3 Popular Termite Treatments For Drywood Termites

If you suspect you have termites in your house, the first thing the exterminator needs to do is identify the type of termites you have because different termites require different types of treatments. If your home has drywood termites, the inside of your house has to be treated rather than using bait stations outdoors like is commonly used for subterranean termites. Fumigation, heat, and wall injections are treatments for drywood termites. Here's how these termite treatments are done.

1. Fumigation Requires Tenting Your Home

Fumigation involves putting a tent over your home to enclose it so when your house is fumigated, the tent holds the termiticide in place for the required length of time. This is an effective treatment because the fumes penetrate your entire house and kill termites no matter where they are hiding.

However, the process is disruptive since you'll need to move out of your home for a few days. You'll also need to prepare your belongings according to instructions provided by your pest control company.

2. Heat Treats Your Entire House

The same type of heat treatment that kills bed bugs can also kill termites. Since your entire house is treated, all termites and their eggs are killed even when they're in locations you can't see. Termites hide in wood, and when the wood is heated to a specific temperature and held for the right number of hours, all the termites are killed.

This treatment is much faster than fumigation, and you don't need to move out of your house. However, you'll need to stay away for several hours while the termite treatment is being carried out. An advantage of heat is that no chemicals are necessary. Plus, heat also kills all the other bugs in your house.

3. Wall Injections Are For Localized Treatments

If the exterminator inspects your home and only finds signs of termites in a single location, there may be no need to heat or fumigate your entire house. Instead, the pest control company may use wall injections. These might be a chemical termiticide or orange oil. As long as the termiticide contacts the termites, the pests will be killed. The risk with wall injections is the treatments might miss some termites. An advantage of this type of termite treatment is that the termiticide has a residual effect, so it can kill termites for the long term, depending on the type of chemicals used. Fumigation and heat kill termites instantly, but new termites could start invading soon after since there is no residual effect.

For more information on termite treatment options, contact a pest control company.