Monday, April 9, 2012

Effective Ways of Controlling Dry wood Termites

By Tij Ced


Dry wood termites are insects that live in colonies. They are natural decomposers. They break down dry wood thus addition of humus to soil. This is to the positive side. They destroy dry wood structures on the other hand. This therefore calls for one to know how to control dry wood termites to cub their destructive nature. There are methods to treat wood so that it is not infected. One can opt to use chemical, non-chemical or biological methods to combat the problem. The method one chooses will depend on the cost, quantity of destruction, Reliability and effectiveness among other factors.

Fumigation is one chemical method used to control dry wood termites. Common chemicals used are Sulfur fluoride, which kills the dry wood termites in approximately three days. Methyl bromide is another chemical used but has environmental effects. Other chemical methods include use of aerosol pyrethrum and aerosol pyrethroides and liquid nitrogen among other chemicals. Liquid Nitrogen kills by causing a sudden drop in temperature. This is an effective method because it kills on the spot.

Most non-chemical options used are, Heating, placement, painting, electrocution and microwave energy. Heating as a method destroys the cell membranes and denatures enzymes required for the existence of the dry wood termites. Dry wood in this case is heat to higher temperatures of about 100C for 30 minutes. The only problem with this method is destruction of home appliances made of plastic such as electric cables.

High electric voltage is use in electrocution to kill the dry wood termites. The equipment used is like a gun which is directed to the infected areas. This equipment uses low current to kill the insect by electric shock. The biological methods are not well defined and unreliable. This is due to the fact that they mostly depend on other living things such as pathogens, parasites and predators. These are not that reliable.

In conclusion, the appropriate method used on how to control dry wood termites will depend on various factors. These include the cost, effectiveness, and the side effects among others. As a result one needs to choose the most appropriate method that works well.




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