6 Ways To Prevent Household Termite Damage
The pest that poses the most significant risk to residential properties isn’t one that bites you, spreads disease, makes you itchy, or contaminates your food. Rather, it’s a pest that quietly compromises the structural integrity of your home: termites. It’s the termite’s subtlety that makes them so dangerous. Once they’ve found their way inside a home, they’re hard to detect and even harder to expel. That’s why the best way to protect a house from suffering costly termite damage is to prevent them from infesting the home in the first place.
Below, Champion Termite and Pest Control, Inc. shares six ways homeowners can better protect their properties from a termite infestation. Contact our pest control company today to schedule a free inspection!
Know The Signs
Recognizing the signs of termite activity around the home early on can help homeowners take the appropriate measures toward stopping an infestation before it’s too late. The following are common signs of termite activity:
- Discarded termite wings
- Termite droppings (frass)
- Mud tubes on the outside of the home
- Tiny holes in drywall
- Discolored or sagging drywall
- Maze-like patterns in furniture and walls
- Blistered wood
- Live termites
The moment you notice any of these signs in or around your home, contact one of our pest professionals for termite treatment services!
Reduce Moisture Around The House
Termites are attracted to moisture and are predisposed to infesting consistently moist soil. For this reason, it is ideal to eliminate any excess water around your home’s foundation. Accomplish this by ensuring no leaks are stemming from AC units, faucets, pipes, or sprinklers around your home. Speaking of sprinklers, keep sprinkler heads pointed away from your home’s foundation if possible. Finally, make sure water is being diverted away from your home’s base. If water is pooling at your home’s base, check to see if your home’s gutters and downspouts are functioning correctly.
Store Wood Properly
Whether you have an old fashioned fireplace or just enjoy convivial bonfires on wintery nights, your firewood will need to be stored properly so as not to invite termites. Chiefly, never store firewood or any other form of wood material directly against the exterior of your home. Placing their favorite food up against your home will draw them in as well as make it easy for them to bypass soil that’s been treated with termite spray. Always store firewood a decent distance away from your home.
Trim Back Shrubbery
Much like how firewood stacked against a home’s exterior helps termites bypass dangers and grants them easier access into the house, so too can overgrown shrubbery. Worse yet, overgrown shrubs can conceal signs of termite activity, such as mud tubes. Open up the areas between your home’s exterior and bushes by trimming foliage back, so it is at least 12 inches away from any walls. This will also allow air to flow more freely around the home’s exterior, drastically reducing any excess moisture accumulating at your home’s base.
Use Mulch Sparingly
Mulch is excellent for use in a home garden. Unfortunately, mulch is also extremely attractive to termites. While it isn’t the most nutritionally satisfying substance for them, mulch’s ability to hold moisture makes it much more alluring. Hence, if you’re going to use mulch, do so sparingly. Place only a thin layer of a few inches around the garden and make sure none of it comes into contact with any doors or windows.
Schedule A Termite Inspection
The best way to prevent termite infestations is to regularly schedule termite inspections from a qualified exterminator. Routine services and surveillance from a pest professional can help limit and address issues that may arise before your home sustains severe damage. At Champion Termite and Pest Control, we offer all-encompassing home termite treatment plans that can help stop infestations from drywood termites, subterranean termites, and Formosan termites. Contact us today to learn more about our pest management plans!
