Can You Treat Termites Yourself?

Partly. The prevention half of termite work is genuinely yours, and it matters more than most people assume. The treatment half is not, because the colony lives in the soil rather than in the wood you can see, and Ohio State University Extension says the chemicals that work on it are permitted only to licensed individuals.

The termite that matters in Stark and Summit County is the eastern subterranean termite, the species Ohio State University Extension names as the common one across the northeastern United States, Ohio included. One fact about where it lives settles most of this question.

Where Does The Colony Actually Live?

Underground, and sometimes several feet down. Ohio State University Extension describes eastern subterranean termite colonies as living below the soil surface, with the termites found in a house, a stump, a log or a fence line acting as satellite groups that gather food for the rest of the colony. Removing a satellite group, the extension answer says, will do little to eliminate the main colony.

That is worth reading twice before buying anything. The termites you can reach are the part of the problem that is easiest to replace. They are a feeding party sent out from somewhere you cannot see, and the colony behind them is unaffected by what happens to them. It is also why termite work looks strange from the outside: the damage is inside the house and the treatment goes into the ground around it, which is what our post on the day of a termite treatment walks through.

What Does A Product Off The Shelf Reach?

The wood, and only the wood you point it at. The US Environmental Protection Agency names two approaches that work on subterranean termites: a liquid termiticide applied to the soil, which is the more common of the two, and a bait system. Both of them are aimed at the ground rather than at the board. Michigan State University Extension states the practical barrier plainly, saying the equipment and materials needed to effectively treat a termite infestation are only available to pest control companies.

EPA is equally direct about who should be holding that equipment. Its homeowner guidance says termiticide application can only be properly performed by a trained pest management professional in most cases, and that many termiticides are highly toxic, so following the label matters more than usual. Those labels carry instructions not to contaminate public or private water supplies, and warn that applying near a cistern or a well can contaminate drinking water. On the well and septic properties out toward Hartville and Lake Township that is not a footnote, and our post on pest control with a well and septic system goes through it.

Is It Legal To Treat Termites Yourself In Ohio?

Buying a general use product for a house you own is legal. Doing the job the way it is actually done is not something Ohio leaves open. Ohio Administrative Code 901:5-11-01 defines wood destroying insects as termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees and reinfesting wood boring beetles, and the state licenses work on them under its own commercial applicator categories: 10b for termite control, and 12 for the diagnostic inspection written up in a real estate transaction. Ohio State University Extension's pesticide safety program notes that a category 12 inspector needs a commercial applicator license even when no pesticide is applied at all.

Ohio State University Extension's termite page closes the loop: proper inspection is necessary, and the effective chemicals are permitted only to licensed individuals. If you want to confirm that a company holds the right category before it touches your house, our guide to checking an Ohio pest control license walks through the state lookup.

The Half Of The Job That Is Genuinely Yours

This part is real work, and nobody is going to do it for you. EPA and Ohio State University Extension agree on what it looks like, and the theme is water and wood contact rather than chemistry. Ohio State University Extension is careful about the limit, saying this kind of cultural control helps prevent a future infestation but is not sufficient to remove an active one.

• Keep the soil against the foundation dry. EPA puts grading and drainage first, so water runs away from the house instead of standing against it.
• Keep gutters and downspouts clear and discharging away from the wall. A blocked downspout in a wet Ohio November works against everything else on this list.
• Seal cracks and utility openings in the foundation. EPA names cement, grout and caulk for the job.
• Break wood to soil contact. Ohio State University Extension says to remove wood sitting on the soil, including built structures and wood piles.
• Keep mulch low. Ohio State University Extension recommends a mulch level at least six inches below the foundation, which cuts access to wood and leaves a strip where mud tubes are visible.
• Fix the leak before you treat the symptom. Damp soil is what made the spot attractive in the first place.

What A Do It Yourself Attempt Really Risks

Months. That is the exposure, not the product. A termite problem under treatment is a problem somebody is watching. A termite problem that got sprayed once in July is being ignored while the colony keeps feeding. How quickly that turns into structural damage is a separate question, and how fast termites damage a house answers it.

There is a paperwork consequence as well. Nothing you do yourself produces a report. What a sale or a loan file asks for is the wood destroying insect inspection form completed by a licensed inspector in Ohio's category 12, which is why the NPMA-33 report and a real estate termite inspection are their own errand. A half empty can in the garage is not evidence of anything.

A colony that was never eliminated also tends to announce itself again. The winged insects that come out of a wall on a warm spring day are the same colony reproducing, and telling them from flying ants is the step people most often get wrong, which is what flying ants versus termite swarmers is for.

When To Stop And Make The Call

Ohio State University Extension puts inspection first in every version of this advice, and Penn State Extension tells homeowners to get estimates from at least three licensed pest control operators before committing to one. Both are worth taking. Stop the do it yourself track and have the structure looked at when you find any of this:

• Mud tubes running up a foundation wall, a pier, a sill plate or a floor joist.
• Winged insects indoors, or a scatter of discarded wings on a windowsill or in a window well.
• Wood that sounds hollow when you tap it, or that gives way when you probe it with a flathead screwdriver, which is the check EPA gives homeowners.
• Any of the above in a house you are about to buy, sell or refinance.

If something on that list is in front of you, start with an inspection rather than a purchase. We are a fourth generation family company working out of North Canton and Hartville, serving Stark, Summit, Portage, Wayne and Tuscarawas counties since 1933, and we install both Sentricon colony elimination and liquid barriers, so the recommendation follows the house instead of the product. Book through our request form or call 330-494-6199 to get termite control scheduled. The inspection fee is waived when you go with us for treatment.