Termites in Lodge in Peru - what can I apply to bed to deter them?
 

Hi there -
My daughter (19 yrs) is doing some volunteer work in Peru - she arrived this week, and is enjoying her experience very much.
The only thing she has a little difficulty with are the termites in the room she shares with two other volunteers.
She said there was "a lot of commotion" the first night when a girl in her room pulled out her bed and discovered termites. I guess there was visible damage to the bed, and they could see a lot of termites.
She said she goes to bed at 10PM, but can't fall asleep until 2, 3 or 4 AM because she's "scared of bugs crawling around in my bed." And she has to get up at 7 to start work.
She said she's "tried counting to 100", and has also tried making her mind go blank, but it didn't work, and asked me for advice.
I told her they won't hurt her, but she said just knowing they're there, crawling around, is enough to make her nervous and unable to fall asleep.
She doesn't want to make a big deal about it, so she doesn't want to say anything to the staff..
I told her how about when she goes into the town with the other volunteers, she could ask around for termite stuff, but being new, she said she doesn't want to draw attention to herself, and again make it appear like it's a big deal.
I told her I'd check online. I'm planning to send her a waterproof camera because it rains a lot there, and she's worried that the camera she brought will get ruined if she uses it, so perhaps I could throw in something to deter termites as well. Anything to ease her mind a little.
Does anyone have suggestions?
Is there an oil of some kind, or some liniment that might work? Maybe someone knows of a natural product she could try that would also pass inspection (customs) in Peru.
I appreciate your help.
She's a good kid. She's just not used to sharing her bed with unfamiliar critters who like to gnaw on wood all night!
Thanks for your suggestions.

Try some diatomaceous earth or boric acid in a squeeze bottle such as a mustard container. You can often find this sold for roach control. I wouldn't use anything else that's a chemical.

I really think she should mention it. Part of the experience is growing up!

I answered your question on the US thread. Be wary of letting the landlord treat while she's there, as many termite killing compounds are very toxic to humans.

I'm sorry she has to deal with this. I have a personal rule that says, never, ever look under beds or furniture while traveling.

You won't be able to send her anything chemical. Boric acid is readily available in most of Perú for roaches, I don't know if that works for termites. I have forgotten what the brand is called. If she is in a remote area of the Amazon, termites are a fact of life really. She should ask if there is anything which can be done about it though.

Awesome help from everyone, thank you. I am going to email this thread to my daughter. The Peru forum people had the same advice - tell the owners!
And I love icuy's personal rule ' "Never EVER look under beds or furniture while traveling!" I'm going to heed that and for sure get a better nights' sleep this way!
I know the girl who discovered them didn't look under her bed, at least I'm pretty sure she discovered them quite by accident, but who knows.
Thanks again.
Appreciate it!

Hot peppers the juice or spray is quite effective

The organic nitrogen compounds in a pungent lipid group called capsaicinoids are what makes a pepper hot and the heat of a pepper is measured in Scoville Units. Developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912, Scoville Units measure pepper heat in multiples of 100, with the bell peppers at 0 and the habanero at over 300,000 Scoville Units. Hy-Tech has incorporated select, concentrated pepper extracts and other all natural essential oils and repellants into the "Eco Pel" formula producing a whopping 1,000,000 Scoville Units, the highest in the industry!

A good way to deter at least the crawly types of bugs is to put the legs of the bed in buckets of water.

I think the owners would be grateful if she tells them as they really won't want their property destroyed by termites.

Poor thing! I hope she can sleep better soon.

The OP is from 2010!

Heavens! I wonder why this came back up? I certainly hope the OP's daughter is sleeping more comfortably by now!

This came up from 5 years back because someone wanted to promote a way to control termites. The offending post has been deleted.

This might be old and by now the termite issue has been solved for the por girl in Peru lol but it is still a useful thread.
The same home treatments are good for flea infestation too ...
Borax,diatomaceous earth .. all good to know when you travel. Or at home even !