Termites and How to Prevent Them from Returning After Treatment

Termites are one of annoying pests that most people agree with. You spend your hard-earned dollar to treat them yet there is still a probability that these creatures can come back and attack your house again. So, after successful termite eradication, you should know how to prevent termites from coming back.

Termites 101: Keep their food away from your property

If you want to keep termites away, you should take away their food source. This means you have to remove stacks of firewood on the ground, take all the pieces of wood, carboards and other cellulose debris under your subarea and clean up your basement among others. Aside from the outdoors, you should do the same diligence inside your home. Remove any old stack of paper from your basement or garage and dispose of it.

Termites love tree branches. Cutaway tree branches and bushes!

Unkempt trees and shrubs can be the hideout of termites and can promote moisture that can penetrate through the wall cracks. Trees provide shelter to termites like dry wood termites that don’t burrow into the ground.

Not only termites but other pests like rodents, ants and other pests can use the branches as the bridge to your home. This is true, especially if the branches are touching any part of your home.

Termites and Moisture: Separate them

Termite is attracted to moisture. With this, you should watch out for areas where water tends to sit for long without proper drainage. It includes a blocked gutter, standing water on the drainage canal, water damage on your ceiling and walls, sprinkler water that is saturating your exterior walls and plumbing leaks.

Even leaks on your HVAC system and pipes are enough to sustain the proliferation of termites, much so if the water seeps into a wooden beam.

To ensure that termites won’t go back into your home, perform an inspection inside and outside your house. Check where all the moisture sources and repair it as soon as possible to avoid termite infestation.

Have an annual termite inspection and maintenance

In the long run, you will be saving a lot of money by having a termite maintenance contract in place.

Having a fully trained inspector to identify a potential infestation even before it becomes a massive problem is a very good thing.

In addition, if the exterminator discovers an infestation during the inspection, they will apply the necessary treatments. Depending on the agreement, it may or may not cost the homeowner an extra fee.

As much as regular inspections will cost a certain fee, it’s much better than paying for a treatment that costs thousands of dollars. Take note that aside from the treatment, an undiscovered infestation will also cost more on repairs. To avoid termite infestation, repair it as soon as possible.

Minimise the mulch

Mulch in your garden is 100% a termite magnet, especially if not managed well.

If possible, place the mulch as far away as possible from any part of your house. As you know, mulch is filled with two things that termites find inviting: food and moisture. Try to minimise your mulch so it wouldn’t become a massive termite breeding ground.

If you have mulch, do not overwater it. If you want to put mulch in, use redwood or cypress chips instead. Unlike other woods, termites seem to detest these two types due to its scent and natural content. However, cypress and redwood aren’t 100% termite-proof.

Make your place well ventilated

Maintaining good air circulation or airflow can help prevent termites from coming back to your house. Good ventilation helps the moisture dries up.

Letting the natural air and sunlight will help maintain ventilation inside the house. If you are using HVAC, be sure to direct the air away from wooden beams or foundations to avoid the moisture accumulation inside the wood structure.

Be cautious in bringing infested old furniture

Second-hand wooden pieces of furniture are typical vehicles of termites.

Once the infested furniture is in your home, the termites will now start to invade the house. Soon enough, you’re going to face an infestation.

When acquiring second-hand furniture, aerate the furniture under direct sunlight as long as it wouldn’t sustain damage. Also, you can treat it with a termite spray to ensure that no mites or bugs are hiding inside.

Once done, the furniture should be safe to bring inside after a day or two.

Don’t neglect your roof

The most common mistake homeowners commit when preventing termites is forgetting about their roofs. Subterranean termites indeed harbour on the ground, but some species can crawl into your roof and use the moisture from your blocked gutter.

Also, holes in your roof can become the entry point of various pests: termites, bugs, ants, and so on. Worse, these critters will harbour in the attic which many homeowners tend to neglect. Be sure to maintain your roof and gutters. Clean dried leaves and twigs that are blocking the gutters. Although this is exposed to sunlight, termites can still proliferate here under ideal conditions.

Routinely check the attic, basement, and subarea.

Termites tend to harbour dark, moist, and undisturbed places. Most of the time, these three areas in your home are where the termites are. If you keep on stashing piles of newspaper, old boxes and wooden furniture. You might just be feeding the termites in your home.

We recommend routinely checking and cleaning up the clutter in your attic, basement, and subarea. Also, it’s best to use it as a common room so it won’t be left out for the pests to discover. By doing this, you can spot the presence of termites even before it causes expensive damage.

source: attack-pestcontrol.com