If you’ve found evidence of termites in your home, you know something has to be done as soon as possible. Left unchecked, termites can do thousands of dollars of damage! Can you deal with termites on your own, using orange oil?
Today, we’re discussing orange oil. Does it work on termites? If not, what should you do to deal with a termite infestation?
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know!
How Orange Oil Affects Termites
Orange oil isn’t a fruit juice: it’s the extract processed from orange peels. This citrus oil can affect pests because it contains D-limonene, a compound that kills pests by breaking down the waxy surface of their bodies. D-limonene can also act as a pest repellent.
For that reason, limonene is registered by the EPA as an active ingredient in a number of pesticide products, including insecticides, insect repellents, and dog and cat insect repellents.
While limonene is a known pest control ingredient, however, that doesn’t mean that orange oil is completely effective. Whether or not this essential oil actually eliminates termites is still up for debate. A few studies have investigated orange oil’s effects on termites and found that it does kill some termites, with one UC Berkley study showing a 77 percent effect rate.
Why Orange Oil Doesn’t Work on Termite Infestations
If orange oil gets rid of most termites, does that mean you should use it for your home’s termite problem? Well, not quite.
We understand that many homeowners are tempted to go the DIY and natural route when it comes to pest control because of cost and concerns about chemicals. However, using orange oil as your primary termite control is a very bad idea, for a few reasons:
Orange oil doesn’t kill all termites.
Orange oil isn’t 100% effective against termites—and that’s a big problem. In order to truly resolve a termite infestation, the entire colony must be eradicated. If it isn’t, the remaining termites will simply rebuild, and the infestation will come back!
Worse still is that, in order to work at all, orange oil would need to be applied directly to the termites. Given that subterranean termites live in colonies underground and travel within the walls of your home, it would be impossible for you to apply orange oil where it’s needed.
Essential oils aren’t risk-free.
Many people think that “natural” products mean completely safe. This can lure homeowners into a false sense of security, leading to reckless use of essential oil products.
However, it’s important to know that prolonged exposure to orange oil or fumes can cause skin and eye irritation, nausea and vomiting, lung irritation, and other symptoms. Orange oil can also cause problems for pets if they are exposed to undiluted oil.
That’s why, when it comes to a termite problem, it’s time to call in the professionals.
Call ScherZinger Pest Control Today
Termite treatment requires specialized knowledge, skills, and equipment. Effective treatment requires knowledge of building construction and common termite entry points. It requires the skill to locate termite colonies underground and place treatment and the equipment to utilize pesticides safely.
That’s where ScherZinger Pest Control comes in: we can help you eliminate your termite problem quickly, effectively, and safely!
Contact Scherzinger Pest Control, a trusted pest control company in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas, including Dayton, OH, and now Columbus, OH. We’ve been pioneers, engineering new standards for ways of eliminating and controlling bugs and pests. Contact us by phone at 1-877-748-9888 or through our website, Facebook, or Twitter.