Dry-wood termites can do considerable damage to wooden furniture and wooden structures used in building. The toughest part is that they are difficult to detect. They live inside wooden structures in walls, flooring, roofs and cupboards. Once you detect their presence, the next step is to take immediate action to control termite infestation.
The traditional method used to control termite infestation is mainly fumigation. However, fumigants and chemicals may pose a threat to young children in the house. Besides, they are unfriendly to the environment.
Read on to know about some non-chemical, non-fumigation techniques used to control termite infestation in dry wood.
1.Pressure-Treated Wood:
Use pressure-treated wood for construction, which contains copper arsenate (CCA) and ammoniac copper zinc arsenate (ACZA). These chemical compounds are poisonous for the dry wood termites that try to feed on them.
2.Heat:
Termites can survive over a very narrow range of temperatures. The wooden structure is heated such that the temperature inside the wood is 120 degrees. This temperature must be maintained for at least half an hour. Usually, a propane burner is used to heat the structure up to 180 degrees for several hours up to a day.
You will need to cover the structure or seal the room to give enough time for the heat to reach the hidden termites and kill them.
3. Cold:
Unlike heat treatments, cold treatments are effective over smaller infested areas. Liquid nitrogen is used to lower the temperature of the structure to -20 degrees. This temperature must be maintained for 30 minutes to kill the termites. The gases released in this process are already found in the environment and are therefore environment-friendly.
The efficiency of the process may be increased by using insulating mats. However, this is not a very efficient method of treatment as there may be difficulties in lowering the temperature uniformly through the structure.
4. Microwaves:
This treatment uses commercial microwave devices for treatment. The infested areas of the wood are bombarded with lethal quantities of microwaves at high power. Exposure time varies with the thickness of the wood and location of the infestation. Microwaves do not cause paint to bubble or nails in the structure to heat up, which is advantageous to the process.
However, residents need to evacuate the site of the treatment.
5. Electrical Gun:
For years, this method has been used to control termite infestation. It is not known to have any adverse effects on human beings. It does not penetrate the skin or affect the heart. At 90 K volts, the gun sweeps across the infested area, killing the harboured termites.
For this treatment to be effective, however, it is important to know the exact area of infestation.
So use these environment-friendly methods to control termite infestation and keep your home healthy.
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