Don’t let your cardboard boxes become vacation homes for termites
If you’re enjoying a beautiful day tending to your garden and notice little mud tubes (or highways) leading into your home, you may have to learn how to get rid of termites. Although small, termites can cause mighty amounts of damage to your home if left untreated. Luckily, we’ll provide several methods to learn how to get rid of each type of termite and keep them away for good.
Termite infestations can be difficult to detect, so keep an eye out for changes in your wood features, such as floors bubbling or deck sagging. Don't hesitate to take pest control action to prevent the infestation from growing.
| Type of Termite | Physical Features | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Subterranean | Four wings, translucent | Across the U.S. |
| Drywood | Four wings, creamy white color | Warm, coastal regions |
| Flying | Four wings, darker bodies | Southeast U.S. |
You’ll need to know the difference between termite species before you can properly remove them.
These burrowers live underground in colonies within the soil, your foundational wood, and compost piles around your home. Their saw-toothed jaws create mud tubes, excavating tunnels until they voraciously feast on your home’s wood. You can find them all over the U.S. (except for Alaska), and they cause the most damage compared to other termite species.
Drywood termites only live in wood (they don’t burrow in soil or create mud tubes). They are found predominantly in warm, coastal regions such as Florida, California, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia.
If you spot flying termite swarms around your home, that’s a clear sign of a flying termite infestation. These are adult reproductive termites with four wings that appear during warm weather. One telltale sign of a flying termite infestation is finding discarded wings outside or inside your home.
You can try the below DIY methods if they don’t involve highly toxic insecticides—termiticides and boric acid—or you can hire a local termite treatment company to ensure proper and safe treatment.
Before you start treating termites, wear a pair of goggles, a dust mask, and gloves. Only attempt DIY eradication methods if you have experience and are confident in your abilities.
Termite bait includes wood (cellulose) and a slow-acting insecticide. Place the bait around your home’s foundation. Once a termite ingests the insecticide, they carry it around for weeks. They then die while attempting to molt, effectively spreading the insecticide throughout their entire colony. While homeowners can install bait themselves, we recommend calling in a pro to monitor and maintain the baits.
Another bait trap is wet cardboard boxes—the cellulose in cardboard attracts termites. This solution is simpler but less effective. Here’s how to do it:
Wet two pieces of cardboard and stack them on top of each other.
Wait for a group of termites to get trapped between the cardboard.
Take the cardboard outside and burn it.
Repeat this process multiple times.
A popular and highly effective treatment is creating a liquid termiticide (a toxic insecticide) exterior barrier outside your home. Termites cannot detect the chemical. They eat the termiticide and unknowingly spread it throughout their colony, effectively killing all the termites. As stated above, a local pest expert should handle termiticide treatments because it can be risky if you don’t handle it properly.
Grab a drill and make holes every 10 inches in the termite-infiltrated wood until you reach the nest.
Apply termiticide treatment and patch the holes with a putty knife.
If a piece of wood furniture is infested with termites, take it outside and let it sit in the sunlight for 2 to 3 days.
You’ll want to inspect your house for signs of termite damage here, though, as they could have spread.
Another exterior barrier is diatomaceous earth (DE) powder. DE is composed of fossilized algae, which, when ground up, has sharp edges that are deadly to pests (but not harmful to humans). The sharp edges cut the termite’s exoskeleton, dehydrating them.
You’ll want to take the DE powder with a sifting scoop and apply a barrier to exposed wood around your home’s attic, crawl space, basement, and insulation. DE powder is most effective for eliminating above-ground termites; treatment takes several hours to a few days to work.
An indoor chemical treatment is a boric acid spray (wood preservative and natural pesticide), which dehydrates the termite’s nutrients, effectively starving them. Boric acid is safe to use as pest control, but it can be dangerous to inhale or ingest it. You’ll need to follow the product’s safety instructions before using this treatment. Take particular care when using this chemical if you have kids or pets in your home,
Boric acid comes in powder form, so you’ll want to mix 1 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of boric acid in a spray bottle.
Shake until all powder dissolves.
Begin spraying for termites by applying the treatment liberally on floors, walls, ceilings, and any areas you suspect termites might be present.
Repeat this process for three to five days.
Beneficial nematodes are microscopic organisms located in garden soil. They act as parasites to many garden pests—they burrow into their host, releasing bacteria that poison termite blood within days. You can purchase beneficial nematodes in stores (for around $35). Add them to water and apply the nematode mixture to termite nests around your garden.
For a more natural alternative to boric acid, add orange oil into the affected wood. Like the boric acid method, drill a hole every 10 inches and inject the orange oil to kill the termites. Orange oil contains D-limonene, which naturally kills termites.
If a termite infestation is confined to a specific area, you can also use heat treatment to exterminate termites. Keep in mind that high temperatures can be damaging to your home, so this method should only be used by a professional.
Similar to heat treatment, liquid nitrogen achieves the same results, but with freezing temperatures. Termites die when they’re subjected to temperatures of -20 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five minutes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using liquid nitrogen poses serious risks, such as death by suffocation, plus it’s corrosive to the eyes and skin. Due to these hazards, liquid nitrogen is only allowed to be applied by a certified professional.
In cases of major infestations, a professional exterminator will cover your entire home with a tent. Then, they will introduce a toxic gas (such as sulfuryl fluoride) to exterminate any termites or other pests within your home. Termite fumigation is an invasive, disruptive process, but it’s effective in eliminating large infestations from your home.
For a mild infestation of flying termites, you can use a cardboard box to lure termites out before killing them. You’ll need one cardboard box and roughly one gallon of water, plus an insecticide such as a pyrethroid. Here’s what to do:
Break down the box and cut it into several large pieces.
Stack the cardboard pieces on top of each other.
Slowly pour the gallon of water over the cardboard to soak it.
Wait for termites to emerge and begin feeding on the wet cardboard, then apply the insecticide to kill them.
Rubber mulch is a type of mulch made from recycled tire material, and it acts as a natural termite repellent. This is because it lacks cellulose, which termites seek for food. You can find rubber mulch at most hardware stores, and spread it around your yard to deter these flying pests.
Flying termites are also repelled by the colors and resins in cedar mulch. Use cedar mulch around your home and replace organic soil with cedar to deter termites.
Beneficial nematodes are microscopic worms that act as parasites, releasing bacteria into the digestive system of termites and ultimately killing them. Introducing nematodes into the soil near a termite colony can effectively eradicate them.
There are multiple drywood termite treatments. However, more powerful and extensive treatments are available by hiring a professional. Especially for serious infestations, it's best to contact a professional exterminator rather than attempting to eradicate them yourself. Here are the available DIY options for getting rid of different types of drywood termites.
For drywood termites living within wood beams and panels, you can try less invasive approaches. However, you’ll need to hire a termite exterminator to completely rid your home of subterranean termites.
Sometimes called swarmers, flying termites tend to congregate near tree stumps, wood piles, or similar sources near your home. Since they also thrive in moisture, the quickest way to get rid of them is by eliminating water sources where they’ve set up shop. Check for leaky pipes underneath sinks or faucets and look for any standing water outside your home. Once you locate their hiding spots, either perform a DIY fix or call an exterminator for removal.
Other ways to remove flying termites include clearing out dead mulch or wood near your home’s foundation and sealing cracks or crevices where termites could enter your space. Any chemical treatments should be handled by a termite removal professional.
This species of termite is harder to identify since they usually live underground and can cause significant damage that goes unnoticed for long periods. One minute you have a solid foundation, then a year later, it’s severely compromised by these pesky insects. However, you can sometimes spot evidence of mud tubes, discarded wings, or honeycomb-like wood near foundation walls. These signs indicate you have a termite issue that will need to be addressed by eliminating moisture, placing termite bait stations around the exterior of your home, or calling in the pros for fumigation.
DIYers with pest control knowledge can take a crack at tackling a termite issue themselves, as long as they handle any chemicals with safety and care. You can find over-the-counter treatments at your local hardware store and expect to pay:
Bait: $50–$250
Liquid termiticide: $50–$100
DE Powder: $10–$15
Termiticide foam: $35
Boric acid: $15
However, we strongly recommend calling a licensed professional termite control company to treat termites, especially any major infestations. Pros have the right large-capacity equipment, products, knowledge, and experience to ensure you get rid of termites for good. In addition, many pros offer multiple mitigation methods and follow-up, so you won’t have to worry about recurring infestations.
Not every insect infestation issue is safe for you to tackle yourself. Some infestations may be so severe and hazardous to your home and health that you have to call in the pest control pros to eliminate the problem for good. Plus, termite experts have the expertise to determine what type of termite you’re dealing with, the best way to get rid of them, and put preventative measures in place to ensure they never come back.
You should hire a termite control professional when you recognize signs of damage to wood features in your home, such as decks, porches, or wood beams. In addition, hire a professional for a termite inspection if you see mud tubes or other tell-tale signs of these pests near your foundation.
Professional termite treatment costs an average of $600—and you can expect to pay between $3 to $20 per linear foot, depending on the type of termite treatment you choose. You can expect to pay between $200 and $600 for an average pest control service fee, but whole-house termite fumigation can run as high as $8,000.
You should also budget between $2,100 to $7,800 for foundation repair costs if termites have been feasting away at your home’s structure for some time.
To get rid of termites and keep them away for good, you’ll want to take these preventative measures:
Check for leaks, especially around your roof and air conditioner. Subterranean termites thrive in moist environments.
Clear your pipes and gutters (termites also love warm and dark environments).
Make sure downspouts face away from your home.
Caulk windows, doors, and any openings in or around your home’s foundation.
Opt for rubber tubs or plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes for attic, garage, and basement storage.
Apply proper ventilation to crawl spaces and moisture-rich areas (steel mesh is a great choice).
Remove tree stumps and decaying tree roots.
Replace wood-based mulch with a rubber or gravel base.
Don’t stack firewood up against your home.
Keep wood at least 6 inches above the ground when building a deck. Choose pressure-treated wood to keep termites away.
Add metal barriers over exposed wood surfaces.
Get annual termite inspections from a trusted pest control company.
There is one main benefit of having termites in nature. They aid in the decomposition process (dead trees and organic matter) and return nutrients to the surrounding soil, inviting new trees and plants to bloom. There is, however, no benefit to having termites in your home.
The fastest way to get rid of termites is to apply a liquid insecticide exterior barrier around your home. If you have a severe infestation, this is your best option, and we recommend having a professional exterminator tackle this project.
Every termite treatment is different, and each label has specific instructions about how long you need to vacate the treatment area. If your home undergoes termite fumigation, you can expect to vacate your home for 24 to 72 hours. You can always consult the National Pesticide Information Center if you’re unsure how long to remain outside your home.
If a pro follows the label instructions correctly, these treatments should last at least five years.
