This can be helpful if you’re wondering how to treat termites in a house naturally. Readily available from hardware stores for purchase, diatomaceous earth is a fine powder with naturally abrasive properties that can puncture a termite’s exoskeleton, leading to moisture loss. You can sprinkle this around the perimeter of your home, as well as potential entry sites and areas with high termite activity.

A slow-acting but versatile termite treatment option, boric acid damages a termite’s outer shell, and can be purchased in a powdered form. You can sprinkle it directly around the perimeter of your home to prevent termite entry, where it will also penetrate deep into small crevices. Or, mix it with just enough water to form a thick paste and spread it over infested timber with a brush. You can even dissolve a teaspoon in a cup of warm water to make a spray.

With natural insecticide properties, the following essential oils are effective against termites as well as a range of other crawling insects:

Clove oil

Use a few drops of clove oil mixed with water to spray around termite hotspots.

Neem oil

With an unpleasant, bitter smell, neem oil disrupts termite growth hormones and developmental processes. It can be injected directly into damaged wood to target termites, or you can make a spray with 1 tablespoon of neem oil to 2 litres of water, with a dash of liquid detergent. You can apply this directly to termites, hollow timber structures and potential entry points such as door and window frames.

Orange oil

Containing d-limonene, an active ingredient which breaks down termite exoskeletons and metabolic processes, orange oil can be diluted with water and sprayed over termite hotspots, mud tubes and affected timber.

Thick, impermeable and sometimes laced with phenol, petroleum jelly is a surprisingly useful termite deterrent as it starves termites of oxygen. You can apply it liberally to timber-based surfaces and structures to create a tough physical barrier to termite entry.

As one of the best and most easily accessible dehydrating agents around, salt will draw water away from termites, who rely heavily upon moisture to survive.

You can simply sprinkle salt around problem areas or make a strong saline spray by dissolving a large amount of salt in warm water.

The best way to combat termites is to prevent them from venturing near your home in the first place. While you can do your best at reducing sources of moisture around your yard and removing dead tree stumps and woodpiles, subterranean termites happen to be very discreet in their movements. You could still miss the earliest signs of an outbreak.

 If you’ve tried DIY options and are still wondering how to treat termites at home safely and for good, professional intervention is the most reliable solution.

Yearly termite inspections

At Allstate, we recommend yearly termite inspections by licensed termite inspectors, per government regulations, to ensure that you and your family stay safe from infestation. More frequent inspections may be required if your property is considered as high risk, for example, if you live near a creek, or your home has previously had a termite issue.

Premise termite treatment spray

If termites are detected at your inspection, we offer a fast-acting treatment that can be applied directly to the soil and foundations underneath your home. Premise non-repellent termiticide spray contains imidacloprid, a targeted active ingredient that works within days to disrupt the termite nervous system and reduce the termite population.

Sentricon Always Active termite bait stations

For the best long-term protection, we recommend having a Sentricon termite barrier installed around your property. With stations positioned underground, 30 centimetres away from the walls of your home, spaced 3 metres apart, the baits are embedded with a powerful termiticide called hexaflumuron. When our clients ask us how to best treat termites at home, you can’t beat a Sentricon system.

Unlike subterranean termites, drywood termites require less moisture to survive, and as a result, live exclusively in dry wood as their name suggests. They usually live higher up from the ground in wooden and timber structures and furniture, and as a result, are unaffected by cold weather.

As they don’t tend to leave mud tubes, it can be difficult to spot drywood termites in winter, so you may not know that they are there until they have carried out significant damage.

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll see swarmers emerge until the very end of winter, when the temperatures start to rise heading into spring. If you do see termite swarmers, it means that the risk of an outbreak near your home is higher because they are scouting for a good location to start up a new nest.

Here are some simple ways to make your home and yard a less appealing place for termites to settle:

Regular yard maintenance

Termites thrive where there is plenty of wood, so if you have lots of trees, rotting tree stumps, woodpiles, wooden sleepers, furniture or plant holders, it’s best to either remove them or ensure that they are kept away from your house at the very least.

Prevent all sources of moisture

Effective termite prevention includes addressing damp environments which help them to maintain enough moisture in their thin outer shells to survive. It also aids in their ability to digest the tough cellulose fibres in the wood that they consume. This means that you’re more likely to attract termites if you have a pond, bird baths or leaky plumbing, or live near a large body of water.

Also check that rooms in your home with higher humidity are properly ventilated, and that the soil on your property is well drained.

Termite inspections

Because termites are difficult to spot, the only way to know whether or not you have them is with a termite inspection. Fully equipped with the latest in termite detecting tools, Allstate’s licensed termite inspectors will thoroughly check all outdoor and indoor areas for even the most subtlest signs of termite activity.

If you have a termite outbreak, Allstate offers several modern and effective treatments that can be tailored to your individual situation.

Before applying any treatments, our first step in every termite management plan is to always conduct a thorough assessment to get to the source of the outbreak.

Then, to reduce the active population, we use the following termite treatments

Premise termiticide spray

Applied directly to soil in designated treatment zones, this non-repellent spray contains a targeted active ingredient called imidacloprid, which acts powerfully to repel termites. It is commonly used in areas which are known to have active termites.

Sentricon Always Active bait stations

For long term termite protection, a Sentricon barrier around the perimeter of your building has been shown to be highly effective. Discreetly installed underground at every 3 metres, Sentricon bait stations contain hexaflumuron, which disrupts the termite life cycle.

To improve the survival of their species, termites swarm to reproduce and expand their geographical reach. This is a key sign that you probably have a mature termite colony nearby.

For most termites, this normally happens in warm and humid weather, in late spring to early summer, after rainfall. You might see up to 50,000 male and female termites pair off to mate and establish a new nesting site. Swarming during the daytime is most common, though some species prefer the evenings. If you have lots of trees, woodpiles or ponds on your property, this could be very appealing for swarmers, so it’s best to stay alert.

Once swarmers have completed the fertilisation process, they will lose their wings and become the new primary King and Queen for the new colony. Pay attention to flying termites and discarded wings around your home in spring.

Responsible for populating the colony, reproductive termites play an important role in beginning the termite life cycle. There are 3 main types of reproductive termites in a colony with each serving a distinct role in its survival.

Primary reproductive termites

The original founders of a new colony, reproductive termites have one main job: to create and lay eggs. Also known as the King and Queen, they are darker in colour and have better vision than other termites. Queen termites can grow up to 4-6 inches long, whereas Kings tend to remain the same size as other worker termites.

Secondary reproductive termites

Playing a supportive role to the primary reproductive termites, there is usually a pair of secondary reproductive termites which act as a backup King and Queen. They are ready to step up in case anything happens to the primary pair. They also play a role in maintaining the size of the colony. In some species, there may be multiple pairs of secondary reproductive termites.

Swarmers or alates

When a colony has reached capacity and is ready to expand, you will notice the presence of swarmers or alates. Tasked with starting a new colony, these swarmers are reproductive termites with wings. Upon maturity, they develop a tougher and darker outer shell to make them resistant to moisture loss, as well as better eyesight, to assist with swarming.

In late spring to early summer, you could find up to 50,000 swarmers leaving a colony to find a mate and establish a new colony elsewhere. Once fertilisation is complete, swarmers lose their wings and become the new primary King and Queen.

Thankfully, it’s thought that only around 10% of swarmers will be successful in mating and starting a new colony!