The use of orange oil in termite control is relatively new. Yet while orange oil termite treatment, or d-limonene, has begun to emerge in recent years as an effective local or spot treatment for drywood termites, it has not been shown scientifically to eradicate termite colonies all by itself, or in fact as well as the chemical alternatives.

Orange Oil Termite Treatment Benefits

One benefit of orange oil in its use as a termiticide is its cost – orange oil termite control is cheaper than chemical fumigation. It’s also eco-friendly. In many places, the use of the highly toxic methyl bromide, used for a long time in termite control, has been outlawed as a termite fumigation agent. One common replacement fumigant is sulfuryl fluoride, also known as Vikane. Though effective, sulfuryl fluoride is not considered “green” enough by many homeowners, since it is a potential greenhouse gas.

In looking for a natural treatment for termites that has minimal impact on the environment, orange oil, a botanical extract of citrus peel that is nontoxic to humans but toxic to termites on contact, has emerged as a promising alternative. Every owner tries to look for termite traps in sunshine coast and they should look for the orange oil termite treatment.

Orange Oil Treatment on Drywood Termites

Drywood temites, which lurk deep in the wood members of a house infested by a colony of these destructive insections, are very hard to spot, according to Vernard Lewis, a termite control expert with the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. Drywood termites don’t need a water source and so can remain hidden for years, which means the kind of perimeter treatments that help control subterranean termites – pests that live in the soil – are useless.

D-limonene, the extract known as orange oil, has been used in exterminating drywood termites. Orange oil is a biodegradable termiticide that’s injected into the wood and kills termites on contact. Though orange oil’s effectiveness as a contact termiticide is accepted by some researchers, others dispute the claim. A drywood termite treatment study that Lewis conducted with entomologist Michael Rust of the University of California, Riverside, however, demonstrated that the termiticides Termidor, Optigard, Timbor and Bora-Care were significantly more effective than orange oil termite treatment.

Orange Oil Studied as a Termiticide for Formosan Subterranean Termites

Formosan subterranean termites, introduced accidentally into the United States in 1965, are the most destructive species of termite in the U.S. Yet d-limonene has not until recently been shown to be effective against subterranean termites. Researchers yielded mixed results in a  study on the use of orange oil extract as a termiticide for the formosan subterranean termite.

The researchers concluded that d-limonene “may not prove to be very effective as a barrier against the Formosan subterranean termite” but that the substance “may prove to be effective against subterranean termites particularly as a fumigant for walls and other tight spaces.” (Journal of Economic Entomology, 100(3): 880-885,2007)

Orange Oil Termite Treatment is Effective, But With Limitations

Although entomological researchers do not seem to dispute that orange oil termite treatment works locally and temporarily, the botanical treatment does not seem to be the single solution to a homeowner’s potentially widespread termite problems. Localized drywood termite infestations may be better controlled by d-limonene than those that have spread to multiple colonies inside the home. In addition, orange oil’s use in treating subterranean termites seems to be a “work in progress,” with results inconclusive.