4 Ways To Discourage A Termite Infestation
Posted on: 4 October 2016
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Termites are tiny insects, but they can wreak havoc on your property. The wood-eaters can quickly digest supporting beams and planks. Nevertheless, there are things that you can do to discourage termites from taking residence on your property. Here are a few of them:
Get rid of wood piles in your yard
If you have a fireplace, you may store wood on your property. Piles of kindling and logs may be stacked throughout the year for use as needed during the winter months. However, if the wood is uncovered, it will retain some of the moisture from the rain or snow. The moistened wood attracts termites.
Termites are commonly found in natural environments, but although they eat wood, they only consume wood that is rotted, decayed or dead. The bodies of the insects are sensitive to sunlight and heat, so they seek warm, dark, moist environments.
If you are planning to store wood as fuel for your fireplace, try to keep it dry and be sure that it is quite a distance from your home. If you have a shed or other enclosure, you can store the wood there, but because the wood is dead, it should not be near your house.
Get rid of dead trees
If there are dead trees on your property, termites may move into the dried wood. Be sure to survey the state of your trees regularly. Lightening or disease can quickly kill a tree that was thriving just months before.
When the trees are removed, be sure to have the trunks ground.
Get rid of wood mulch
Wood mulch is sometimes used as decorative ground cover. However, if the area where the mulch is to be placed is adjacent to your home, termites can begin in the mulch and migrate to your home's basement or foundation. Alternative mulch materials, such as crushed brick, cannot serve as termite food.
Only use treated wood or non-wood products for outdoor additions
If you are planning to add a privacy fence or a deck, use wood boards that have been pre-treated with insecticide to discourage termite infestation. if you are willing to use a wood substitute, consider resin planks, which look like wood but are actually made of plastic.
If you have already found signs of termites on your property, such as hollow wood, mud trails on the exterior of your home or tiny termite wings on your window seals, schedule an appointment with a pest control company that specializes in termite extermination (like Tri-County Termite & Pest Control, Inc.).