Termites, also known as silent destroyers, can cause great structural damages to your home in a short time period. A whole colony of termites can chew through wood, wallpaper, and flooring and be undetected in their endeavors. As these insects can be responsible for billions of dollars in damage, reducing the risk of their attack is of crucial importance. So, here are some tips and tricks on how to protect your home from termites and reduce the risk of termite attack.
Tips and Tricks to Protect Your Home from Termites
Eliminate Wood-to-Ground Contact
If wood components from your house are in contact with the soil, it is the perfect access point to termites. The wood-to-ground contact helps termites easily access food, shelter, and moisture. Hence, it is very important to remove any wood-to-soil contact by pulling soil or mulch back from the foundation and replacing the wood with a concrete base.
Make sure the wood from your home is at least six inches above ground level, especially if you have wooden window frames or a wood sliding door. However, it’s important to note that stairs and post which are embedded in concrete are also prone to termite attack. It might sound surprising, but pressure-treated wood is also susceptible to termites as they can enter through cracks and cut ends.
Have Your Home Treated by a Professional Pest Control Company
If you suspect that there are termites in your home and want to prevent any damage, contact a professional pest control company to treat your home properly. Use the services of such a company for preventive treatment too. It is advisable to pay an annual renewal fee and use the services of a pest control firm on an annual base for prevention. The pert control company, such as squishpests.com, will perform the treatment correctly and treat any affected area.
Divert Water and Moisture Away from Foundations
You should prevent any water or moisture accumulating the foundations and termites love moisture. Moreover, they often infect the soil which is next to a moist foundation. Therefore, you should do your best and divert waterway from there with the use of downspouts, gutters, and splash blocks. Additionally, have the ground around the foundations graded which will allow easier water draining away from your home. You should also repair air conditioning units, faucets, and piper which are leaking and improve the overall drainage of your home.
Don’t Keep Your Firewood Against the Side of Your House
Many people store their firewood or wood debris against the side of their home or inside crawlspaces. Termites look for food in such places, as well as in cardboard boxes, lumber, and newspaper. So, it is recommended that you remove everything from touching your house as this allows termites to enter the structure. Moreover, remove ivy, vines, and other plantings from around the house as they, as well, attract termites.
Install Plastic Sheeting in Crawl Spaces to Reduce Moisture
There are plenty of houses which have crawl spaces used for storing infrequently used items and these spaces also allow cooling air to circulate throughout the home. It is recommended that there should be one square foot of vent opening per 150 square feet of crawlspace area.
These vents should be clean and free of debris, vegetation, or leaves. Additionally, the moisture and humidity can be reduced by installing 4-6 ml polyethylene sheeting over about 75 percent of the soil surface. This plastic sheeting is a great vapor barrier and you can get them installed with the help of a pest control company.
Be Careful with Using Mulch
A landscape mulch looks very attractive, it’s a healthy environment for the plants, and it’s the perfect insulation against temperature extremes. However, you should use it with caution if you already have termites as it can trigger a termite attack. As mulch abounds in moisture-retaining properties, it attracts termites. So, if you decide to use mulch, use it sparingly and add only a couple inches. Moreover, make sure it doesn’t touch any wood, such as wood sliding door and windows.
Now when you know how to protect your home from termite attack, you might want to learn how to recognize the signs of infestation. Detecting the early signs of termites will prevent damage to your house and you will be able to treat the issue on time. Some of the most common signs that these unwanted guests are living in your home include:
– white ants which are completely straight rather than bent and have a thick waist section;
– hollow sounding timber;
– pencil-wide tunnels in wood and on piers and foundations;
– frass – termite droppings;
– stiff windows and warped doors;
– presence of flying termites and discarded wings;
Detecting and treating termite infestation can be a very arduous task and it often requires a trained eye and professional help. You can find out more about termites and their control, but it is always best if you reach for professional help sooner rather than later.