How to Get Rid of Drywood Termites

While most termites build colonies underground, drywood termites choose to make their homes inside wood. If they’re left unchecked, they’ll eat away at anything wooden, from the wooden parts of your house to your furniture to even your books. Additionally, they’ll also wreak havoc on your trees and plants.

If you suspect termites have invaded your home, you need to respond quickly. Thankfully, there are many ways to get rid of drywood termites. You can also call your trusted termite control provider to help you out whenever necessary.

So how can you purge your home and get rid of these pesky drywood termites? There’s a four-step approach that can help you decisively deal with any termite infestation. Dive in to find out more.

Steps to Eliminate Drywood Termites From Your Home

While there are a lot of ways to get rid of drywood termites, they’re nothing more than half measures without proper planning and execution. So if you’re really serious and committed to taking on any termite infestation, you should follow the steps below:

Step 1: Locate the Infestation Site

Before you go purging your house of drywood termites, you first need to find where they are. While spotting drywood termites can be challenging given their size and behavior, they can still leave traces that will help you locate their hiding places. These include:

• Hollowed wood

Tap or knock on wooden parts of your house as well as on your wooden furniture. If you hear a hollow sound or a soft thud, there are probably drywood termites living inside. In case you don’t hear anything, get a screwdriver and press it onto the wood. If it gives easily, then it confirms the infestation.

• Peeling paint

Whenever they move, drywood termites tend to leave moisture in the space between the paint and the surface of your house. This will gradually cause the paint to peel off from the surface. If you notice peeling paint along with other telltale infestation signs, then it’s a clear indication that you have a termite infestation at your hands.

• Strange noises

Another indication that dry wood termites have invaded your house is the ruckus they sometimes make. Whenever termite soldiers sense threats, they signal to their colony by shaking their bodies and banging their heads against the nearest surface. This results in a strange clicking sound coming off your walls or furniture, and it clearly gives away their presence.

• Scattered wings

As a drywood termite colony grows, it develops into reproductive and soldier castes. Reproductive drywood termites will grow wings so they can go off to form new colonies. Whenever this happens, many of them usually shed their wings in the process. So in case you encounter a bunch of these scattered wings as you clean your house, best prepare for the possibility of a drywood termite invasion.

• Droppings

Drywood termites love to clean their nests, pushing their frass or droppings out of their homes whenever they clean up. If you find mounds of small, granular, oval pellets in your house, then you have found their droppings and their hiding spot.

When looking for possible drywood termite infestation, make sure to check the wooden parts of your house, your wooden furniture, and your garden. Check every nook and cranny of your house, including the attic, all cracks and joints of the house, and even the fuse boxes.

Learn more about How to Identify and Get Rid Of Drywood Termite Droppings in Your Home.

Step 2: Inspect the Infested Areas

Once you confirm that there are drywood termites wreaking havoc in your home, the next thing to do is inspecting the infested areas as thoroughly as possible. Doing so will help you find the best way to get rid of these pests from your home. It will also help you estimate the cost for pest control and home repairs. As an added benefit, it will help you detect other problems in your house that need fixing (e.g., fungus, water damage, plumbing leaks, etc.).

Drywood termite inspections need certain tools and techniques. For starters, you should try the following if you want to thoroughly inspect termite colonies and infested areas:

• Switch on the utilities

As drywood termite colonies grow, they tend to interfere with the utilities in your home. If you want to thoroughly inspect any infested areas, you need to turn everything on first. Switch on your home’s electricity, water, and gas, and check if any of them is malfunctioning. This allows you to better assess how much damage the drywood termites are causing. 

• Do other small inspections

Doing certain small inspections will also help you determine how severe your termite problem is. So while you keep the utilities on, you might as well test the other parts of your house. Check your doors and windows for signs of drywood termites, unclog your drains and test your toilet flushes, and clean the gutters and areas outside your property.

• Clear the area around the infested site

The cleaner the area around the infestation site, the better you can assess the damage. So before doing the inspection, best clear the site first. Get rid of furniture, debris, and other things that might limit the inspection. Also, make sure you and your chosen pest control professional can easily access the area during the investigation.

Properly inspecting termite infestations will take time, depending on your problem. So if you have a busy schedule, call on your trusted pest control professional to do it for you. Pest control providers are well trained for this kind of task, and they’ll be able to thoroughly assess your drywood termite problem within one and a half hours or less.

Step 3: Eliminate the Problem

After thoroughly inspecting the affected areas, you can proceed with purging the drywood termites from your home. Luckily, drywood termite infestations tend to be smaller than subterranean termite infestations. Eliminating them will not take you much effort.

There are several effective termite control treatments for dealing with drywood termites. Check out some of these below:

• Boric acid treatment

Safe and affordable, boric acid is easily one of the best solutions for dealing with drywood termites. You’ll be able to deal with the termite infestation plaguing your home, all while not worrying about the well-being of your family and pets. The only downside to this method is that it tends to work slower than others, and it won’t help you completely annihilate the termite colony.

All you need for this anti-termite treatment is boric acid, water, and a blunt-tipped syringe. Mix the water and boric acid together, then use the syringe to inject the solution into the target areas. The wood will immediately absorb the substance, and any termite that ingests it will get poisoned.

• Drill-and-fill treatment

If the infested area is coated with paint or finish which you don’t want to be removed, then you can try the drill-and-fill method. For this anti-termite treatment, you’ll need a drill, a ⅛-inch or a ¼-inch drill bit, and foam or gel drywood termite insecticides.

Use the drill to make holes in the infested wood. Make sure the holes are 8 to 10 inches apart, as well as deep enough to reach the drywood termites within. Then fill these holes with the termite insecticide before closing them using appropriate materials (e.g., wood patch, putty, etc.).

• Fumigation gas treatment

If you’re dealing with more extensive drywood termite infestations, then opt for fumigation gas treatment. This technique effectively deprives drywood termites of their oxygen supply, and they’ll eventually fall one after the other until the area is cleared.

Fumigation gas treatments are 100% effective in nearly every case. However, it needs to be performed by a pest control professional, and your house will be covered with a fumigation tent before the gas is released. In short, you’ll need to spend a few days away from your home during the process.

• Orange oil treatment

Last but not least, you can consider employing orange oil to eradicate drywood termites infestation from your house. Orange oil is extracted from orange rinds, and it’s commonly used as a food additive or cleaning agent. It contains D-limonene and many other ingredients that are effective against drywood termites and other small insects. Needless to say that it’s one of the best organic termite insecticides you can get.

Orange oil treatments use the same processes employed by boric acid, drill-and-fill, and other anti-termite treatments. Just poke holes in the infested area, inject it with orange oil, and seal the holes afterward. Since it has low toxicity, you can practically have it done while you, your family, and your pets are lounging nearby.

Aside from these four, there are other reliable methods for dealing with drywood termite infestations. If you want to determine what termite control treatment is best for your home, contact your trusted pest control professional.

Step 4: Prevent Future Termite Invasions

By getting proper diagnosis and treatment about the situation, you can get rid of drywood termites from your home. Your mission doesn’t end with destroying their colonies, though. You need to ensure they don’t make a comeback, too. That being said, here are some of the best prevention methods you can try:

• Use screens

Once drywood termites are out of your house, you should make an effort to keep it that way. One way to do this is by installing screens on all the vents in your home. For best results, use 20-grade screen meshes. Aside from your vents, you should consider installing meshes on your windows and doors to prevent termite entry there.

• Check for leaks

While drywood termites don’t rely on moisture as much as dampwood termite or their subterranean cousins, you should still do what you can to deprive them of possible water supplies. So inspect your home for any leaks where gas or liquid might seep through.

• Use different wood

Certain woods are naturally more resistant to drywood termites, and some of these can even turn them off. So as much as you can, try replacing the woods you use. Get furniture made of bald cypress or Spanish cedar. Other termite-proof woods to choose from include redwood, melaleuca mulch, and teak among others.

• Protect your wood

Simultaneously, you should do everything you can to keep your wood safe from drywood termites. For example, if you use firewood regularly, store it in an area that can’t be accessed by termites. You should also regularly treat your wooden furniture with insecticide to ensure they stay resistant to future termite invasions.

• Get inspected regularly

Finally, get inspections from your trusted pest control professional regularly. Doing so not only prevents any future drywood termite infestations, but it will also bring to light other telltale signs that can lead to other insect-related problems.

Learn more: How Do Termites Get Into Your House? Your Guide To Termite-Free Living

Exterminate Drywood Termites With Pinnacle Pest Control

Drywood termite infestations are a problem you need to take seriously. By following the four steps laid out above, you’ll ensure your home stays free from these pests.

Got a drywood termite infestation in your house? Call Pinnacle Pest Control now! We constantly strive to give you excellent pest control services, and we offer some of the best solutions for your drywood termite problem.

Interested in our drywood termite treatment? Call us to get a free quote or schedule an inspection.