How to Prevent Termites

Out of all of the pest-related problems that a person might face, the presence of termites within a home can certainly be one of the most complex and costly. When left untreated, a termite problem, over time, can seriously damage the structure and foundation of a home. Therefore, anyone who notices signs of termite damage or suspects that he might have a problem should immediately contact a pest management company with experience in termite treatment.

Of course, the best way to avoid a problem with termites is to take steps to prevent them from showing up in the first place. Vic Palermo is president of Ultra Safe Pest Management Inc., a Boston area company specializing in termite management, and although he agrees that certain termite-attracting factors in the home cannot be avoided, others easily can.

One of the best ways to prevent termites is to keep wood out of the picture. Since wood is the nourishment source of choice for termites, the less of it you leave lying around, the better off you’ll be. For starters, make sure not to stack any firewood up against your house. Additionally, keep wood chippings and debris as far away from your house as possible. If you do a lot of handywork, then try to do it outdoors, or in an area where wood particles aren’t likely to go flying around. Also, make certain to clean up after yourself when you’re done chopping or sawing away.

Another way to prevent termites is to minimize the amount of wood used in the construction of your home. Since termites feed off of wood, the less that is used to build your house, the better your chances will be of avoiding termites. However, unless you’re building a brand new home from scratch, this is probably not something over which you’ll have much control. Additionally, even those houses that are built with non-wood materials (such as brick and PVC) are still bound to use wood for some aspects of the building process (the average house has, at the very least, some wooden frames or studs as part of its structural support). On the other hand, certain types of wood are less favorable to termites. To avoid a problem, choose materials such as cedar for siding or construction if given the choice.

One additional thing that you can do to avoid termites is to keep your household siding as dry as possible. Remember, termites crave moisture, so the drier your exterior is, the more likely termites are to stay away. Finally, it’s a good idea to do whatever you can to maintain good cross-ventilation through wall vents. By keeping the crawl spaces within your home as dry as possible, you can minimize your chances of attracting termites.

There’s no question that termites can constitute an awfully pesky problem, so if, despite your best efforts, you do wind up with termites, then you’ll need to contact a pest management company. However, before you agree to a particular termite solution, make sure that the company you’re dealing with has experience with termite management and elimination. Termites are a tricky breed, so in order to truly nip your problem in the bud, you’ll want to hire a company with the proper expertise. Additionally, since termite management services don’t tend to come cheap, you’ll want to find a company that offers some sort of guarantee that you won’t have to face a similar problem again in the near future. Ultra Safe, for example, backs up its termite services with a five-year warranty.

Remember, when it comes to termites, the sooner you tackle the problem, the better off you’ll be. And as difficult as it might be to fork over some of your hard-earned money in exchange for professional termite help, you can rest assured that the cost of such pest management services is minimal compared to the potential cost involved in making large-scale, termite-related home repairs.