What is the most effective natural way of eliminating termites in the garden?

Question

It should not poison or affect in any way my grass, plants, mango and jackfruit tree. Somebody told me boric acid, but is it safe?

Answer 1

Ahhh....not chemically impressed...my kind of gardener!!

Wellllll....as one of your other answer-ers assumed, you must live in heat! Originally from Florida (Mangos, Key Limes etc....)...we always had an issue with termites as well. And, as another answer-er said.....worry too, about your house! While there are many types of termites; there are some that would never look at 2x4's as anything to eat.....however....if you've got one type, the chances that you have the other go up 10 fold!!

Boric acid: Safe (??) Boric acid works by causing the mucus membranes and soft tissues to swell. To effect you, kids, dogs, cats, birds, etc....a rather large portion would have to be ingested. Boric acid around your garden is relatively harmless to you, kids, dogs etc.... Absorption through the mucus membranes though can cause swelling and discomfort. The reason it works on the buggies is because they are exoskeletal. Any swelling of their tissues, internal organs etc...causes them to be crushed inside of their own bodies. Not the most pleasant way to think of it, but....that's the straight answer. As to safe: I've gotten some in my mouth. Tongue got a little fuzzy and numb...felt like a trip to the dentist.....other than that...no effect. And my cats/dogs take a sniff and walk away. Doesn't harm the plants in any way at all....now.....I don't imagine you have an exoskeleton....do you??

So.....first....are you sure they are termites? There are winged ants and other critters that actually look like termites, but are not. They can be just as bothersome...and actually MORE damaging to your garden than termites.... Take a sample (dead or alive..) into your county extension office for positive ID and then make additional plans to have your home checked if they really are members of the termite family. A lot of companies will give you a "free" inspection in hopes of roping you into a service contract. Not really a bad idea in hot/humid places...and not usually that expensive. (especially in comparison to contruction repairs....but I digress)

In the meantime-the following works for garden termites and other nasty, winged, critters and controlling them in and around the garden is basically....uhm......easy:

1: remove all dead-wood
2: remove all wood based mulches (including...or should I say...ESPECIALLY.....cedar)
(and check landscaping timbers...if any....they LOVE this stuff!!)
3: find the central location for each "type" (and yes...there are many)...if they are actually on YOUR property (they like to roam...that's why they have wings)
4: Boric acid straight into the central nest if possible. A meat baster full...squeeze...puff......wheeeee.......(sorry...I hate termites and ground bees.....)
This will kill any exoskeletal critters in the area (including all of the "pedes", beetles, wasps, bees....so be careful....some of these are acually benificial and eat the termites/polinate plants). It's about the least chemically hazardous to other animals, children etc....but not exactly "organic".
5: edge at least 2 inches away from all structures (sheds/garages...HOUSE!!) and put down a good barrier of boric acid to keep away wall crawlers, foundation ants, regular ants, etc....and termites if you have wood framing)
6:it has to be generously re-applied after rain or watering.
7: If you "compost" or have a rubbish heap-move it! They love to live in that last few inches that never seems to get used! Once moved, dig down about a foot, toss that on the very top of the heap to seal it in. Let it get as dryed out as possible! Boric acid the fresh trench, and start it over again alternating fresh grass clippings and other non-wood compostables, and then add layers from the old heap etc....
8: They love to stay in one place. The more you till, the more you disturb them, the more the dirt is moved and moisture is rotated....the more unhappy they will be! I just hope they don't get unhappy enough to foot it to your house.

If you have difficulty obtaining boric acid in it's "straight" form, there is a low level in Borateem Laundry Detergent. This also works as a leaf wash if you have critters tracking bacteria (wilt) across anything. Go easy with it though....it is in a detergent form.

Unfortunately though...if they have, by chance, found there way into your house, there are no solutions except the massive chemical treatment, or the "electronic" thing that they claim chases them away. (Had a freind that used that method.......their new roof should be finished any day now........so much for that treatment!!)

Good luck and Happy Gardening!!

Answer 2

Wow, you must live somewhere hot, where there probably is more than one species of termite (some home insurance policies require coverage for specific species--make sure you are covered). One tip: keep mulch and any wood debris away from any of the walls of the house--termites will eat mulch, and use mulch interfacing a wall as an entry point. There might be some kind of ultrasonic product that could send a signal that repels termites--I don't know. But, you probably need to consult a company that specialises in termite control. Thankfully many pest control companies now realise that consumers don't want a lot of poisonous chemicals doused around their homes, so the pest control industry now has more people/environment friendly chemicals and techniques. Best you can do is control them--they tend to migrate around as chemicals are applied to a given property, so they could have migrated from a neighbour's house. Good luck!

Answer 3

If in fact they are termites, you have far more to be concerned with than YOUR GARDEN.

Without knowing where you are, or the construction of any dwelling you live in, I'd say you should be treating the perimiter of the dwelling.

I've never heard of boric acid as being effective against termites. Yes it is safe for plant life however.

Rev. Steven

I think, at the very least, I'd gather some and take them to an agri-center perhaps to find out exactly what they are.

Answer 4

As has already been suggested you are looking at two different types of insects. Quick entomology lesson for you: Ants are from the order Hymenoptera and so are closely related to bees and wasps. Termites (or white ants) are from the order Isoptera which surprisingly are more closely related to cockroaches. Ants generally feed on plant materials and dead animals of all sizes so they are somewhat scavengers looking for food stuffs on the ground. Ants will track until they find food, hence ant trails. Termites feed exclusively on cellulose mostly wood but also paper (which is made from wood) on occasion they have been known to eat through polystyrene and other strange materials, but that is more likely so they can get to their food. Both families of insects are social insects which means they have a king, queen and workers and the young developing insects (to keep it simple). Social insects cannot function if the queen is taken out. There sometimes is a bit of a back up plan where another member of the colony can develop into the queen but most often kill the queen and the colony will die. I'm not going to explain why...too long. So what does this mean for you. If you want to eliminate your termites or ants you need to get to the heart of the colony and kill the queen, this is generally done by a bait which the insects feed on and take back to the colony and spread amongs the colony. There are some baiting products (like Sentricon's bait) that can do this but generally you need a professional pest controller to use them usually because of the countries laws but sometimes by the manufactures request, 'cos you need to understand the insect for them to work right. The best natural way to prevent termites from invading your garden is to remove wood lying on the ground. Termites need wood and moisture to survive. Manage the moisture levels around your garden and their potential food sources and they will move elsewhere. A physical barrier like a sheet of metal burried in the ground in a trench around your garden could stop them, they would need to make a mud lead over the metal to get "through". They could possibly go under but burry the barrier to a depth where you hit a real hard surface. When it comes to ants, again try and keep the yard clean of food stuffs but I know this can be real hard when it comes to ants. Sometimes chemical barriers or sticky barriers around an area can prevent them from getting in. You could try something like Tea Tree Oil which most insects hate, and can kill many of them. You could try mixing it up in some base oil like vegetable oil and spraying it on the ground ---- maybe not the ants would be attracted to the vegetable oil!! Try mixing it in water and put in a couple of drops of liquid detergent to break the surface tension and allow the tea tree oil to disperse. You'll have to play around with the rates or do a google search on this. Remember, killing either termites or ants that you can see is easy, but your problem will still persist unless you get to the heart of your problem the queen.

Answer 5

How close is your house to your garden? I would worry more about that than the garden. Terminex (I think that is how its spelled) they specialize in termites and insect control. Look in your local phone book or do a online search.

Answer 6

Find the holes that the termites go into and pour boiling water down them.

Answer 7

Hire a pro--boric acid will upset the natural balance by killing good bugs along with the bad. There are species-specific pest control options, but you need to know exactly what you are up against.

Answer 8

i think u just have to kill the queen...but if u want them killed all at the same time...u might use anything u can buy at stores