Hey Apis M,
I had subterranean termites eating my house in Memphis. I called Terminix :( (I did hate the idea of chemicals though)
Any wood stakes in the ground there quickly get attacked by the termites. That is the idea behind the baiting system. They go after the bait sticks stuck in the ground, the inhibitor chemical is taken back to the nest and eventually the termites die. Or so they want us to believe…..The baiting method was popular in Memphis, but I never tried it.
As long as the wood is above ground, dry, and sitting on something dry, the termites don’t heavily attack it. They need cover and dampness to do their work.
Diatomaceous earth sounds like an interesting idea. My guess is they won’t crawl thru DE, but if they can get access to your wood underground, they won’t have to. I can’t imagine DE washed into the ground would be effective, but I have never used it.
I really question if there is any way to completely get rid of termites in climates where they are prevalent. It’s like trying to eliminate misquotes.
Honestly, it didn’t lose much sleep over termites if my wood was dry and setting on something dry. If I saw tunnels to the wood, I kick them open. Even if a few termites do attempt to eat dry wood, it takes them a long time to do much damage. Damp wood is the real danger, they eat that stuff like candy.