in or around the home is often a threat to the well-being of wooden furniture items and various structural components of residential buildings (e.g. concrete basements and wooden roof trusses).

Termite infestation is often common in residential buildings that have remained unoccupied for extended period of time. Here are a few questions that you may have about termite infestation and control should you be moving into one such house.

Are There Health Risks Associated With Termite Infestation?

Luckily for prospective new homeowners, there are seldom any serious health effects that a termite infestation will pose to occupants of the residential building. In addition to the fact that termites won't usually bite, the droppings from these tiny insects are also not known to be toxic.

In a large number of cases, long-term exposure to termite dropping may cause allergic reactions such as body rashes and skin irritation.

Are There Natural Ways To Eliminate Termites?

Natural ways to eliminate and to control termites include, but they're not limited to, the following:

• Exposure to Sunlight: You have probably noticed that termite hills and/or termite nests are built in a manner that makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate into the shelter. This is because termites are highly sensitive to light. When introducing sunlight into a termite-infested area (e.g. by opening basement windows for a few hours every day), it's likely that a large percentage of the termite population will be dead after some time.
• Beneficial nematodes: Nematodes are thread-like micro-organisms that will make a meal out of the existing termite population around the new house. Nematodes are a natural solution to termite infestation in the soil. These micro-organisms are often available in a large number of local gardening supplies stores.

How About Chemical Elimination Of Termites?

Termites can also be eliminated using chemical-based termite poisons. The poisonous chemicals can be applied to small pieces of wood that are placed within the area of infestation. The poison-laced pieces of wood act as bait and they're carried into the termite shelter by worker termites.

Poisonous wood is then fed to the rest of the termite population in the hill or nest. Over time, the entire termite population may be wiped out.

It is important to point out that termite poisons will often not be sold over-the-counter. For this reason, prospective homeowners may need to hire the services of a termite control specialist, such as Expect the Best Pty Ltd, if the termite population is to be poisoned to death.

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