Do you have damaged wood located throughout different parts of your home? Are there random wings discarded on several of your windowsills? Have mud tubes started to show up on your foundation?

These are all signs that you might have a termite problem! They’re also signs that you should do something about the problem right away before it gets worse. Termites cause more than $5 billion worth of property damage to homes and businesses every year.

The first thing you should do after spotting signs of a termite infestation in your home is learn how to get rid of termites. Then, you should do whatever it takes to eliminate termites from your home once and for all.

Here are seven important tips that’ll help make your termite problem a thing of the past.

1. Figure Out How Termites Are Getting Into Your Home

Before you can start trying to find out how to get rid of termites, you’re going to need to try and figure out how they’re getting into your home.

Many homeowners inadvertently invite termites into their homes by leaving wood piles next to their houses. These wood piles tend to attract termites, and they make it easy for them to gain access to a home before too long.

It’s a good idea to move a wood pile away from your house if you have one. It’s also smart to remove tree stumps and other termite food sources from your yard if you can.

This will reduce the chances of more termites trying to take over your home once you get rid of the initial batch.

2. Use Orange Oil to Stop Them in Their Tracks

There are all kinds of natural ways to kill termites that are able to get into your home. One of the most popular ways to do it is by spraying orange oil in areas where you think termites might be.

Orange oil is derived from orange peels, and it contains a chemical called d-limonene that is deadly to termites. This chemical can dissolve the exoskeletons of termites and cause them to die.

Many homeowners will use orange oil in their houses regardless of whether they have termites or not. Outside of killing them, it can also let termites know that they’re not welcome in a home and send them retreating.

3. Kill Them on Contact With Vinegar

You can use vinegar for so many things throughout your home. It’s most commonly used to create cleaning solutions.

But it’s worth noting that vinegar can also be used to kill termites. To create a lethal spray for termites, all you need to do is mix a half a cup of vinegar with juice from a couple of lemons.

When you spray this concoction in the vicinity of termites, it’ll kill them on contact. If you have a bad infestation, you may need to spray vinegar in your home a few times to kill off all the termites that are crawling around.

4. Buy a Box of Borax Powder to Obliterate Them

Borax powder is gentle enough to use in a load of laundry. It can get clothes cleaner than using laundry detergent alone.

At the same time, borax powder can also cause nightmares for termites. Whether you sprinkle it in an area where termites are located or mix it with water to create a powerful spray, it can kill an entire colony of termites.

Just like with vinegar, you may need to sprinkle or spray it a few times for it to knock out all the termites in your home. But it’s a tried-and-true method for dealing with termites inside your house.

5. Let Nematodes Feast on Them for a Few Days

The idea of using parasitic worms to kill termites is too much for some people to take. But it’s an effective way to get rid of termites when other solutions aren’t working.

Nematodes are parasitic worms that love nothing more than chowing down on termites. When you put them in the right places in your home, they’ll get to work and will eliminate most of, if not all, of the termites in your house.

Nematodes will also reproduce over time and continue to keep an eye out for more termites. That makes them a solid long-term solution for a seemingly neverending termite problem.

6. Try the Wet Cardboard Trick

Are you having a tough time finding termites in your home even though you know they’re there? The wet cardboard trick is a low-cost way of identifying a termite problem and putting a dent in it.

Place a piece of cardboard in an area where you think termites might be and pour water on it. If termites are in the area, they won’t be able to resist flocking to the cardboard to eat it.

You can take the cardboard and burn it somewhere once you see activity on and around it. It’ll let you know how bad your problem really is.

7. Consider Hiring a Professional to Fumigate Your Home

As you’ve seen, there are many natural approaches that you can take when you’re learning how to get rid of termites. But there are times when the natural solutions won’t get the job done.

At that point, it’ll be time to call in a professional for help. They can tent your home and fumigate it to make sure there isn’t a single termite left behind following your treatment.

These tips will help you prepare your home for fumigation.

Learn How to Get Rid of Termites So They Don’t Take Over Your House

If you suspect you might have a termite problem in your home, the last thing you want to do is ignore it. Termites can do a ton of damage to homes and even make them structurally unsound in certain instances.

Learn how to get rid of termites and then take the steps to do it. From spraying orange oil to scheduling fumigation, there are so many ways that you can kill termites and restore the peace in your house.

Check out our blog to discover more ways to prevent pests from getting into your home and wreaking havoc on it.