If you live in an area where termites are active, you can do a lot to prevent your own home from becoming damages if you are proactive about termite prevention. Keeping termites away is the best defense, and this guide can help you know where to begin.
1. Clear away things that attract termites.
Termites eat through almost all types of wood. Most varieties will not attack living trees, but any dead or rotting wood is fair game. You should examine trees on your property and cut down or have removed any that are in declining health or have dead spots. Also be sure to:
- store wood away from the house foundation. Don't, for example, stack firewood up against the side of your house.
- keep wooden fencing sealed and stained. Falling behind on maintenance can make these fences fall into disrepair, becoming attractive food for termite colonies underground.
- avoid using wood mulch in flower beds near or beside the house. Use rubber or rocks for bedding instead.
- remove wooden outbuildings or structures that are in disrepair. For example, if you have an old wooden porch that is sagging or rotting, tear it down and replace it with one built from treated lumber or composite decking.
2. Control interior moisture.
Termites don't only love wood. They also love moisture. An environment with moist, wet wood makes it easier for them to spread. Interior home moisture can draw termites in. If you have a leaking basement, have it waterproofed. Try to remove any wooden elements that might have gotten wet at one point during a basement flood. If you have superfluous wood in your basement, such as old lumber or stored pallets, remove them and find an outdoor storage solution.
3. Use property baits.
You can have a termite control company install baits around your property to help notify you of termite activity. These baits hold food for termites, but when termites eat it, the bait pops put the ground, notifying you of the need to take further action, such as trenching around your property with insecticide.
4. Have yearly inspections.
Finally, if you can't prevent a termite infestation, the next best thing to catch it while it is still small. Yearly termite inspections will catch activity on your property and allow you to take action before you suffer any great damage to the structural integrity of your home.
For more information, contact a local pest control company, such as Budget Termite & Pest Control.