How to DIY Termite Prevention

Many homeowners want to know what they can do to reduce the chances of termites from coming into their homes. While hiring a professional to inspect and treat your home is the best solution, we're here on location to give you some insight into their world.

Look for potential entry points like cracks and holes near the foundation of the home. Mud tubes like this one are used by termites to travel between their food source and their nest and could be a sign of an infestation. Some tubes can reach wood several feet off the ground. In order to make your home less hospitable for termites, avoid all wood-to-ground contact, including any debris that might be laying around your home, and don't stack firewood directly against your house. It provides termites a bridge into your home.

Termites love dead wood, and a single colony can have over a million termites in it, and they're constantly foraging underground, looking for cellulose, which they can find in your home. Now they might be small in size, being only a couple of centimeters long, but they can cause big damage to your house.

Termites nest in the soil, and they use the moisture in it to survive, so make sure you're keeping the area around your home dry through proper drainage and grading.

Termites can infest live trees and shrubs like these, too, so make sure not to plant them too close to your home, and don't plant anything next to wooden structures because it can hide potential termite activity as well.

Always keep an eye out for leaks. Make sure to remove any excess moisture left behind. Be sure to have your home inspected by our professionals periodically to make sure the termite colonies don't establish in your home.