Orange Oil for termite control

[macuu222]

Was wondering if anyone knows where you can purchase Orange oil for termite control in the Hilo area? It's not a big problem yet in our home and don't want to call the professionals yet. I'd prefer doing it myself for now.

[hikatz]

Orange oil for termites works great, treatment through Akamai is expensive. We did try to buy it locally and also order it from the company in the mainland, no luck. We were told you needed a special permit/license. It might be possible for a contractor to bring it in.

[TrevorKane]

What do these guys say?

http://www.citrusdepot.net/shipping.html

[whalesong]

I was told by a friend, that recently, had her home tented for termites, that once you have a certified copy, from the company, stating that your home, is free of termites,you can then purchase a termite policy, from your insurance company. She said, for her home, that it cost her $3,000.00 for the termite tenting treatment.
If, termites come back, her policy will cover, any future tenting required. Her policy cost her $300.00 a year.
This is a great way to avoid, future, expensive, termite treatment

[EightFingers]

How often does a house need to be tented on average? If it's every ten years all she's doing is making tenting payments.
Does this policy pay for repairs?

[hikatz]

We were interested in the orange oil treatment, because it is suppose to be non toxic[] You do not have to move out of the house during treatment and it completely safe around children and pets.

There are different types of orange oil treatment for dry wood termites

http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-09-22/en...ra-rodents

http://www.xt2000.com/advantages.html

[macuu222]

Thanks everyone. I went looking today in Hilo and found that most places don't have it! And I'm thinking why? The stuffs "organic" and supposedly safe for children and pets so why do you need a special permit to transport it?

My guess is the pest control companies have something to do with it. But I found a place (several actually), in Hilo that "market" it under a differnt name for a "different" purpose. But it's still the same stuff (d-Limonene). I will not post what it is and where it is for obvious reasons...but I bought several gallons.

Just sprayed all areas of my house that had signs of termites with this new stuff. I'll keep you posted!

I might add also...it's alot cheaper being sold as a cleaner than an insecticide!

[Obie]

The termite companies I talked to the last time my house was done said you couldn't spot treat and expect to get rid of a major infestation, tenting was the only real option.

We have been tenting every 10 years.

[TrevorKane]

My first house was built in 1935, I lived in it from 1991 to 2002. It had one spot in the garage where a funky bunch of intersecting rooflines led to a little bit of rainwater leakage, once or twice a year at the start of rainy season, then the wet wood would swell up and the leak would stop. This was in Miami (25 degrees latitude), about 8' above sea level and 100 yards from Biscayne Bay.

Needless to say, the wet spot had termites.

The areas around the wet spot, up to about 6' away had signs of previous termite infestation, including (inactive) subterranean tunnels. I have no idea what the original 1935-1986 owner did about it. The owners before me said they never had a termite problem. I found active termites in 1992. I spot treated them every year or two for 10 years with the "TermOut" spray cans with the injector tube & needle.

Upon sale in 2002, the inspector ranted and raved about how clean the attic was and how the house had lived a "charmed life" to go so long without a major termite infestation.

A few weeks later (honestly, I didn't know beforehand), when we moved all the junk out of the house, I figured out that the periodic swarms of flying ants in the enclosed porch (swarms = 5 to 10 ants noticed once or twice a year) were coming from a termite infestation around one of the windows that had been installed around 1986 - the wood used between the aluminum window and the concrete wall was cheap, untreated, and barely painted. It's amazing it hadn't popped out during a gust of wind. The buyers were replacing the windows anyway, so...

I don't really have a point, other than the fact that that house had (at least) two separate ongoing termite infestations, one periodically treated, one not, for 10+ years, which never erupted into a full-scale infestation. Tenting would have killed the termites around the window without even knowing they were there- but I bet they would have returned within a year.

Caveats: in 1935, a lot of homes in the area were built with old-growth pine, you can't buy wood like that anymore. It's not termite-proof, but it is harder for them to chew. In the 30's and 40's they also used things like DDT, which are very effective long-term, and also no longer used for lots of good reasons. Finally, the outside walls were concrete block and the inside was plaster on wood lath - you can do that today, but you probably wouldn't due to the cost.

[Alex]

quote:

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Originally posted by macuu222

The stuffs "organic" and supposedly safe for children and pets so why do you need a special permit to transport it?

My guess is the pest control companies have something to do with it.

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My guess is that the staff is not exactly orange oil but something" made WITH "orange oil .
It may be 99% orange oil and that 1% active ingredient that needs a special permit and might be not very safe.