6 Easy Ways To Prevent Termites From Spreading In Your Home
By Urban Company
4 min read
Mar 13, 2018
Have you ever come home to find small piles of wood dust accumulated under your sofa? This is surely a cause of termite infestation. Once they invade your home ...
Have you ever come home to find small piles of wood dust accumulated under your sofa? This is surely a cause of termite infestation. Once they invade your home and start feeding on the foundation of your house or your expensive furniture it becomes really difficult to get rid of them, especially because of their minuscule size. Carrying out frequent inspections in your house to check for the presence of termites and other pests can save you from a lot of trouble.
One of the main reasons why termites are tough to deal with is that they cannot be detected until they have done considerable damage and have set up large colonies. Since thousands of termites live together in these colonies, this makes it really hard to get rid of them without professional help. If you have detected the presence of termites in your home, then you need to take a few termite prevention measures immediately.
Here is a list of things you can do to prevent termites from spreading and ensure that the treatment is successful:
1. Get Rid of Moisture:
Moisture is one of the main reasons that attract all kinds of pests including termites into your home. Getting rid of excess moisture in your home will help in keeping termites at bay. If you live in a humid environment, investing in a dehumidifier can help. In summers, you can switch on the air conditioner periodically during the day to maintain a cool temperature in the house and remove excess moisture from the air indoors.
2. Fix Leaks:
Pay attention to any leaks or decay in your house. Decayed roofs and moisture-laden walls work as perfect hosts for termites. Fix and seal the leakages promptly and carry out frequent inspections especially in basements or dingy corners of your house. These spots usually get overlooked and are the first ones to attract pests. A leakage in the basement can be especially inviting since it is closer to the ground and makes it easier for termites to attack the spot.
3. Declutter Your House:
Whether you have hired professionals for a termite or bed bug treatment, it is important to carry out a decluttering drive in your house. Pay special attention to useless papers, cardboards, old magazines and newspapers since these provide a great environment for pests like termites to thrive. If one of your rooms has been attacked by termites, make sure to never take the stuff including furniture stored in that room to other parts of your house that are not affected by the termites.
4. Maintain a Distance Between Soil and Wood:
If you have a garden, ensure that there is some distance between the soil and wood. Most experts believe that at least an eighteen-inch distance is important. This will help discourage any attack from termites on the foundation of your home and the furniture. You can use stones or cement to separate soil from the wooden area especially in your patios, gardens, etc. to create a physical barrier for termites.
5. Use Borate on Wood Before Priming or Painting:
Borate is one of the most popular termite repellents. You can spray borate on wood prior to priming and painting. It soaks into the wood and essentially prevents termites from attacking and nibbling on it. Once this termite spray has dried, you can prime and paint it normally and use it to make window frames, doors, furniture, etc. This borate spray is strong enough to repel termites for decades.
6. Place Infected Items in the Sun:
If you find that termites are damaging a piece of furniture, place it in direct sunlight for at least three consecutive days. This termite protection strategy can work well in summer since termites cannot stand the heat. By keeping the infected furniture in the sun, the heat will kill the termites and remove moisture from the furniture preventing chances of re-infestation. The smart thing here would be to dust off the furniture thoroughly and use a termite spray on it before bringing it back into the house. You can do the same with the furniture items that may not be affected by termites to make sure that they stay termite-free.
If termites have already attacked your home, then the first thing that you need to do is to call a pest control company to carry out a thorough inspection and then get termite control treatment done in your home. Considering the amount of damage termites can do to the foundation of your house and furniture, the termite treatment cost will not appear high.
After the home termite control treatment, you can maintain your home better by cleaning your furniture regularly with oils such as neem oil to keep termites at bay in addition to taking the above measures. In addition, you can
book a pest control service from Urban Companyon an annual basis to inspect your home and carry out treatments as required.
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