As with numerous other types of bug infestations, many people finding themselves with a termite infestation assume that they can buy a termite treatment from a store and do the job themselves. Well, in some circumstances where there is a infestation in a relatively small structure, well away from the main building this might be possible, but, treating termites is a undertaking which requires knowledge and know how and should really be left to a professional.

To help you decide whether to tackle a termite problem yourself ask yourself do you have a wide knowledge of building construction? If the answer is no, you will most definitely have huge problems in identifying the most likely entry points for the termites. Can you safely use the specialist equipment involved? By this I mean tools such a masonry drills, soil treatment rods and so on Again if the answer is no or not sure do not attempt this! Remember, this is not a simple task of using a little spray bottle at areas around the building - a termite treatment will normally involve the use of many hundreds of gallons of a termiticide being injected into foundation walls, under slabs and into the ground along the foundation.

After made your choice of termite treatment company it is important to have the most successful type of treatment applied. You will probably have a choice with regard to the extent of the treatment.

Termite colonies are usually made up of many hundreds of thousands of tiny pests, all hunting for food in numerous different directions. Taking this into consideration having a termite treatment applied only in limited areas may be a false economy because there is a strong possibility that the termites will just find another entry point into your house. It is also highly likely that most termite treatment companies will not offer any guarantee for this type of treatment.

Alternatively some companies will have a treatment known as a perimeter treatment whereby they will treat with a non-repellent termiticide solution around the whole foundation wall of the house and at the same time carry out localised treatment of any infested locations or high risk areas within the property. It is vital that if you opt go for such a termite treatment that you ensure that the company will supply you with a service agreement which make sure that any future termite infestation will be exterminated at no additional cost.

However, if you do have a termite problem having the whole house treated is definitely the best option. So what are the best termite treatments?

Termite treatments are divided into two distinct categories, baits and liquids. Liquid termiticides which are injected into the soil have been available for a extremely long time. These are used in order to create barrier which stops the termites from entering the house and the termites already in the property are unable return to the nest and will most certainly die off too. However, these chemicals will not actually kill the termites they only repel them. More recently developed chemicals will kill the termites as they try to squirm through the treated soil. For this reason this type of termite treatment tends to have a greater success rate first time round.

The second option is baiting. Here a solution poisonous to termites is placed underground in a cylindrical plastic container along with a food source such as paper or cardboard to which the poison has been applied.The termites then munch trough the food and return to the nest to feed the others. The result is that the colony of termites is slowly exterminated. Baiting might be used in isolation in some circumstances or in conjunction with a liquid treatment depending on the nature of the infestation.

As a rule of thumb, so long as the termite treatment is executed in a thorough way and in line with manufacturers instructions your home should be protected from further termite invasion for a full 5 years. However this can vary and depends on factors such as environmental conditions and the quantity of termites. Any problems with termites within the first 12 months or so is in the majority of instances nothing to do with the failure of the actual chemical treatment but more to do with the termites discovering any small space which has been overlooked during treatment.

The use of any type of chemicals immediately brings to mind the question are they harmful to humans or animals? All of the solutions used in termite treatments are tested exhaustively. It is therefore safe to say that none of the termiticides used give any significant cause for concern for the health of either party or indeed the environment. For anyone with real misgivings about their use, baiting is probably the best option.