Free Natural Solutions to Things That Bug You by Myles Bader

workers are responsible for building and maintain nests which house the colony. These elaborate structures are made using a combination of soil, mud, chewed wood/cellulose, saliva, and feces. The nest has numerous functions such as providing a protected living space and water conservation. It has nursery chambers deep within the nest where eggs and   larvae are tended. Some species will actually maintain fungal gardens that are fed on collected plant matter, providing a nutritious substance, which the colony can feed on. Nests have a maze of tunnel-like rooms that provide air conditioning and control the CO/Obalance, as well as allow the termites to move through the nest.
     
    Nests are usually built underground, within fallen trees or even atop living trees. Some species build nests above ground, which can develop in giant mounds. Mounds can be as high as 30 feet.
     
    Termites as food source
    There are many cultures where termites, especially the winged ones are used for food. The winged ones are nutritious, having a good store of fat and protein and are palatable in most species with a nutty flavor when cooked.
     
    They are easy to gather at the beginning of the rainy season in, especially in areas of Africa when they swarm, since they are attracted to lights and can be gathered up when they land on nets that are placed around a lamp.
     
    The wings can be removed by a technique similar to winnowing then they are gently roasted on a hot plate or lightly fried until just crisp. Since their bodies are naturally high in oil, no oil is needed to fry them.
     
    Formosan subterranean termite
    One of the worst varieties: causing considerable damage. Their nests are located in building walls, under roofs and in trees.
     
    They are more common in the Gulf States, Hawaii, areas of Georgia and southern California. Their colonies can number millions of termites and they have soldiers that can secrets a gluey type of defense fluid from their heads. They are strong enough to displace other types of termites if they enter an area. To identify their soldiers, look for the oval-shaped heads instead of the typical square head.
     
    NATURAL METHODS OF ELIMINATION
     
    DOWN WITH THE QUEEN
            Termites; are really not a bad insect. They are the best wood recycler around and will turn a dead log into food for many other insects. Unfortunately, they are not fussy where they find wood and your home is a handy source of food. The queen is the key to the termite “swarm.”
     
    There are over 300 varieties of termites in the world; however, only four varieties can be found in the United States. The problem termite is the “subterranean termite,” which is responsible for 95% of all damage.
    Termites cannot be attracted to bait unless you place wooden stakes in the ground to see where they are. Once you can determine where they are foraging you can replace the wood with a bait to kill them. If you do identify a termite infestation the best thing to do is to call a professional.

GIMME A “D”, GIMME AN “E”
    Diatomaceous earth (DE) is one of the safest and most effective termite controlling natural substances. Best to paint it on the exposed wood surfaces by using 1 part DE to ¼ part boric acid. Add the mixture to just enough water to make a paint consistency and paint it on all wood surfaces.

SPRAY THE CRAWL SPACES
    The attic and all crawl spaces should be sprayed with the same DE, boric acid mixture. Just make the mixture very watery so that it will be easy to spray.

CALL FOR SHERLOCK HOLMES
    If you can locate their colony in the infected wood, just remove the wood and replace it with new wood that has been treated. Make sure all tube pathways are located and removed or sprayed to make them unusable.

CALL FOR TEAM BORAX
    A good method of eliminating the termites is to use 20 Mule Team Borax™. Just dust their tunnels and it will eliminate the problem (providing you find all the tunnels). Try not to breathe in