SANTO DOMINGO. Termites, a well-known and unwelcome pest, can take over wood and silently devour your furniture or other structures in your home or office.
According to experts, the important thing is to evaluate objects made of wood in order to detect the incidence of this pest in time.
How can you detect the presence of termites in your home? By paying attention to the wood: it will have yellow spots, as if it were sprinkled with breadcrumbs. The holes they leave behind as they eat the wood are also characteristic.
It's worth noting that termites have some preferences. The main species they like to eat are pine, botarrama, cypress, ceiba, balsa, and jaúl. However, they can attack many other types as well.
Termites are said to be less likely to attack furniture made from ash, bitter cedar, or guanacaste wood. However, one shouldn't be entirely complacent. If the wood is untreated, it can still be infested by termites.
Tips for getting rid of termites in your house
There are two methods for eliminating termites from your home: chemical and non-chemical treatments. Both are equally effective. However, it is recommended that chemical treatments be supervised by a professional team.
The pesticides used to eliminate termites are called thermicidal pesticides. Since most of them are highly toxic, they must be handled responsibly. Before using them, it is advisable to hire a specialized company or have an expert supervise the process. With that in mind, we share some suggestions below:
1. Eliminate termites from the house with oranges and camphor
We can place a jar of orange peel and camphor in closets and dark corners of the house. Camphor is a whitish, salt-like substance used as an insecticide. However, be careful not to let it touch clothing, as it will stain it.
Orange peel adds a pleasant aroma, so it's not mandatory to include it in the jar. If you do, it's best to replace the peel at least once a week.
2. Make an insecticide with boric acid
Another product used as an insecticide is boric acid, which can be used in the following way:
We mix one teaspoon of boric acid with one tablespoon of sugar and one tablespoon of milk.
We placed this preparation in bottle caps and distributed it to the infected areas.
We must not leave it within reach of children and dogs, to avoid poisoning.
We repeat this process for 3 or 4 weeks.
The secret to this technique lies in its consistent use. Otherwise, it will hardly help eliminate termites from the house. The effectiveness of boric acid has been scientifically proven. Studies show that MDF furniture treated with this compound is more resistant to termites.
3. Essential Oils
Essential oils from various plants have numerous beneficial applications in the home. Some of them can even function as insecticides.
A study demonstrated the effectiveness of garlic and clove essential oils in eradicating certain termite species. Both oils are highly effective after the first application when used alone or in combination. However, they are not a permanent solution, as their effect diminishes after 2 to 3 days.
4. Other recommendations
All sorts of advice for getting rid of termites circulates online. However, it's important to point out that some of these methods are ineffective.
For example, spraying diesel or gasoline on the surface of the wood. This won't penetrate the wood, which is where the insect lives and attacks. Furthermore, it will cause a bad odor and is extremely flammable.
Similar advice points to the use of canfin or kerosene, used oil, and similar substances. These are not recommended, we repeat, due to their high flammability.
Ideally, this type of alternative should be avoided as it could also affect the respiratory systems of the residents in that home or the workers in the offices.
Less invasive alternatives are preferable, such as strong medicinal plants like "blackwood," "big man," and plantain. To prepare them, you need to boil water with the leaves of these plants to create an infusion. However, this method is not highly effective.
5. Chemical baits
There are professionals and companies that specialize in eliminating termites from homes. Considering that a termite colony can contain millions of insects, which are also very harmful to the home, it's not a bad idea.
The advantage of this service is that the methods used are controlled and target the entire colony at once. This eliminates the problem permanently, preventing the termites from reproducing. Most baits currently available on the market are made of cellulose containing a slow-acting insecticide.
Without a doubt, getting rid of termites in your home is not easy. If you have any doubts about the process, you should hire a professional service. After all, it's very important to eliminate the entire colony completely, as it can regenerate entirely in a matter of weeks.
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