1. home and garden
2. pest control

CONTROLLING DRYWOOD TERMITES WITH ORANGE OIL OR FUMIGATION One of the most common questions I get from California is about the difference between using orange oil or fumigating with sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane) for controlling drywood termites or wood­boring beetles. There is a difference of opinion on what is the best method of treating drywood termites, a very common and destructive pest in California and some other parts of the country. Fumigation which involves tenting the house and gassing it with sulfuryl fluoride has been the mainstay of the industry for many years. Recently orange oil has been found to be very effective in controlling drywood termites and its use is increasing. The dominant issue is regarding the current focus of the industry to concentrate solely on the most effective way to kill 100% of the termites. This issue is obviously important, but more importantly the issue of keeping the property "termite­free" should be considered. It has already been conclusively proven that orange oil and fumigation will lead to a 100% kill in lab tests. Human error is the only thing that ever leads to less than 100%. Therefore, as human error happens in life, the main focus needs to be on what happens if you get termites again after a year or so. With a "certified" specialist, the entire structure should be under warranty and any follow up treatment should be free. With fumigation companies, they will not guarantee the termites won't come back and if that does happen they will charge you more money to resolve the problem. Fumigation is like crop dusting. You dump a lot of toxic pesticides on the area and hope you solve the problem. Orange oil is like IPM where you treat the house as necessary with orange oil, use sodium borates such as TimBor or BoraCare in critical areas and basically make sure the problem is solved without using toxic gases. One type of orange oil used in California is XT­2000. It is classified by the EPA as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe). This means it carries the same caution label as any household dish soap or fabric softener. It is the only orange oil approved for use by the EPA as a treatment option for drywood termites and powder post beetles. I have been in this industry for over 30 years and can attest to the fact that no matter what situaion you have in pest control, some companies do the job correctly and others take shortcuts. There have been and undoubtedly still are, fumigation companies that don't adequately seal a house or use enough gas in order to save money. There are people in the orange oil section that probably take shortcuts as well. For instance, they may not use adequate inspection equipment.
Some of the companies that use orange oil have special equipment that enables them to detect termite activity in walls without opening them up. There are two types of equipment available and both are expensive and are only used by a few companies. One piece of equipment is the borescope. This is a fibre­optic camera that enables the inspector to see into areas that are impossible to inspect with just a flashlight. The other type of equipment is an Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera. This is another avenue to finding active termites and/or termite damage inside a wall. Keep in mind that the equipment mentioned above is very costly, in the thousands of dollars, so the cost of a complete termite inspection will be considerably more than the fellow with the flashlight charges. HOW ARE THE TREATMENTS DIFFERENT? Orange oil products contain the active ingredient d­limonene. D­limonene is extracted from the rinds of oranges, and it's the same chemical found in many household products. Because of d­limonene's low toxicity, it has become the preferred termite control method for many home owners and industries. Orange oil is also used in the manufacturing of resins, cleaning compounds, and as a fragrance additive in many products. D­limonene can be used to treat most areas of a structure. Areas once considered inaccessible become visible through the use of fiber optic scopes. When there is a reason to believe termite infestation extends into inaccessible areas such as wall voids, a small hole can be made to look inside. Once the extent of the termite infestations are known, treatments can be made to control the termites. Once injected into the termite galleries, the d­limonene kills termites and their eggs. Termites not directly hit with the product will die if they eat any wood recently treated. The orange oil than travels (wicks) through the wood, passing through the porous cells in all directions. Orange oil will not only treat the areas into which it is injected, but will also soak into the surrounding areas. Entire homes can successfully be treated with orange oil although the fumigation crowd will dispute this. The basic method for using orange oil, drilling in a staggered pattern from the point of infestation, maximizes the coverage of a single treatment. An effective drill pattern ensures the saturation of both the infected and surrounding wood with orange oil targeting the termites where they live and where they move to in a futile effect to avoid the product. A generous amount of orange oil is injected into the holes at low pressure, soaking the porous cells of the wood being treated. What are some additional benefits to using orange oil? You don’t have to move out of your house overnight during the treatment. You don’t have to board your pets or remove your plants and you don’t have to bag your food and medicine. And, of course, no one is going to have to walk around on your roof.
WHAT ABOUT FUMIGATION? Structural fumigation is a system of termite control whose time has come. It was an effective way to control drywood termites in the past but it is no longer necessary as safer alternatives are available. The homes made today are constructed much tighter to control energy and that can impede the flow of gas throughout the building leaving some areas untreated. This is one reason why fumigation has a higher re­infestation rate than orange oil treatments. When you look at a label of Vikane, what is the first thing you see? It is the skull and crossbones, a symbol that designates a very dangerous product. Vikane is the trade name for sulfuryl fluoride gas. Vikane is extremely hazardous and carries the skull + crossbones poison label. A few attributes include:
· Colorless and odorless
· 0.2% of the product is impurities, the other 98.8% is pure sulfuryl fluoride
· Bed rest and observation for at least 24 hours after exposure
· It is predicted that humans exposed to Vikane will show little evidence to begin with
· Respiratory irritation and CNS depression may occur first
· Excitation may then appear, followed by loss of motor control and cognition
· Severe exposure (>400 ppm) or repeated lower exposure can cause significant organ damage
· Convulsions and respiratory arrest can be the terminating event Information on the number of human deaths as a result of fumigation with sulfuryl flouride is not accessible to the public. Nor is any information available to the public on the number of people who became sick, but didn’t die, from exposure to the gas. It is also unknown to the public if there is any long­term follow­up with workers involved in sulfuryl fluoride fumigation. You have to ask yourself why this information isn't available.
There are some incidents worth mentioning. The San Diego Union­Tribune, on March 10, 2005 reported that a 39 year old woman was in a tented building that was fumigated with sulfuryl flouride. She screamed for help and was removed from the building but she died. In another case two families (eleven people in total) in an adjacent house to the fumigation were not evacuated in advance of the fumigation and had no reason to suspect anything was amiss as sulfuryl fluoride, the highly toxic gas used, is odorless and colorless. The only person to have remained at home throughout the duration of the fumigation started to feel ill by the evening, experiencing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and itchiness. The 39 year old father of three was admitted to hospital the following day but after three hours stopped breathing and died of heart failure shortly after. The remaining ten people who had been in the adjacent building all experienced symptoms of poisoning. Finally two fatalities occurred when the owners of a home re­entered after the dwelling had been fumigated with 250 pounds of sulfuryl fluoride. The concentration to which the occupants were exposed was not determined. The man died within 24 hr, and the woman expired 6 days after exposure. Signs of intoxication included severe dyspnea, cough, generalized seizure, cardiopulmonary arrest (in the male), and weakness, anorexia, nausea, repeated vomiting, and hypoxemia. These three incidents occurred over a number of years and only one was in California. However, the common denominator in all incidents was the use of sulfuryl flouride to control drywood termites or a wood boring beetle. Sure the incidents are rare, but why would anyone want to take a chance on having their family exposed to this kind of extremely dangerous product when safer and effective alternatives are available? To me it amazing that the use of sulfuryl flouride is even permitted in California or anywhere else. Basically you have to ask yourself and your family members this: Do we want to be exposed to a product that is considered GRAS (Generally regarded as safe) by the EPA? ORANGE OIL Or do we want to expose our family to this?
If you are still having trouble making up your mind, please read this letter I was given by a newspaper. The fellow who wrote the letter is the manager of a national pest control company. He wrote the letter to a colleague and copied it to the paper. I assume he wanted it printed. So here it is. I was going to run it in my column but the paper didn't want to because the letter is so incoherent. They were right of course. However, I believe it is necessary for anyone thinking of having their house fumigated to read it. It is so poorly written it is funny (and scary). I won't mention the writer's name or the name of his company. Here is the letter with my comment following it: "I believe when the hype dies down, and in a few years the swarms come again; it will be different, We even use traditional methods very well ­ Termidor etc; of course I could use a little Orange Mist Spray : Aerosol with citrus odor along with ProCitra­DL a botanical­based insecticide but why when Termidor is doing all the work.....That is what some companies do they use Termidor or a non repellent, along with the Orange Oil. How can one kill all infestations That are hidden ?? I am just honest and sell with integrity and don't worry. But this false and misleading concept must stop. It is even in the Rules ad Regs at the (Structural Pest Control Board) SPCB and they have not fined anyone or have they? I think People That write these articles should also do their own research, maybe the fume industry can use the press to their advantage?? There is a time and place for a local treatment and a time and place for a fumigation with Vikane, the consumers read and hear this and if t is out of sight it is out of mind. What about behind the walls that a humane being cannot reach? Lets say a 5 Story building with lots of hidden wood ? with sub floors, roof sheathing and it is all buttoned up how do you kill anything with Orange Oil" My comments: That letter is hard to follow. I am not sure what the writer means in the first paragraph as it is pretty much incomprehensible. The second paragraph makes no sense. If a homeowner has subterranean and drywood termites the company would use Termidor and orange oil. That makes sense so I do not know what point he is trying to make. The next paragraph is more serious. The fumigation industry has been trying to put the orange oil industry out of business and they even had a regulation put in place that prohibits the orange oil folks from comparing orange oil treatment to fumigation or from saying that orange oil is a viable alternative. They obviously want the SPCB to become more involved in protecting their industry. Of course that regulation is nonsense as orange oil is a perfectly acceptable alternative to fumigation.
The last paragraph is characteristic of the misinformation they put out. A good orange oil treatment will work in a five story building. Imagine the cost of tenting and fumigating such a building. I showed this letter to one of the orange oil companies I recommend. He told me that when they treat such buildings, they inspect everywhere. He said: “the inspection on a 40,000 commercial building we treated took 8 hours and a 200 unit apartment complex took 3 days! Essentially, an effective and complete inspection relies on a very experienced inspector who knows what to look for and where to look. With re­infestation rates running at a quarter of the industry average, we are clearly able to both find every infestation and eliminate it”. Imagine the hassle of tenting and fumigating a 200 unit apartment complex and uprooting all those people. Finally it is pretty clear that this fellow is a spokesperson for the fumigation industry (maybe self­appointed). If he represents the fumigation industry then there is nothing I have written or could write to make that industry look worse. How can you trust an industry that is supposed to check your home prior to fumigating it and then check it afterward to make sure it is safe if they can’t even run spelling and grammar check before sending a letter to a newspaper? If you want the names of pest control companies that use orange oil successfully, email me at richardfagerlund@yahoo.com or through my website and I will send them to you. If you decide you have to use a fumigation company, try to find one that at least has a grasp of the English language and who can form a sentence. THIS ? ORANGE OIL OR THIS ? Richard “Bugman” Fagerlund richardfagerlund@yahoo.com
PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS FIRST AID Have the product container or label with you when calling a poison control center or going for treatment. If Swallowed: Call a poison control center or a doctor immediately for treatment advice. Do not induce vomiting unless told to by a poison control center or doctor. Do not give anything to an unconscious person. If in Eyes: Hold eye open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15­20 minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present, after the first 5 minutes, then continue rinsing. Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice. If on Skin: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with soap and plenty of water for 15­20 minutes. Call poison control center or doctor for treatment advice. If Inhaled: Move person to fresh air. If person is not breathing, call911 or an ambulance, then give artificial respiration, preferably mouthto­ mouth if possible. Call a poison control center or doctor for further treatment advice. HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS CAUTION: Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. May cause eye or skin irritation. Prolonged or frequently repeated skin contact may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. Harmful if inhaled. Avoid breathing vapor. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling. Do not use or store near heat or open flame. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS Do not discharge effluent containing this product into lakes, streams, ponds, estuaries, oceans, or other waters unless in accordance with the requirements of a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NDPES)permit and the permitting authority has been notified in writing prior to discharge. Do not discharge effluent containing this product to sewer systems without previously notifying the local sewage treatment plant authority. For guidance contact your State Water Board or Regional Office of the EPA.
SPILL PROCEDURES Remove source of spill. Use absorbent materials to clean up liquid spills. Put absorbed liquid in waste disposal container and flush contaminated surfaces with water. Dispose of according to local and regional authority requirements. This product is biodegradable. LIABILITY Read directions before use. Follow directions for use. Misuse of this product is dangerous. XT­2000 is not responsible for any injury or liability due to the user’s failure to follow the label instructions. For more information, please call 1­866­870­8485. DIRECTIONS FOR USE IT IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW TO USE THIS PRODUCT IN A MANNER INCONSISTENT WITH ITS LABELING FOR USE ON WOODEN STRUCTURES AND/OR WOODEN OBJECTS. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT All pesticide handlers (loaders and applicators) must wear long­sleeved coveralls worn over a minimum of short­sleeved shirt and short pants, socks, chemical­resistant footwear, chemical resistant gloves and protective eyewear. Structural Drywood Termite Infestation: Applicator must locate termite galleries. Visual signs of infestation such as frass or pellets, blistered wood, “kick­out holes” and presence of live insects can be used to locate nests and galleries. Fiber optic equipment or listening devices can also be used. Tapping on wood with screwdriver and listening for different sounds that would indicate variations in wood density may help locate galleries. Application Equipment: Apply XT­2000 using B&G Injector Model T100 Trigger with 6466 T­Jet Valve or equivalent with 14.5 psi in­line pressure regulator. Wood Injection: Drill 7/64" holes into “kick­outs” to intersect galleries within infested wood. Avoid electrical wiring and plumbing when drilling. Do not drill completely through wood. Use a “W” pattern at 3"­5" intervals to ensure coverage and penetration ofXT­2000. Drill holes on opposite sides of 4" x 10" or larger beams to effectively penetrate galleries. Inject for up to one minute. Avoid splash back or runoff from excessive or prolonged use. Plug holes after treatment with wood filler or other nonwood material. Retreatment: Reapply if termite activity is detected following treatment .For best results, inject XT­2000 into new holes drilled between previous injection sites. Do not reapply again to same area within one year. Wood Boring Beetle Infestation: Applicator must locate beetle infestation. Topically apply XT­2000 at a rate of 1 gallon per 100 square feet or until surface is thoroughly wet. Retreatment: Reapply as necessary to eradicate infestation. STORAGE AND DISPOSAL Do not contaminate water, food or feed by storage and disposal. Pesticide Disposal: Wastes resulting from the use of this product may be disposed on site or at an approved waste disposal facility. Container Disposal: Triple rinse (or equivalent). Then offer for recycling or puncture and dispose of in a sanitary landfill, or by other approved State and local procedures