6 Tips Homeowners Can Use to Keep Termites Away

There are many threats that homeowners must deal with when it comes to insects and other pests that can try to invade. Of all the pests, however, termites are among the most devastating of them all and are one of the most common reasons homeowners seek expert pest control service options.

Getting active termite treatment as soon as possible can help kill the pests before they cause severe damage to the home. Whether you are looking for specific targeted treatments for termites or are interested in combo treatments like ant and termite control options, your local exterminator has you covered!

They can provide you with the best drywood termite killer products as well as anything else you may need to keep your yard and home pest-free! These pest control pros can also work with you to develop the best home termite treatment plan that is customized to fit your unique situation and needs.

Don’t put it off any longer and give termites the chance to settle into your home! Call your local exterminator today to see what pest control services are available to you.

Termites frighten homeowners all over the world. There are good reasons for that. In the United States alone, they cause damage to at least 600,000 homes every year. Homeowners around the country spend upwards of $1 billion every year on Formosan termite control chemicals and to repair the termite damage to their homes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are some termite control experts who put that number at closer to $2 billion. The average homeowner will spend $3,000 when they find termite damage to their home. Experts recommend the following tips to help homeowners keep the pests out of their homes.

1. Keep an eye on your home. One of the most important things you can do to prevent termite damage in and around your home is to pay attention. If you have ever had a termite infestation, you know what the pests look like and what signs you can find to show they are in the area or are making your home a meal for their colony. It is also a good idea to have a professional pest control company look over your home to see if you have a problem with the bugs. Termite swarms normally happen in the spring so that is a good time to have them check out your home.
2. Do not make it easy for them to get into your home. Termites (and other pests) want to get into your home. You know that going into home ownership. You should make it as hard as possible for them to gain entry. This means you need to keep an eye on your foundation and the exterior of your home. If you see cracks or open spaces around vents, windows, pipes or other area, you need to seal them up. If you have an opening into your home, you can bet that pests are going to find it.
3. Keep everything as dry as you can. Moisture creates some of the most attractive living spaces for all kinds of pests. From termites to mice and roaches, water sources attract pests. A roach can live for up to three days without its head being attached to its body. What will end up killing the bug is a lack of access to water. That is how important water sources are. Pay attention to your plumbing and fix any leaks that you find. The drier your home is, the less pests will like it.
4. Take care of standing water. Standing water causes a lot of problems. It can encourage rot. It can attract mosquitoes (they breed in standing water and this can lead to the spread of illnesses such as the Zika virus) and it creates the perfect environment for termites to thrive. If you see that you have water pooling around your home, say after a rainstorm, check your gutters and downspouts and do what you can to get rid of it. If there are issues with either your downspouts or gutters, that can cause all sorts of problems with your roof and your foundation, termite damage is not the only problem you will need to worry about.
5. If you are building on or adding to your home, you should use wood that has been treated to repel termites. You can reduce the chances of having your home sustain termite damage when you use wood that has already been treated with chemicals that repel termites.
6. Limit the amount of contact your wood has with your soil. If you have wood siding, it should not go all the way to the foundation of your home. Leave some space between the ground and the wood siding. If you have a deck or patio, raise it up. Whatever you can do to limit the amount of contact the wood has with the soil, the better.

When it comes to termite damage, the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” could not be more appropriate. It is much cheaper to keep termites out of your home than to get them out once they have made your home, their home. These expert tips should help you keep your home and your property free of wood destroying organisms.