Keeping Your Home Pest Free And Your Family Safe

Posted on: 28 September 2016

If your home is in an area where termites are a problem, then you will be pleased to learn that there are many things you can do to keep them away from your home. This is very important because left on their own, a colony of termites can eat their way through the wood structure of your home, its deck, and the wooden fences on your property in just a few years.

To prevent termite damage to the wood building materials on your property, follow these tips:

Tip: Keep Deck and Fence Posts Off of the Bare Ground

In areas of the country with termites, it is vital that you keep your deck and fence posts off of the bare ground by using concrete piers. Though you can use pressure treated lumber directly on the soil, you should avoid doing so in an area with termites.

If you will be building a new deck or fence, you are advised to consider using a plastic or composite material rather than wood. Using alternative building materials ensures that there is no cellulose fiber present for termites to feast on.

Tip: Put Your Firewood in a Metal or Hard Plastic Shed

Leaving your firewood pile on the ground in termite country ensures that termites will have a constant food source. To prevent them from eating their way through your firewood and moving on to your home, it is important to store your firewood in either a metal or hard plastic shed. Using a shed for your firewood allows you to close the doors and keep the termites away from the wood.

If you do not have the room for a shed on your property, then you should place all of your firewood on top of plastic pallets that sit on top of a thick plastic tarp. The pallets will keep the wood off of the ground, and the plastic tarp will prevent the bark from falling down on the ground under the pallets to where termites can eat it.

Tip: Manage Your Landscaping to Prevent Termite Colonization

Finally, it is vital that you manage your property's landscaping to prevent termites from colonizing in your yard. To accomplish this, you need to tend to any areas that have problems with standing water. Standing water attracts termites and other bugs because they gather to drink it. Additionally, you need to always remove dead plant stalks and tree branches that fall because they also provide food sources for termites.