Termite Guide - How to Kill Termites

Welcome to the Termites Guide - a guide to how to get rid of termites. This website covers all of the basics - from how you can tell if your home is infested with termites, to improvements to make to keep them from getting in, to specific explanation of how each termite control product works and what the advantages and disadvantages of each one are.

Basic Information About Termites:

Termite Colonies - Information on the social structure of termites, and how a colony is formed and functions.

Damage from Termites - Info on what kind of damage you can expect if your home has termites.

Do you have them?

Pictures of Termites - Some more photos to help you identify them.

How to do a Termite Inspection - This page covers how to do a termite inspection yourself, the signs of termites, links to pictures of what to look for and pictures of termites, as well as the basics about getting a professional inspection done.

Keep in mind - there are other bugs that also eat wood and can mimic the signs of a termite infestation. You need to consider the possibility that you've got one of those instead - especially if you're seeing stuff that looks like sawdust. Here's some info on the common ones:

Powder-Post Beetles

Old House Borers

Carpenter Ants

Kinds of Termites:

Flying Termites - This is what people see most commonly and what often prompts a call to the exterminator. It is a caste used solely for reproducing and founding new nests, and is not a different species.

Drywood Termites - This is a specific species of termite that lives in wood, and does not burrow into the soil. They have to be treated differently from the regular kind, because baits and other methods will not work on them.

Subterranean Termites - This is the most common kind, and it lives all throughout the United States.

Formosan Termites - An imported type, this one comes from Asia and lives mainly in the South in the U.S. - it is very damaging to property and can destroy your home much more quickly than other varieties.

General Advice:

Termite Protection - A list of different ways you can try to prevent termites from infesting your home in the first place. Some of these are natural and non-chemical, so it's a good place to start if you want to minimize pesticide use.

General Ways to Kill Termites:

1) Liquid Termite Treatment - Liquid termiticides are sprayed around your house to kill or repel any termites coming into contact with them.

2) Termite Baits - The other major way to kill termites, baits are placed around your home and gradually kill off a colony by spreading small amounts of pesticides through the workers.

3) Borate Termite Treatment - Borate treatments are applied directly to wood in your house, sort of like a coat of paint. This is best done when the house is being constructed, however.

4) Fumigation - A method that only works on a specific species, the drywood termite, that is common in the Southernmost parts of the United States.

Do It Yourself Products:

Specific Products:

Sentricon Termite Control (bait)

Exterra (bait)

FirstLine (bait)

Terminate (bait)

Advance (bait)

Subterfuge (bait)

Termidor (liquid)

Premise (liquid)

Phantom