I'm not sure that this really falls under the gardening category but I need fast thrifty tips on how to get rid of termites! I noticed the tree in my front yard was dying and I looked at it yesterday and there was mud packed on the side of it. I scraped some off and underneath were thousands of termites eating away. I've also found a large number of "mud tubes" in my yard and when I clear them, there are termites inside.
I live paycheck to paycheck (very low income) and cannot afford a pest control company to treat this. Does anyone have a thrifty, homemade tip that might help with this. I'm so afraid they will make their way into my house if they haven't already and my skin is already crawling just thinking about it. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Hardiness Zone: 7a
Cjdnnm from Roswell, NM
Go to Home Depot and see what they have in termite baits. Read all the labels - you'll become educated quickly. (08/03/2006)
By Holly
I worked for a PEST extermination company for a while, learning that termites are everywhere on the planet just about two feet under the ground, a fact of life. Ordinary pesticide kills the swarmers, and the chewers, but the queen may NEVER be killed unless one uses the bait that is then carried back to her.
I have a LOT of damage from them, and from the large Ants that eat termites, because I too am low income. However, I have just sprayed wherever they pop up and that's all I can do. It's the only part of my yard that's not Organic! and the only pesticide I use. I use it rarely, maybe once every five years. (08/03/2006)
By Lynda
I bought commercial grade termite killer from www.doityourselfpestcontrol.com. It was $80 and I went to Lowes and purchased a sprayer/foamer for 18.88. I mixed the chemicals, sprayed the termites and their trail from the attic to the ground (we already had the wall tore up due to a water leak). That was a year ago and I check every few months and have seen NO termite activity.
Now, this is the amusing part. We got 2 estimates on having a pest control company treat for the termites. One was $1100 and the other was $1300 for a one time treatment. One inspected the home and showed me where the termites were. The other company was my current pest control offering a free termite inspection and he told me I didn't have a problem. I had to tell him otherwise and he was quick to give me an estimate! You cannot trust anyone these days!
The one thing I do remember is that they told me it is not a matter of IF you get termites, it's WHEN! I live in central Texas and it is a common problem here and they do leave one house and go to the next. Good luck! (09/27/2006)
By suzi_homemaker01
I just had a termite inspection of my home. The result was no termites. Two days ago, I had my tree trimmed and their were small burrows in the tree limb. The guy said they were termites and there were tiny little whitish things in there. What should I do? The tree is not dead. (12/16/2006)
By Jane
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