Termite
invasion – that’s definitely the right term for it. Once you got them you can
never go back. They will eat the woods in your house as much as they can as
fast as they can.
Termites
live in colonies and every colony contains around 15,000,000 termites. Look at
that number! Think of them munching in to your woods day and night without
rest. Definitely not a nice thought, is it? We know that thought may haunt you
for a while but we don’t want you to lose any sleep over this.
Below are
some tips on how to avoid hosting termites in your beautiful home. Not only
will you have peace in your mind, you will also have a house that will last
longer. So we do encourage you to follow these tips below.
Cleaning your Environment
Termites
thrive in the soil, through mulch and waste around your house. Then they create
tubes, called galleries, as their very own tunnel system, slowly making their
way up to your house. And the next thing you know, they’re already everywhere.
This can
easily be avoided by cleaning away materials that could help them thrive. Avoid
storing unused logs around your house. Get rid of waste lumber, decaying
vegetation, and mulches that can be the comfort zone of the termites.
Reduce Soil-to-Wood Contact
If you
don’t want termites to get into your house, you have to find a way to limit the
contact between soil and mulches to the wooden parts of your house. There are
home improvement centers nowadays that does concrete support about 3-5 inches
from the ground up. This is to help avoid giving an easy access to termites.
Avoiding Moisture and Access to Water
There’s a
reason why termites live 3-feet below the ground surface. They are comfortable
in cold and dark places. Moisture is one of the reasons why termites survive.
They need a constant source of water and an easy access to it.
Therefore,
it is advisable that you eliminate anything that could be the source of
moisture in your windows and around the house. Check for gaps and leaking in
your windows and doors.
Look for
those areas that might possibly have stored rain water without your knowledge.
It could be small holes around the house or areas with leaking pipes. All of
these could easily be the source of water for these little home wreckers.
Repair Damages A.S.A.P
Needless to
say, damages, big or small, can be very attractive to termites. They are just
looking for an easy way in to your house and these damages smell like food to
them. Well, it’s literally food to them.
So when
doing your regular inspection, look for these areas that were damaged due to
moisture or simply caused by regular wear and tear.
Then make
sure to do repairs to the damages. Repair broken window seals as this can be a
way for moisture to get in and out of the house. Fill in those holes that could
store rain water. Repaint areas that needs repainting as this will help prevent
termites from munching into your woods. Naked wood is a very easy target for
termites to get into, especially those Drywood termites.
Prevention
is always better than cure, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. The tips
above are so easy, but when done properly, could be powerful method of
preventing termite trouble in your home.
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