Discovering that wood borers have moved into timber in your home isn't a great experience. Left alone, these borers can cause significant damage that costs a lot to put right. Luckily, there are ways to get rid of these insects.
For example, you can use chemical or water-based pest control treatments. While you may want to blast your borers away with a strong chemical, you may get better results with a water-based solution. Why?
Get a Treatment That Keeps Working
Some chemical treatments will get rid of your current borers. However, they may not deal with all stages of the borer life-cycle; they may also not be any help if you get a new infestation in the future. These treatments may not solve residual problems for you, and you may need to treat some areas again.
Water-based borer treatments are also capable of getting rid of your current infestation effectively and quickly. However, these treatments often work for longer than chemical products.
For example, a water-based treatment will seep into the wood itself through cracks, gaps and borer holes. While its immediate aim is to kill the borers and larvae that are in the wood, it also protects the wood after it kills the initial infestation.
The treatment stays inside the wood even after the borers die off; it won't break down and stays active. So if you were to get a new infestation, the treatment would work again automatically, keeping problems at bay.
Get a Safer Treatment
While chemical borer treatments are effective, some can have nasty side effects. People and pets shouldn't be exposed to some of these chemicals. They also aren't great for the environment.
In some cases, treatments contain flammable substances which may even increase the flammability of the wood they treat. This could increase the effects of a fire in your home.
Water-based treatments usually don't have these problems. They are less likely to contain flammable substances, for example.
They typically also don't contain dangerous chemicals and are only harmful to borers rather than to other creatures. Some use natural substances, which makes them better for the environment. These increased safety features make these treatments a good option if you have children or pets and are worried about protecting their health.
To find out more about water-based borer treatments, talk to a pest control company. They can work out what kind of borers you have and talk to you about the best treatment to use.