When it comes to your home, it’s supposed to protect you and keep you safe. In turn, you need to protect your home from damage and pests. There’s no worse feeling than discovering that your home has been invaded by pests of some type. It’s even worse to learn that those pests are termites.
People have a general idea of what termites are and what they can do. From an early age, cartoons teach that termites feast on wood. This is in essence true. Termites can eat their way through their preferred type of wood in a home causing severe structural damage. Fixing this damage can cost tens of thousands of dollars and make a home unlivable for an extended period of time. Thankfully, termites can be dealt with. By learning about their behavior, a home can be prepared properly to avoid being a real target for termites.
Many people think that there are only a single breed of termite. That’s not true. There are actually many different breeds of termite that are attracted to slightly different living situations. Common termites that might invade a home include drywood, dampwood and subterranean. Termites will arrive in your home if they have a place to live, a food source and moisture. For the wood based termites, they will live in the wood that they are consuming, so that takes care of two of their needs. Subterranean types of termites may be gigantic colonies which appear to eat the wood that is touching your home.
The biggest attraction for termites is really wood in damp areas. Even if the wood itself is dry (drywood termites love that), as long as there is some leaky pipes or bad drainage in the home nearby, they will be happy pests. Dampwood termites obviously prefer wood that’s already suffered some kind of water damage. This provides their food, moisture and housing in a single piece of wood!
Arguably the best option when it comes to termites is to prevent luring them to your home in the first place. There’s one basic tenet that should be followed in termite prevention. Maintain your home. It sounds so obvious and easy, but a well maintained home will usually provide less temptation to termites and they will look at easier targets. Wood that comes into contact with the soil at any point needs to be treated or covered to reduce the chances of subterranean termites. Plumbing should be inspected regularly to ensure there are no leaks in the system where you might not see them. For people who might have a damp basement, a dehumidifier can be a great help in reducing the overall dampness and making it less appealing to termites. It’s also important to ensure that there’s no really easy ways for termites to enter from outside. Check for cracked shingles in the roof or any kind of poorly sealed entrance. Keeping termites outside means never having to treat an infestation.
In many cases, handling termites is best left to pest control companies rather than trying to do it yourself. Since termites can cause such serious damage to a home, there’s serious risk to the home if the job isn’t done right. This can be especially true of very large subterranean groups of termites. They can be very difficult to wipe out in one shot with a DIY kit.
A good pest control company will start by analyzing the situation and determining the level of treatment that is going to be required. Typically these inspections are often free and they will provide a quote for their services. There’s nothing wrong with shopping around to find a pest control company that you like. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and learn about their methods and experience. Their treatment of the home might result in needing to leave for a few days, or it could be a local treatment. Information is everything and a professional will have lots to provide.
