Each year, termites cause billions of dollars in damage to homes across the United States. Even if your home is made from brick, it has a wooden framework and these pests will eat the wooden joists that support your walls, the rafters holding your roof, and even the wallpaper in your dining room. The good news is that there are ways to prevent termites at home.
Why You’ll Want to Prevent Termites
Termites are often called “silent destroyers” because they hide inside your walls and often cause damage before they are detected. Termites eat cellulose, which is the primary component of wood. Anything composed of wood or paper is a food source for termites.
Prevent Termites in the Home
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- Hire a professional home inspection company to do an annual inspection. They know how to search for signs of termite activity in your home. The inspector will point out any areas with termite problems past or present, or that are conducive to termites in the future. A professional will help you assess any current termite damage and will suggest ways to prevent termites in the home.
- Block the entry routes for termites. Termites will enter your home from the easiest place they can find. Take some simple precautions to keep termites away. Seal the gaps around the holes in your foundation or walls where your gas and water supply lines enter. If your home has wooden siding, make sure the lowest row of siding does not come in contact with the ground. Termites will seek out any wood that touches the earth.
- Remove any termite-friendly cellulose sources from contact with your home. Of all the ways to prevent termites at home, this is one of the most important to implement. Cut back shrubbery that touches your home. If bushes touch the exterior of your home, you are creating a pathway for a termite infestation. If you use bark as a mulching material, make sure to leave at least 12 inches of clear ground between your home and the mulch. The termites will eat the bark and then move to the house for their next meal.
- With the help of a home inspection professional, decide where you need to apply a termiticide. This is generally a spray-on product that deters termites from your home. These chemicals can be applied to your wood shingle roof, wooden siding, or the ground around your home.
Termites can do significant damage in a very short amount of time. When learning about ways to prevent termites, contact a professional to help you with the perfect solution to keep your home termite-free.
Cabal Inspection Services provides termite inspections and other home inspection services to Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties in Southeast Florida. Contact us to request an appointment.