How to Avoid a Termite Infestation in Your Home
Termites are very damaging to homes and can cost you thousands of dollars, both in extermination and in the repairs you may then need to have done. If you want to protect your home and your property, note a few tips on how to avoid such an infestation in the first place.
1. Waterproof the home
You may immediately think of protecting wood when you think of a termite infestation, but note that insects of all sorts are almost always attracted to water and not just whatever they feed on. Termites need a good water source to survive as much as they need wood for food, so if your basement tends to flood or you have standing water outside your home, you may attract termites more easily. Get a sump pump for the basement or have the yard graded to encourage water to run off the property rather than collect on its surface.
2. Keep mulch away from the home
Adding mulch around your shrubbery is a good choice for controlling weed growth, but don't allow this mulch to actually touch the home's foundation. Mulch is a good feeding source from termites as it's made from wood, so these insects might burrow in and around this area of your landscaping. However, if the mulch doesn't touch your home, the termites may not actually make their way to the house itself; leave a few inches or centimetres of a border around the mulch and next to your home so air can circulate and dry that edge, and so that termites don't easily move from the mulch pile to your home's foundation or frame.
3. Cover fireplace logs and other wood piles next to the home
As with mulch, fireplace logs and other wood piles can become a good feeding ground for termites; if this wood is right up next to the home, the termites can easily start marching onto the stucco, siding or foundation and make their way inside. Cover these wood piles with plastic if needed so that the wood doesn't touch the home and to make it less hospitable for termites. This can also mean not bringing termites into the home when you bring in logs for the fireplace.
4. Get inspections
Even if you don't think you have termites in the home, it can be good to include this type of inspection, along with inspecting for other pest infestations, every year or as often as recommended by an inspector. This can ensure you find signs of termites nests before they do damage to the home, and can have your home fumigated as needed.
Contact a professional pest control company for more information about termite maintenance.