How do you kill Termites and not your 8-Week Old Baby?!!?
Question:My friend has an 8-week old baby at home, and thinks his house may have a termite problem. They don't have the money to hire an exterminator, and he's afraid what he uses to kill the bugs might make the baby sick. Any ideas short of burning the house down and starting over?
Answers:
Termites don't actually live in the house (well some species do but most don't). Treatments are designed to go around the foundation of the house to block entry to the house by the colony. The baby should be fine. The consumer level termite treatments are not all that reliable - you should chip in and help him get it treated by a professional - they have much more effective treatments.
Go to a store that carries bug control products and talk to them. The termite control goes in the ground outside and in the wood like under the floor etc. They can tell you what to do and what is safe.
you can get bait from Lowes. Try that. It might not be as effective as Terminix. But you wont' have to worry about fumes to harm your baby. If you rent, make your landlord fix the problem. If you own or are buying, you may want to fix the problem before they eat up your house. Shop around someone might cut you a deal.
try spraying the base of the foundation with a mix of vinegar and any green colored liquid dishwashing detergent. Put it in a sprayer for fertilizer or one of those sprayers than Windex sells for doing windows. spray up the side of the house about knee high and spray the ground- saturating with the sudsy mix out about 12 inches. Spray any wood piles nearby or any retaining walls. Repeat this every 1-2 weeks until you don't see so many.
Termites are not a do- it - yourself type of problem. There are many companies that have reasonable rates since it is a long term situation. Leave it to the pro's now, or else there won't be a house to flee from. Especially with a baby.
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