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 even though I cleaned every week. I did not know these were signs of termites. I thought termite control was only for big buildings. I was wrong. Termites had been eating the wooden beams under my floor for at least two years. By the time my foot went through, the damage was already severe.

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. I later learned that most DIY termite control products only kill the termites you can see. They do not reach the main colony, which is usually underground or inside the walls. A professional termite treatment is different because they use special liquids that termites carry back to the colony on their bodies. That poison then spreads and kills the queen. My little spray bottle did nothing to the queen.

The Correct Termite Treatment Process for a House

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 and inside the wooden frames of my doors. Step two is soil treatment. They injected liquid termite control chemical into the ground around my house foundation. This creates a barrier that termites cannot cross. Step three is wood treatment. They sprayed a different chemical on all wooden surfaces. The entire termite treatment took one full day. They asked me to stay out of the house for four hours. When I returned, there was a mild smell that went away after two days.

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. If termites came back within twelve months, the company would do the entire termite treatment again for free. Compared to the cost of replacing the entire wooden floor, which was eighty thousand rupees, twenty thousand rupees is nothing. I wish my landlord had agreed to termite control two years ago. The floor would still be solid.

Signs That You Need Termite Treatment Immediately

If you see any of these signs, do not wait. Mud tubes on walls. These are small tunnels made of soil that termites build for protection. Hollow sounding wood. Tap your wooden doors with a screwdriver. If it sounds like paper, termites have eaten the inside. Small piles of wings near windowsills. Termites shed their wings after finding a new home. Cracked paint on wooden surfaces. Termites produce moisture that makes paint bubble and crack. If you see even one of these signs, 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. The floors feel solid again. The company came back for a free inspection at three months and found no activity. I have also changed my habits. I no longer keep cardboard boxes on the floor. I removed old wooden furniture that was touching the soil outside. I also fixed a leaking pipe under my kitchen sink because termites love moisture. Termite control is not a one time thing. It is a yearly maintenance. I have already asked my landlord to schedule the next termite treatment for next spring. Do not be like me. Do not wait until your foot goes through the floor. Invest in termite treatment today.