Beating Back Those Termites

They’re one of the biggest pests that attack the home, and they can literally ‘eat you out of house and home.’ They live in colonies that can number in the thousands and they feed almost exclusively on the kind of wood that you’ve got in your home. They’re termites, and if you’ve got them, the battle against them is nothing new to you and if you don’t have them yet, there are things that you can do to prevent an infestation.

One of the first suggestions is to let the professionals handle the situation. These are pesky little bugs that have survived for years and years partially by learning how to stay one step ahead of us, but the professional pest control people have developed more than a few different ways to fight back.

As well, some of the natural openings where the termites like to enter are hidden from view—they’re the kind of places that only a professional would know. It’s always a good idea to maintain an existing agreement with a pest control firm to keep termites from coming back; and if you haven’t had termites, it’s a good idea to start a preventive maintenance contract so that a professional will always be monitoring your home.

Still, there are a few things that you can do on your own. One of the first of these is to fix all the spots where you’ve got wood coming in contact with the ground. All the experts suggest that you keep all wood siding and lattice work at least six inches from the ground since this wood/earth contact gives termites a place to eat and sneak into your structure further. As well, you don’t want any moisture to accumulate near the building; here standing water is a problem, and termites tend to go after a place where the ground beside the foundation is consistently wet or moist. 

You’ll need to make sure that crawlspace areas are properly vented as well. Beyond keeping them free of all leaves and other obstructions, there are usually municipal and/or state codes about venting that will give you a clear picture of what needs to be done. As well, you should always be careful not to store firewood, newspapers, or cardboard boxes near the foundation where the termites can find a way in.

When any of these materials is stacked beside the foundation, they allow the termites a way to get into the house via the foundation by bypassing any of the other barriers like insecticide in the soil that you might have put in place to prevent their access into your home.

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