No one wants to sit with a costly termite infestation on their hands, but how can you properly prevent termites from entering your home? There are several tried and tested termite prevention strategies that you can perform in and around your house, so continue reading to learn how you can keep your property safe from these destructive insects.
Best Termite Prevention Strategies For Homeowners.
Prevention is far better than trying to treat an infestation in its prime, so it’s important to identify possible causes in and around your home. Let’s discuss this in more detail:
- Eliminate wood in contact with the ground. Termite problems commonly occur when wood components of the home are in direct contact with the soil. This contact supplies a hidden pathway into the building and affords termites easy access to food, shelter and moisture. If you notice signs of vulnerability in the wood components of your home, consider replacing them with new timbers where possible and ensure these elements are at least six inches above ground level.
- Do not allow moisture to accumulate around the foundation. Termites are attracted to moisture and are more likely to infest your home if the soil next to the foundation is consistently wet or damp. To avoid water from accumulating, ensure gutters and drain pipes divert water efficiently and keep faucets and the air conditioning unit maintained to prevent unnecessary leaking. In addition, ensure the ground beside the foundation is adequately graded to facilitate the proper drainage of your property.
- Reduce moisture and humidity in crawl spaces. To ensure the crawlspace has sufficient ventilation, vents must be free from leaves, debris and vegetation. In addition, you can further reduce moisture by installing a polyethylene sheet to act as a vapour barrier to reduce evaporation from the soil and condensation on joists and subflooring.
- Avoid storing firewood or timbers along the foundation, against walls and in the crawlspace. Piles of wood, cardboard, newspaper and similar materials provide a source of food and direct entry into your home. In addition, it allows termites to avoid contact with soil that has been treated with insecticides. Where possible, remove stumps and unnecessary wood sources and keep trees trimmed back away from your home.
- Call in a professional. Buildings are full of hidden entry points that only a trained eye would be able to locate. So, if you’ve practised the above measures and are still experiencing a termite infestation, then call in professional assistance for effective termite mitigation and prevention services.
Old Island Pest Control knows how troubling and frustrating it can be to constantly clear your home of possible termite attractants, but our termite prevention services can help! So contact us today to schedule a consultation!
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