How To Eliminate Termites Using One Powerful Essential Oil Hack

Unless you're a mole or other animal that feeds on termites, you're not likely to appreciate them invading your home. And since you're likely not a mole, your sense of smell isn't strong enough to detect their presence, quietly chewing away at the cellulose in wood and potentially causing great damage to the very structure of your home. If you're late in discovering a termite invasion, you may need to contact a professional, but if you catch them early enough, there are home remedies that can rid you of your termite problem before it gets out of hand.

Sure, you could use any of a number of commercial insecticides, but they can contain chemicals that you may not want you, your pets, or your family to be exposed to. The dangers of Termidor to people and pets are well-known. Other commercial products contain imidacloprid, which has been credibly linked to the decline of honey bees. But many of those same insecticides also contain natural pest control solutions that you can make yourself. One of those is clove oil. Clove oil is mostly eugenol, an insecticide widely used for natural pest control. It's also a commonly used spice, meaning it's of minimal risk to humans.

While you could simply resort to leave dried or ground cloves around where termites might congregate, clove oil is far more potent. Clove oil works its insecticidal magic by its intense aroma, which irritates insects and drives them away from areas where you spray it. You can purchase clove oil from many herbal shops, but extracting it is easy. Using dry cloves is preferred for safety and shelf life. Simply grind about two tablespoons of dried cloves coarsely in a mortar, add them to a small jar, add just enough of a carrier oil like olive oil or grapeseed oil to cover the cloves, put the lid on, shake, then store in a dark place, shaking the jar daily. After a week, strain out the cloves with cheesecloth or a sieve. Combine several drops of the oil with a quart of water in a spray bottle, and you're ready for termite combat.

Spraying termites with clove oil can kill them on contact, but you should also spray in areas where you've seen termites, as well as around the foundation of your home, in cracks or gaps in the foundation, and in any woodpiles around your home. Keep your bottle of clove oil spray around: You can also use it as a mosquito repellent, a fungicide, and as an insecticide to combat wasps, tent caterpillars, and other bugs. And compared to boric acid, which you also can use to kill termites, clove oil is a more effective wood preservative, protecting it against fungal growth.