Termites are destructive as they burrow through wood and leave extensive damage if left unchecked. Termite prevention is crucial in safeguarding your home and wooden fixtures. Let’s look at how you can prevent termites from ruining your home.
Look For Signs
It’s important to check for signs of termites around your home. There are several telltale signs, including mud tunnels on the walls, floor or wood, and wood that makes a hollow sound when you tap on it. Termites are nature’s clean-up crew and so they will be fast to act on wood that’s not treated. When you know the signs to look out for, like the two above and a few others like termite droppings around your home and peeling paint that looks similar to water damage, you will be able to catch it before it goes out of hand and stop a potential infestation.
Clear Mulch
Termites are attracted by mulch and dead wood and so, if there’s any of it in your compound and around your house, you need to clear it before it attracts a colony of termites that will cause havoc in your home. Since mulch is both a source of food and potential shelter for termites, you should make sure that there’s none of it and you will have taken a step toward termite prevention. Ensure that there’s a buffer between the ground and any wood in and around your home so termites have a hard time reaching it.
Deal With Pools of Water Around the House
Termites love warm, moist, environments and will target areas where the soils are wet and there is food in the form of fallen leaves. When there’s wet ground around your home and wood that’s in contact with the soil, this is a recipe for termite infestation. Direct water spout drains away from your house’s foundation by using splash blocks and keeping the soil around the house as dry as possible so that even after a downpour, you don’t have to contend with a warm, moist environment that will invite termites. This is a step that the 20% of homeowners who said in a survey that their main pest concern was termites should all take to ensure there’s minimal chance of termite damage.
Treat Wood Around Your Home
Treat the wood around your house with diatomaceous earth for a completely natural solution that won’t affect any children or pets that come into contact with it. It’s 100% natural, non-toxic, and very effective. You can also apply it to the soil around your home and make frequent reapplications every other day when it rains. Its only downside is that it cannot kill subterranean termites or an entire colony in one swoop, but with patience, you can get them all gone within a given timeframe and keep them away for good.
Call Exterminators
Finally, if you already have termites and feel that you cannot effectively get rid of them by yourself, this is the step you need to take. Seek professional help by calling an extermination team to eradicate the termite infestation at once. Pest control will ensure that the entire colony has been exterminated and assess the damage done. They may also help you plan for restoration if your home has undergone extensive damage. With termites causing damages of about $40 billion globally every year, you can bet that the cost of calling in exterminators won’t be equal to the cost that extensive termite damage can leave you with.
When you combine the tips above, you will get a termite-free home with minimal damage suffered. Follow each step and remember that if you feel like you’re in over your head at any point, you should seek help from a professional team of exterminators.
