Friday, August 2, 2013

Termites & Alternative Treatments

Termites can gobble up a house or building from the inside out. There are alternative treatments for termites, like excessive heat or cold, microwaves and electricity, that allow you to manage a termite infestation without toxic chemicals or expensive solutions for termite treatments. Minimizing the amounts of chemicals used in the home is a good way to protect pets and children from environmental toxins.

Excessive Heat

    Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley deemed excessive heat to be the only alternative method of termite treatment that is suitable for an entire structure, as opposed to spot treatment. Temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit have been shown to kill 100 percent of termites, their eggs and larvae.

Excessive Cold

    In field studies, temperatures below minus-20 degrees Celsius were effective 100 percent of the time. For spot treatment using temperature, liquid nitrous oxygen can be used in wall voids.

Electrocution

    The Etex company in Las Vegas, Nevada markets the Electrogun. designed to emit a high-voltage, low-frequency current that supposedly kills drywood termites. A UC Berkeley study found that this technique resulted in an immediate death of 73 percent of termites, with 96 percent being dead after 57 days. They have not discovered the reason for delayed mortality.

Microwaves

    Using microwave technology to kill termites might sound silly, but it's the actual wave and not the kitchen appliance that does the trick. Companies using microwaves for termite control have a hand-held device that's like a ray gun, emitting unshielded microwaves to spot treat termites.

Dogs

    Beagles are able to identify termites in wood samples with 81 percent accuracy (according to the same UC Berkeley Study), whereas electronic odor-detecting devices were correct 42 percent of the time. Use a beagle to detect termite nests, and then spot-treat small infestations instead of tenting the entire house with chemicals.

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