By Timothy Dale | Updated Apr 29, 2022 1:58 PM
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Termites are elusive pests that can quickly form colonies in your home before showing significant signs of the infestation. Since termites feed primarily on wood and wood products, a colony in your home can quickly cause a lot of damage. Common signs of termites include discolored drywall, peeling paint, hollow-sounding wood, and pinpoint holes in the drywall.
If a colony is left untreated long enough, your walls will literally begin to crumble. However, you can eliminate and prevent termites from reentering with the best termite treatment for your home. We researched top-rated termite treatments in a variety of categories, focusing on customer satisfaction, product efficacy, and value. We examined the leading options on the market, comparing the features—and, equally important, customer reviews—to come up with our list of favorites.
Termite infestations can grow quickly, requiring a termite treatment to rid your home completely of these annoying pests. However, if your home has not yet been infested, you can take these steps to help prevent termites.
If these preventive measures don’t keep the termites away, you might need to take steps with a DIY termite treatment or even consider calling in a professional exterminator, though the termiticides pros use are far more powerful and could require you to vacate the home temporarily.
Treating a termite infestation can be as easy as setting baits or as involved as digging a trench around your home to set up a termiticide barrier. The four main types of termite treatments include liquid-soil termiticides, termite baits, building materials with termiticides, and wood treatments.
Liquid-soil termiticides are a long-lasting treatment that can keep a home safe from termites for up to five years on average, though some products claim a longer protection period.
However, this treatment isn’t simple. It requires digging a trench around the home and applying the liquid treatment into it, making sure that there are no gaps in this chemical barrier before filling the trench. Termites can find gaps in the barrier, and could enter, so it is suggested to have yearly termite inspections just to be certain.
An easier method of applying a liquid-soil treatment is with a sprayer. The treatment doesn’t last as long when applied without a trench, but the concentrated spray termiticide is easy for most DIYers to use to form a chemical barrier in the soil surrounding their home.
Fighting a termite infestation with termite baits requires strategically placing bait stations around the home for the termites to find. The bait includes powerful active ingredients, like hexaflumuron, that kill the termites slowly. Foraging termites will take the readily-available bait back to their nest, infecting the other termites in the colony.
This method is effective for destroying an infestation, but could take a month or more before acting on the termites. Termite baits also need regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure that the bait stations still have bait.
A great way to prevent termite infestations in new construction is to treat the building materials with termiticides before beginning construction. Lumber can be treated with a spray or a brushed-on concentrated solution. An alternative is to apply termiticides anywhere the new structure touches the ground to pretreat the soil.
Building materials that are repellent to termites, like pressure-treated wood for building a deck, are other good alternatives. Or choose naturally-resistant materials like metal, concrete, or some types of wood.
Instead of treating the soil or setting up bait stations, wood treatments include surface sprays and treatments, and injected sprays and foams. These treatment options kill existing termite infestations and soak into the wood to prevent future pest problems. Pretreated termite-resistant construction materials use a similar product to coat lumber that will be used to build a home.
However, applying wood treatments often requires direct access to the wood so that treatments can soak into the fibers. This is why sprays are best for new construction as it is easier to apply the wood treatment directly to the material’s surface. Injection foams are best for pre-existing structures where they go into cracks and crevices to properly soak into unpainted edges of the painted wood.
Find the best termite treatment for your home out of these reliable pest control solutions.
Like all long-acting liquid-soil termite treatments, Taurus SC 78 Oz. Liquid Termiticide needs to be applied in a trench that surrounds a home’s perimeter. This sets up a chemical barrier that poisons termites in the area, taking less than 90 days to begin working. However, the poison does not kill on contact. Instead, termites carry it back to the nest, where it destroys the entire colony.
The chemical barrier created by this termite treatment remains in place for up to 10 years, keeping a home safe from termites, as well as from ants, centipedes, wasps, and roaches.
The active ingredient, fipronil, is used in cat and dog medicines to treat fleas, so it is pet-friendly. Though this isn’t a fast-acting treatment, it is a complete solution to keep a home safe from termites for years to come.
Get the Taurus termite treatment at Walmart.
This is not the type of insecticide to use on your fruits or vegetables, as it can have a toxic effect on humans if the plants are eaten. However, it’s an excellent option for use behind appliances, under your furniture, or on the flowers, trees, and shrubs in your yard. This affordable insecticide comes in a granular form that can be sprinkled around a problem area to create a barrier against invading insects.
This insecticide’s active ingredient, imidacloprid, kills gnats, mealybugs, aphids, whiteflies, and termites, and also acts as a fungicide to help keep your houseplants protected. If you are using this product on grass or other plants, you need to water the granules into the soil. The insecticide is then absorbed through the roots, protecting them for up to 8 weeks.
Get the Bonide termite treatment at Amazon, The Home Depot, and Walmart.
Termites and carpenter ants can do significant structural damage to a home by either eating or nesting in its wood framing. This ant and termite killer from Spectracide is designed to take out both types of insects on contact. It features a gun-shaped applicator with a high-pressure spray that can treat areas around the home’s foundation where carpenter ants and termites reside.
When applied to the foundation, this termite and carpenter ant killer stays present in the soil for up to 9 months and prevents future infestations. It’s also suitable for use around baseboards, closets, and outdoors around decks and wood fences. In addition to ants and termites, this product eliminates spiders, roaches, and other pests.
Get the Spectracide termite treatment at Amazon, The Home Depot, and Walmart.
DIYers can spray BASF 805571 Termidor Foam Termidicide behind baseboards, into termite holes, and other difficult to access areas of a home using the narrow spray hose. The foam takes only five seconds to expand, with 1 ounce quickly becoming 1 quart of foam. This expansion fills any gaps and forces the foam deeper into the termite tracks.
The nonrepellent formula is almost undetectable to termites, so they inadvertently make contact with it, ingest it, and share it in the nest. The active ingredient, fipronil, binds to a termite’s nerve endings, disrupting the central nervous system and killing them within 24 hours. BASF Termidor Foam Termiticide also works to treat carpenter ants, stink bugs, carpenter bees, and many other pests.
Get the BASF termite treatment on Amazon and at Walmart.
Spectracide Terminate Termite Detection & Killing Stakes are easy to install around the perimeter of a home using 10-foot spacing between stakes. The bait trap sinks into the ground where it is accessible to subterranean termites. Once the termites begin to take the bait, an indicator will be released on the top of the trap to show that the elimination of the nest has started.
The bait traps use the active ingredient hexaflumuron to destroy the reproductive abilities and maturation cycle of pests. The downside with this method is that it can take a few days to a few months to see any progress against termites and the need to monitor the bait regularly and replace the stakes at least once yearly to ensure ongoing protection.
Get the Spectracide termite treatment at Amazon, The Home Depot, and Walmart.
Mix Bora Care Natural Borate Termite Control at a 1:1 dilution with water and grab a sprayer, brush, or roller to apply to new or existing wooden materials. The active ingredient in this natural termite killer, disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, is a borate compound that disrupts the enzyme production and digestive systems of the termite, ultimately causing death.
This termite control treatment kills any existing infestation in the wood and can last as effective protection against recurring infestations for decades. The wood treatment will kill all species of termites, wood-infesting beetles, carpenter ants, and decay fungi and can be used on both interior and exterior structures for extensive security.
Get the Bora Care termite treatment on Amazon.
For those looking to end their termite problem without introducing harmful chemicals in the environment, diatomaceous earth is a solid option. This natural substance consists of the fossilized remains of microscopic aquatic organisms; it infiltrates the exoskeletons of termites, dehydrating them from the inside out and killing them within 48 hours.
Diatomaceous earth is also an effective means of killing ants, bedbugs, cockroaches, fleas, and other insects. This product is not harmful to humans or pets, providing the ideal pest control solution for homes with pets and young children.
Get the Safer termite treatment at Amazon, The Home Depot, and Walmart.
BioAdvanced Termite Killer Home Perimeter Treatment is a powdered substance that DIYers can sprinkle around their home’s perimeter. They must then water the powder with a hose or any other method of applying water to the powder that will allow it to seep into the soil. The treatment acts within a month to kill existing nests and can protect a home for up to six months.
The active ingredient in this BioAdvanced termite killer, imidacloprid, works in a way similar to fipronil, killing insects by disrupting communication in their central nervous system, but it is less toxic to humans and pets. Unfortunately, due to the method of activation, this termite treatment can only be used outside, but it is an excellent option for perimeter defense in the yard.
Get the BioAdvanced termite treatment at Amazon, The Home Depot, and Walmart.
Selected for its ability to kill a whole colony of pests with just one application, the Taurus option is our first pick for the best termite killer. Made with fipronil, this formula is safe for pet-friendly homes and lasts for over 10 years of continuous protection. Plus, this option is great for those that want to keep termites from entering the home as it is meant for outdoor use.
Alternatively, if you are struggling with termites that have already entered your home, the Bonide pick comes with a lower price tag and can be used indoors and outdoors. Made with imidacloprid, this formula is great for deterring a variety of pests with one easy application. Once applied, this formula will last for over 8 weeks of protection.
Killing your current pests or preventing termite infestation can protect your home from disastrous consequences in the long run. Our selections for the best termite treatments depended upon ease of use, effectiveness, ingredients used, and longevity.
The above picks are all proven to be effective at deterring termites and other pests with strong active ingredients like imidacloprid, fipronil, lambda-cyhalothrin, and hexaflumuron. Each ingredient is made to effectively kill termites, ants, roaches, fleas, and/or more common pets for all-around protection in your home or outdoor space. Plus, many of the above picks are meant to last for weeks or months after just one application.
The above picks are also easy to use as they can either be sprinkled, sprayed, or set up within minutes. Be advised that some of these treatments may require watering or monitoring to remain effective and some also may not be safe for vegetable gardens or homes with pets and children.
Consider these frequently asked questions about termite treatment before buying.
Common signs that you may have termites include discolored or drooping drywall, peeling paint, hollow-sounding wood, pinpoint holes in drywall, excessively squeaky floorboards, crumbling wood, and loosening floor tiles from the extra moisture termites add to a floor.
Yes. All pesticides should be handled with care and termiticides are no exception. Users must apply these chemicals properly to avoid ingestion or absorption into the body.
Termites are most active between March and November, but can remain active all year in warmer climates.
Termite treatments can last on average for up to five years, depending on the type of treatment you choose. Some treatments claim to last longer, while others require monthly monitoring.
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