I live in a “rustic” house made of wood that is not naturally termite-resistant and was apparently not treated before/during the construction. There are termites here. I know that borax works for termite-proofing wood, and it is possible to get borax in the big cities in this part of the world, but I would need to disassemble the house and treat each piece of wood. I would rather not do that. The borax is also prohibitively expensive.
The oil of Tectona grandis or Milicia excelsa or a similar tree would probably work for discouraging the termites if slathered all over the wood that they must climb in order to enter the house, but even if I can find the trees growing somewhere, processing the oil seems like a big hassle, so I am seeking a simpler solution.
I was wondering if there is a fruit (oily, perhaps) that I could apply to the wood in order to keep the termites away. Preferably with a tolerable smell, but I’ve lived with the smell of neem oil before, and I enjoy eating noni, so I can handle a lot. Would any of the “medicinal” fruits work for this? I live in a tropical rainforest climate, and I know people who grow fruits from all over the world, so I may be able to find something suitable if I know what to look for.
Thank you~
This seems like one of those times when spending the money (if an option) to have a professional do the job may end up being the less expensive option long term.
Unfortunately the only “professional” option around here is to fumigate the house with insecticide every few months.
Re: professional help, have you tried looking at the options on a site like https://diypestcontrol.com/ ? They also have a live chat where you can speak to people who will provide advice and guidance for use of their product / pest control in general. I’ve spoken with them before and had a good experience with their help.
As for products, they have some hardcore stuff that is intended to go inside your walls, in the crawlspace, etc. a wide variety of use cases.