how to get rid of termites

How to Get Rid of Termites from Your Home and Garden

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So here is how to get rid of termites in your house and garden. I will give you my homemade ideas and how I got rid of them. Plus, what caused the termite infestation in my house?

But before that, I recommend wearing a hand glove, mask, and eyewear as those may be poisonous. Now let us begin.

Termites vs Flying Ants

Termites vs Flying Ants

First, do not think that flying ants and termites are the same. They are not. Ants do not do damage like termites. 

Yes, when they fly, it looks like the same. But if you look closely, they are totally different insects that normally feed on wood.

Also, read: Termites vs Flying Ants.

How to Get Rid of Termites from the House

So we had a window in our basement that was not opened for more than a year, and I saw that the termites are feeding on it and building up the soil there.

The reason is the basement does not get enough sunlight, has moisture all the time, and we did not open the window for a long time.

So how we removed them and saved our window? That diy idea I will share with you here. So this is how to get rid of termites in the house.

1. Remove Moisture in the Area

Remove Moisture in the Area to repel termites

No matter what chemical or pest control idea you use, if you do not remove moisture, those termites will come again and destroy your doors, windows, trees, furniture, and garden.

Make sure the sunlight can reach the area. If necessary, cut dome tree branches, open all the doors and windows to let air flow there, and wait a few days, and those termites will be gone.

Before you do this, clean the area well, remove all the damaged wood and soil buildup, and start this process.

2. Clean the Wood and Paint It

Clean the Wood and Paint It

I saw some people paint their trees to stop termites from damaging them. They paint the trees white, mostly. But you can paint whatever in like. That way, those termites will not be able to destroy your yard or garden.

The same formula also applies to home termites infestation. After cleaning the area well, paint them with good wood paint. The paint has a strong smell that will repel those termites.

But if the area does not get any sunlight at all, then you have to re-paint it every two years to make it last long and keep it safe from termites.

3. Spray Boric Acid on the Wood

Spray Boric Acid on the Wood to kill termites

The above ideas are the best homemade ideas to stop them in the first place. The below ideas will help you kill, repel and remove them from your garden and house.

Spray boric acid on the wood that they are infesting. Boric acid will kill all of them in a single night. And then paint the wood to stop them coming back.

4. Use Essential Oils, Termiticide, or Vinegar

Use Essential Oils, Termiticide, or Vinegar

You can also use essential oils, vinegar, or any market-bought termiticides instead of boric acid. They all work the same way. They will burn their skin and give them a terrible death.

5. Use Diatomaceous Earth Powder

Use Diatomaceous Earth Powder to kill termites

If you want to kill their whole colony, then use Diatomaceous earth power. This powder is a strong pest controller that people use to kill all kinds of pests, like ants, bees, roaches, and other bugs and insects. Just lay it on their infested location, and they will die happily.

6. Build a Cardboard Termite Trap

Build a Cardboard Termite Trap

If you do not want to use chemicals on your precious wooden furniture or trees, then make a Carboard trap to kill them all.

Just take two pieces of cardboard and place them together. The cellulose in the cardboard will attract those termites, and the gap in between the boards will not let them leave. 

They will get stuck there. Then you can throw them or burn them. Use a few of these traps for faster removal.

7. Replace the Wood

Replace the Wood

One final idea on how to get rid of termites is to repeal the wood altogether. Why? If your wood is damaged completely, then you can not reverse it.

For us, we replaced a portion of our window as it was destroyed completely. The carpenter said, there are no other options left than to replace that piece of wood, not the whole window.

So see first how bad the situation is and then act accordingly.

8. Seal Your Eaten Wood with Glue

Mix glue with wood powder and repair your wood so that those termites can not eat them anymore. I have asked a carpenter about this issue and they told me this.

After you repair the wood then paint it and the wood will be live again and those termites will not able to eat that.

wood termites
Alvin Wong on Flickr

9. Spray Kerosene Oil on them

I still remember, my father used to spray kerosene oil to save the wooden window from those termites. The smell will repel them in just a few hours. You can also use petrol or diesel for it.

Just do not throw fire at it, okay?

10. Flood Their Nest

If you find termites in the ground then food the area so they die growing.

Do not use water on the wood as it will damage and create moisture and that will lead to attracting more termites.

Only flood your garden. You can also mix diatomaceous power with water to kill them faster. Try it.

My Recommendations

Get one of these best termite killers and save your furniture.

Last Words

So this is how to get rid of termites in the house and garden in a few days.

Know that it is a continuous process, and the moisture will attract them again if you do not follow the above ideas. Again remove moisture. Good luck.

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About Author

Nazim Ali

Nazim Ali is an engineer who loves fixing things at home. He loves to try new things and share the knowledge with the world.