When you start noticing small piles of sawdust around your wooden property, this may be a sign that you have a termite infestation. Taking immediate action to eradicate them is essential to preventing their spread. But if you don’t see the signs, it may mean that you don’t have them. Yet, you should still take measures to keep them away. In this guide, we’ll be teaching you how to prevent termites from entering your home, and ensuring you aren’t in a for an expensive repair!
Termites have been one of the most persistent pests of man for hundreds of years. This is because they are evasive and difficult to detect and eliminate. Also, termites are well-known for building large nests that expand with time. Along with this, termites have also been known to bite humans, which is something you definitely don’t want to constantly deal with! So once they attack your wood, they can establish themselves and expand.
How To Prevent Termites Naturally and Effectively:
Nevertheless, you can keep termites away from your property. In this article, we will explain effective ways to prevent termite infestations and reduce the risk of termite attacks.
1. Remove Easy Termite Access Points
If you’re wondering on how to prevent termites, preventing them from easily gaining access to your home is an important first step!
Termites are naturally found in the soil. So, they mostly gain access to your property through wood that is in contact with soil. When in search of shelter, food, and moisture, termites can get attracted to the nearest source—wood. If your property has a garden or bare soil around it, there is a high risk of termites traveling from the soil to your home. Termites naturally spread from soil contacting your home or foundation, so this is an important first step to prevention because termites can spread from house to house.
Doors, window frames, and wood sidings are easy targets for termite attacks. So they should be at least 17 inches above the ground or get rid of soil that is too close to your wooden property by covering it with concrete or non-wood covering.
Also, keep wood away from the side of your building. This serves as an easy route through which termites gain access to your building.
2. Eliminate Surrounding Moisture
Accumulation of moisture is one good attractant of termites and is one of the most important steps in how to prevent termites. Most termites will go to areas with moist soil and establish themselves there. If this area is around your property, then they can easily gain access. This is why termites are more rampant during the rainy seasons.
The ground close to the foundation of your building should be sloped to allow soil water to drain out. If your building lacks a good drainage system, ensure to install tiles around it or a drainage system to prevent constant moisture buildup around your foundation. Limit the use of lawn sprinklers close to the building’s foundation.
Damp or humid crawl space areas can also be enticing to termites. Vents should be cleaned frequently and free from dirt and debris. Install polyethylene sheets or other vapor barriers to crawl spaces to reduce moisture from soil evaporation.
You may not be able to keep them from your surrounding soil during the wet seasons. Nevertheless, you can still prevent termites from entering your property by implementing other methods.
3. Repair Leaks and Stuck Drainages
Look out for any leaks or moisture outlets in and around your building, as termites generally come from areas of moisture. These leaks may come from pipes, plumbing, roofs, damp walls, and drainage. Ensure that your drainage is not stuck and works well. Also, repair and seal off any leaks immediately. Also, carry out regular inspections around hidden corners of your building. Termites can enter these areas unnoticed. Decaying roofing material should also be promptly changed.
4. Clear Out Clutter
Clutter can support the spread of pests in the home. It is important to get rid of unnecessary wood or paper clutter to prevent this. Termites can thrive in a cluttered environment, and termites will eat clothes and other paper-like materials. So, look out for needless stuff like newspapers, cartons, old magazines, or even trash. Take out the garbage regularly. In case you start noticing infestation in a part of the house, move out every item and proceed to treat the area.
5. Do Regular Inspections
Learning how to prevent termites doesn’t do much if you aren’t occasionally looking to see if it’s working. A thorough termite inspection is best done by an expert. But you can still check out your foundation and basement for any sign of termites infestation. Signs of termite infestation are decaying, holey wood, hollow-sounding wood, discarded wings from swarmers, and mud tubes.
Inspect your wood for any decay or loss in weight. Use a flashlight to check for tiny termite holes. You can also tap the wood for hollow sounds. Along with this, during the nighttime, you can also hear termites making noise in your walls.
6. Try Natural Home Remedies
While professional services may be costly, you can opt for natural alternatives to get rid of termites and keep termites away. Although home remedies are non-toxic, cheap, and easy to apply, their effect may not last long. You may need to apply them regularly to keep termites away. Essential oils, white vinegar, salt, and diatomaceous earth are commonly used as home remedies for termite infestations. They are toxic to insects generally and can serve as alternatives to insecticides. Home remedies can also be used as termite deterrents
7. Treat Wood with Borate or Insecticide before Painting
Painted wood can deter insect pests like termites and protect the wood from damage. To give extra protection, use well seasoned or treated wood. Borate, also known as Borax or Sodium borate is a well-known chemical substance that can serve as a deterrent. It is much less toxic than insecticides and can be an alternative. Before painting wood, you can use liquid borate or insecticides that leave surface residue after drying for a long-lasting effect. Ensure to let it dry before painting.
Get Professional Pest Services to Treat Your Building (Recommended)
Although the above methods can work to prevent termites, they can fail. Especially for areas with high levels of termite infestations. It would be wise to reach out to experts. The most effective way to keep termites away is to use powerful termiticides. Ensure to use legally approved chemicals.
Prevent termites by keeping wood away from the soil, eliminating moisture, treating wood, and regular inspections. You can also use home remedies as deterrents or insecticides.
Calling a professional to inspect or treat your property for termites is important, especially if it has been infested or treated before. It is wise to pay yearly for treatment, to maintain the termite warranty in case of re-infestation. Usually, termites can re-infest the property even if the treatment was done properly. Most pest companies offer this annual warranty and can carry out free holistic treatment again. Take a look at our other termite guides! I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide on how to prevent termites!
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