Is There Such Thing As DIY Termite Prevention?

If you know anything about pests, you probably know that termites are some of the most difficult problems you can end up with. The tiny insects have the ability to make any homeowners life a creepy crawly nightmare, and even make your home unsafe with all the structural damage they can cause. In fact, they cause five billion dollars in property damage a year. The tricky thing to figure out about termites is how much prevention is enough prevention. Is doing it yourself at all possible? It is to a certain point. There are definitely measures you can take to lower your chances of getting termites.

One of them is to fix any and all water leaks in your home. Whether it’s a leaky sink pipe or a drippy shower head, you need to make sure that there is nothing causing excess water puddles to be formed in or around your home. By eliminating any extra water, you’re getting rid of an essential resource that termite colonies need to live. This will help keep them out of your house.

Removing extra brush is also a helpful way to prevent a termite infestation. Brush and various plants tend to have a lot of water and moisture in and surrounding them. Termites need water to survive, so taking away anything that might produce or have water is a good way to keep them at bay. This includes any wood piles that you might be collecting. Although they may be dry, they still offer safe harbor for termites outside your home. Stacks of wood are perfect habitats for termite colonies, and when you put them up against your house, you’re providing a convenient transition from outside your home to inside your home. Keep all wood you need to store away from the outside walls of your house.

You’ll also want to avoid mulch. Termites love to use soil as a home for their colonies, and mulch is basically the perfect real estate. It has both food and water for the termites, so using mulch around your home creates an ideal habitat for them to survive in as they try to form mud tunnels into the foundation of your home.

Cracks or holes around the outside of your house provide easy ways for termites to walk right into your home. This is basically going to make their job of infesting your home a lot easier. Sealing any cracks or holes that occur in your home is a good step toward termite prevention.

As you can see, there is plenty you can do to prevent termites. Whether or not the little guys are able to overcome all of these prevention measures will vary by case. If you find that they’re not working, you may want to consider calling professional pest control.

Yes, these methods will help avoid a termite inspection on some level. However, the best thing you can do to keep termites out is having a professional pest control service inspect your home on a regular basis.