Orange Oil Termite Pest Control – XT-2000 Orange Oil
Posted by Norman Fong
We have covered termite pest control in the past and alternative treatments including Orange oil. There are radio commercials running all the time saying that some Orange oil does not contain much Orange oil and is made from petroleum products. We decided to investigate this area to see what the issues are.
Active Ingredients in Orange Oil
Orange oil pest control products contain the active ingredient d-limonene. D-limonene is extracted from the rinds of oranges, and is used in many household products due to its low toxicity. Orange peels are pressed and distilled to produce technical grade orange oil. Orange oil work by destroying the wax coating of the termite’s respiratory system. It is highly acidic making it toxic to termites. Orange oil move through wood, filling up the treated wood until termites are hit. d-limonene is also used in pet shampoos and household cleaners.
XT- 2000 Orange Oil
XT-2000 is one of the main distributors of Orange Oil and advertises 95% pure Orange Oil, they do not mention what the other 5% is. Here is the MSDS document for XT-2000 Orange Oil that does not mention the other ingredients. Orange oil has a residue level of about four days, then it fades away.
XT-2000 claim’s that other product, ProCitra, is only 10% Orange Oil d-linonene and 90% other ingredients including petroleum distillate, so if a pest control firm is not using XT-2000 ask for their MSDS documents to see how much Orange oil is in the product as it can vary. We looked at many pest control web sites advertising Orange Oil or d-limonene and found no consistency.
The Bugman has commented on past studies of Orange Oil. There were some anomalies with application of Orange Oil that may have tainted any results.
Termite control utilizing eco-friendly ingredients is enabled through the use of citrus based products. You can also use similar products to control other pests that affect your life. Be sure to read our article on Eco-friendly Green Pest Control – Termites? Green Termite Control – Consider Orange Oil
Filed under: Eco Friendly, Effort, Environment, Green, Home, Indoor Air Quality, Medium, Money, Shopping | Tags: orange oil, ProCitra, Termites, XT2000
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4 Responses to “Orange Oil Termite Pest Control – XT-2000 Orange Oil”
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May 28th, 2010 at 6:45 am
I am a Pest Control Operator and insect biologist. We have been using d-limonene since the early 90’s and have treated over 2000 homes with this product. There are two ways to treat drywood termites, Local and whole structure. The only way to effectively treat a whole structure is fumigation. All other methods, heat, electro-gun, micro-wave, drill and inject, are local treatments. All these methods are “approved” and efficacious under optimum conditions. The choices isn’t just orange oil and fumigation. There are many, low toxic, highly efficacious methods of localized treatment.
All d-limone products come from the Florida Chemical Company. There is industrial grade d-limone (industrial solvents) and food grade (92%)which includes XT2000, Orange Guard, Power Plant and several others. They sell for around $10-12 gallon.
First of all orange oil is not orange juice. It is a distilled product, a very volatile organic compound, it will kill fish and birds. If ingested it will make you sick.
Terpene (orange oil) is very toxic to drywood termites with low toxicity to humans, however, has no residual qualities. If you drill into the wood and a termite happens to be in the area you drilled, it will kill termites. If the termite is not there it will act as a repellent and the termites will move to another area. It is not the best method for treating drywood termites, it is not the least toxic as well.
I don’t have a problem with the product (orange oil) what I have is a problem with the marketing, chicanery and “green washing of the product. The orange oil people that are pushing this product are high pressure sales people, that will charge you as much or more than the cost of a fumigation (for 2 hours of work and $5.00 of product), they are not necessarily eco-friendly companies. In fact, most orange oil treatments also include the use of synthetic pyrethroids — they claim they use these product to kill the queen. Anybody with a modicum of knowledge about insect science would know this is B.S.
There is more common sence involved in treatment than magic. If your house has had drywood termites for many years with multiple infestations and damage, you are probably looking at a fumigation, If the problem is localized to a specific area, any localized treatment could be efficacious.
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