I am a tenant in a rented house in Gulberg, Lahore. I saw small mud tubes on my walls two years ago. I told my landlord. He said termites are normal and not to worry. I listened to him. That was a huge mistake. Last month, I was walking to my bathroom when my foot went through the wooden floor. The wood had turned into powder. That is when I finally learned about proper termite control and why termite treatment is not optional.

The Signs I Should Not Have Ignored

Looking back, the signs were everywhere. Small mud tubes on the walls near the floor. Tiny wings near my window sill. A hollow sound when I knocked on my wooden cupboard. My books had brown dust on them. I did not know these were signs of termites. I thought termite control was only for big buildings. Termites had been eating the wooden beams under my floor for at least two years.

Why DIY Termite Control Almost Never Works

After the floor collapsed, I went to a hardware store and bought a bottle of liquid termite control spray. I sprayed it everywhere I saw mud tubes. The termites disappeared for two weeks. Then they came back in the living room. Most DIY termite control products only kill the termites you can see. They do not reach the main colony underground. Professional termite treatment uses chemicals that termites carry back to the colony on their bodies.

The Correct Termite Treatment Process

After my DIY failure, I called a company that specializes in termite control. They explained the proper termite treatment in three steps. Step one is inspection. They drilled small holes in my floor and inserted a camera. They found termite activity under my bathroom tiles. Step two is soil treatment. They injected liquid termite control chemical into the ground around my house foundation. Step three is wood treatment. They sprayed a different chemical on all wooden surfaces.

How Much Does Professional Termite Control Cost

My landlord finally agreed to pay for termite control after the floor collapse. The total cost for termite treatment of our five marla house was twenty thousand rupees. That included a one year warranty. Compared to the cost of replacing the entire wooden floor, which was eighty thousand rupees, twenty thousand rupees is nothing.

Signs That You Need Termite Treatment Immediately

If you see mud tubes on walls, hollow sounding wood, small piles of wings near windowsills, or cracked paint on wooden surfaces, do not wait. Call for termite control that same week. Every day you wait, the termites eat more.

My Life After Professional Termite Treatment

It has been six months since our termite treatment. I have not seen a single mud tube. I no longer keep cardboard boxes on the floor. I removed old wooden furniture touching the soil. I fixed a leaking pipe under my sink. Termite control is not a one time thing. It is yearly maintenance. Do not wait until your foot goes through the floor.