We’ve all used a can of over the counter pest spray to get rid of a particularly unpleasant insect – perhaps sprayed flies at a bbq or tried to kill off a curious spider who’s made his way inside. Termites, however, are a different kind of pest, and require more permanent and wide ranging treatments. The damage these pests can do is staggering, as one or two termites turn into a nest, and then an infestation that can reduce a timber structure to an empty shell in just a few months.
It’s hardly surprising that the very idea of termites in and around your property can have you quickly reaching for a DIY solution, especially as professional treatments can seem a little expensive or hard to organise. Before you head down to your local hardware store, however, there are some things you should know about DIY termite treatments that might surprise you.
Cheap DIY Treatments Will Cost You More In The End
Going for a cheap do it yourself termite treatment is a false economy, because:
- The amount of chemicals you’ll need to actually protect your property is vast. Pest control experts have suggested that you need around 600 litres of product for a true chemical barrier to prevent and kill termites. Even buying an industrial sized DIY termite spray will only give you a fraction of the amount you’ll really need.
- Most DIY termite solutions are diluted for market use, simply for safety reasons. The amount of active ingredient that will have any effect on termites is reduced, leaving DIYers with a less potent product.
- The majority of us have only a vague idea of how termites actually get into their properties, what they eat and how to get rid of them. While the internet is a great source of general information, it can be difficult to find professional advice that actually works. This means that you may well be enthusiastically spraying chemicals in places that won’t have any effect on a termite colony, and missing the areas where you should be targeting. This can not only mean you’re wasting your money, but can pose a threat to the local environment as well as any occupants of the property such as children and pets.
- Current over the counter solutions are mostly based on repellent chemicals, meaning that the most they will ever do around your property is steer termites away from certain areas. They are not designed to kill individual termites or to ensure the colony is killed off. Worse still, termites will almost certainly find alternative routes into your property looking for food, simply avoiding the chemicals.
Professionally administered treatments, targeted and high strength products are the only proven way to repel and kill termites from your property and keep it safe over the long term. Professional pest controllers use a range of termite chemicals, traps and barriers to target termites and their colonies. They’ll be able to assess your property and find exactly the right solution that will maximise your protection against these pests, but minimise any impact on the property’s occupants and the surrounding environment.
A termite expert will also have access to equipment and tools that DIYers can only dream about. These include tools to inject the specially designed chemicals deep into the ground around the property’s foundations to ensure a complete, unbroken barrier is formed. Compare this with the spray bottles most cheap DIY termite treatments come in and you can see why a professional treatment will be so much more effective to stop termites.
As you can see, thinking that you can treat termites by yourself and save yourself some money will simply end in you buying ineffective chemicals that may end up being washed away in the rain or may even pose a health hazard to everyone in the property. By the time you’ve added up all the costs and time you’ve wasted, you would have been better off contacting a professional termite controller in the first place.
Author Bio – Danny Kelly
Owner/Technician at Pest-Ex Pest Control, I’ve been in the Pest & Termite control business for 10 years and love my job. I am passionate about my brand and customer service is number 1 priority for my team. Determined to be the industry leaders in Pest Control.
