Nothing can ruin your day (and your garden, among other things) like termites. After all, these pesky little things are known to cause a multitude of problems all over homes and pretty much any other structure that has wood. Termites are a problem most anywhere, especially since they’ve invaded the urban spaces. Heck, even megacities aren’t safe from these wood chomping monsters! So if you find that you’re starting to see some signs of termites in your garden, well. You’ll need to do a termite treatment vegetable garden so that you won’t have it spread.
But how exactly do you treat your garden for termites without also killing your plants? And how can you get rid of the pesky wood-destroying bugs without killing the good bugs? Yes, there are indeed some good bugs in your garden. These are the pollinators, the bugs that eat the other pest bugs, bees, and even ladybugs. You need them in order to keep a balanced ecosystem in your garden and to make sure that you can also get rid of other pests in the future.
Your traditional termite treatment is usually just pesticides, but using this in your garden can prove harmful and fatal to other beneficial insects. On top of that, it can also be toxic and harmful to you and your family. Plus, it can also be extremely dangerous to your pets. So what other options do you have? How can you deal with a termite infestation without causing harm to anything else that isn’t the termites?
Today, we’ll walk you through much of what you need to know about termites. We’ll tell you how to identify them, how to eliminate them, and how to prevent them in the future. Are you ready? Let’s get started!
Do I Have a Termite Infestation?
Identifying a termite infestation may sometimes be easy – when the infestation gets so severe that you really don’t have any other choice. But if it is in the early stages, it can be easy to miss. In fact, some people may even dismiss a termite infestation because they may think it’s just ants or something similar. And if you don’t spend a ton of time in your garden, you might even miss it completely.
The unfortunate part in all of this is that in order to prevent the infestation from reaching your home, you have to identify it early. Indeed, early identification is necessary for nipping an infestation in the bud, as you can then act sooner to get rid of the pests before they spread. This is why it’s important to talk about the signs and symptoms of termites in your garden.
So what are the warning signs?
They May Have Infiltrated the Soil Line
This one isn’t exactly a sign or a visible symptom, per se. It’s more of something that you yourself can do in order to check.
If you have trees in your garden, then you may want to check. Termites can be easily found near tree roots. You can dig into the soil in the areas around the trees to check. You see, termites are often going to be in that area if they are present in your garden. It’ll be easy to identify them because they live in groups or clusters. They look white, or they may look like ants almost. Regardless, if they are present in your garden, start looking into your pest control options!
Termite Tubes, Termite Tubes, Termite Tubes!
This particular symptom will not be as obvious from the outset – termite tubes usually start showing up when the infestation has gotten severe enough. Nevertheless, it is certainly something to watch out for. If you start seeing some mud tubes on your trees’ bark, oh boy. It’s time to worry. Well, that, and it’s also time to get treated!
Termite tubes are essentially little tunnels that termites use in order to get from point A to point B. They travel through the tubes, which act as bridges from nest to nest. These tunnels are what they go through as they hunt food down. The reason why they use the tubes is because they don’t want the sun to hit them. Plus it’s a good way for them to travel undercover – after all, if you don’t look closely you may just miss them.
You should also check any crevices that are in the trees. This is because termites will usually build their tubes in the crevices so that they are a bit more concealed.
The tubes are hard to miss if you look for them – they’re brown little mud tunnels and they pop out starkly from tree bark.
Dying Trees and Plants
Do you have any plants and trees in your garden that have died? Be concerned – these are actually pretty big signs that your garden has been invaded by the termites. You see, when termites start eating trees and plants from the inside out, they’ll start showing signs of it. They’ll get in distress, and they’ll slowly start to die. Now, a rotten plant or tree isn’t a guaranteed sign of termites – they could just be dying of another reason. But you must still investigate anyway, so that you can possibly prevent an infestation.
Look for rotting branches that have begun to fall off. Knock on trees to see if they sound hollow when they are tapped. Know as well that if your trees have gotten to this condition, chances are the termites have also invaded your home. Make sure that you check your home too!
Termite Treatment for Vegetable Garden
We know that you’re here looking for termite treatment vegetable garden can handle. You see, a typical termite treatment will involve the use of pesticides, and that’s usually not something that you’ll want in your veggie garden. After all, you’re growing the vegetables to eat them, and pesticides will certainly contaminate them and make them possibly harmful to eat. So what can you do in order to get rid of termites without getting harmful pesticides all over your garden?
Before we begin, remember that this treatment is meant for your garden. If you have termites in your home as well, you’ll have to find other ways to treat it. The treatment we are going to suggest below will certainly not work for the inside of your home. It may work for your indoor potted plants, though!
Beneficial Nematodes
If you’ve never heard of beneficial nematodes before, we don’t blame you. But the truth is, they are one of the absolute best natural ways to treat termite infestations. In fact, nematodes can kill a lot more than just termites – they’ll pretty much rid your garden of most of the pests you’re unknowingly harboring. But what exactly are these beneficial nematodes? And just how exactly can they help your garden? Well, let’s talk about them real quick, shall we?
What Are These Beneficial Nematodes?
Beneficial nematodes, in essence, are really tiny microscopic worms. In fact, they are microscopic in size, so you will not be able to see them with your naked eye. These nematodes live in a number of different habitats all around the world. There are a lot of different species of nematodes around the world, and not all of them are beneficial. So before you start dumping nematodes in your garden, make sure that they’re the right kind first!
These nematodes are actually incredibly effective for a reason: they contain a certain type of bacteria in their gut. In essence, the microscopic roundworms get eaten by the pest insects. Or the nematodes themselves will find their way into the pests via their anuses, their body walls, or their mouths. Once inside the pest, a nematode will release the bacteria. It then poisons the pest’s blood, killing the pest as a result.
Why Choose Nematodes?
The reason why you should use beneficial nematodes for treating your garden is the fact that they won’t harm your vegetables at all. Here’s what you need to know:
- Nematodes are absolutely, one hundred percent natural. As a result, they won’t be harmful to humans, and they certainly won’t be harmful to pets either. And yes, you can most definitely use them to treat your vegetable garden for termites.
- They are effective! When applied properly, these little pests will absolutely decimate the termite infestation in your garden. They won’t just kill one termite either – they’ll get in a termite, feed, multiply, and spread onto another insect. Needless to say, these insects will eliminate many of the pests in your garden.
- Nematodes last quite a long time – they will be effective for weeks and weeks after the initial application. Plus, each of the treatments are ridiculously affordable. Applying nematodes once every few months can keep your garden beautifully pest free all year round.
- These little worms act fast. Once applied, they’ll start working in as short as 24 hours. The fact is, it rarely ever takes more than 48 hrs to start becoming effective.
How to Use Nematodes in Your Garden
You’d be surprised at just how easy it is to use beneficial nematodes to keep the pests away. There are actually a number of different ways to apply nematodes, but the easiest way to do it is by mixing the nematodes with water and then spraying your garden down. All you really have to do is dump the nematodes into a container of water. You should then stir to mix it all up. Allow this solution to sit for a short while before you put it in your spray bottle to apply.
You should then spray any of the areas where you saw termites. Focus on trees and root areas to ensure you get them all.
Buying the nematodes is simple, you can do it in many home and garden stores. You can also get them online. You do have to make sure, however, that the nematodes stored and shipped safely. They are live organisms, after all, which means that they can (and they will!) die if mishandled. Nothing can be more frustrating than finding out that your treatment was ineffective because your nematodes died in transport or storage.
Keep the Termites Away
After you’ve done your treatments, you will have to do some things in order to keep them away forever. Here are some tips that we have so that you can keep these bugs gone for good.
- Keep up with the nematode treatments. Doing regular treatments 2-4 times a year will make sure that you will no longer have to deal with termites and other pests in your vegetable garden. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
- Make sure that you clean up your yard and garden regularly. To keep your garden from attracting pesky termites, you’ll have to make sure that there aren’t any dead plants and trees to attract them. That means you should get rid of dead leaves, dead plants, dead twigs and branches, dead trees… you get the idea.
- Keep any wood for your fireplace far away from your home. That way, if you ever do get termites, you don’t have them traveling into your house. It’s also good to keep the wood lifted up and off the ground so that there will be less of a chance that the termites will infiltrate.
Final Thoughts
Termites are pests that nobody ever wants to deal with. But you can get rid of them and make sure that they never ever come back. Remember that you will absolutely have to catch infestations early in order to prevent them from showing up inside your house. Hopefully, if you use beneficial nematodes as termite treatment your vegetable garden will continue to thrive. With regular use and proper preventative measures, you can ensure that your garden and your home are safe from termites no matter what.