Purchasing a home is a big step in life, and when a new home is purchased this becomes a way for you and your family to express one another. As with anything else that’s good, there are a number of things that can ruin your home and a termite infestation is a big one. Termites can slowly take over the control of a home, and it can take up to five years before the damaged caused by termites is even noticed and that is often too late to save a home.
Watching for Signs of Termite Activity
The first way to prevent termites is to inspect inside and around your home for the evidence that termites are there. Termites can be difficult to find so it’s best to patient when starting your search. The best place to start looking is in the basement. Take the butt end of a screw driver and begin to tap any wood that you see in that area such as walls, floors, and ceiling joists. If you notice that some of the wood you are tapping on is hollow, this could possible indicate a problem, and definitely needs further looking into.
Sealing Holes and Using Termite Screens
If you have looked further into what you discovered in the basement and turns out that you have termites here are a few tricks to keeping new ones out and getting rid of the old ones. The first step is to begin by caulking the outside of your home if you notice any cracks or holes where termites can possibly get in. Use termite screens around holes located around sinks and faucets where piping is coming into your home, termites love water so these are primarily places where they enter the home.
Get Rid of Loose Wood Debris
Next get rid of any wood or debris lying around your home or yard. Termites feed on wood and letting this lay around will keep them in your yard. If you have a fire place and keep a wood pile close to your home, just elevate it off the ground a couple of inches in order to keep termites from getting into the firewood that you will be bringing into your home.
Keep the Area Around Your Home Dry
Also keep things as dry as possible. Termites like to hang out in dark, damp places and need moisture to survive. Keep a check for leaks underneath faucets and around water spickets because leaks can attract termites to your home. When watering plants around the home, make sure you aren’t spraying water onto anything that is wood or anything a termite would consider a tasty meal. Always keep your gutters clean. Water and debris often collecting these and can be a huge feeding ground for termites.
What to Do If You Find Termites
There are also a number of different sprays and fertilizers that you can put in your yard to keep termites out of your yard if you notice that your termite infestation isn’t diminishing with all of these tricks. Always keep an eye on the place termites can enter the home, and check around your home for the possible invasion of termites before they do serious damage to your home and cost you and your family lots of money.