How to Protect Your Home from Termites?

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Termites are a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Well, termites and other annoying pests and insects. Keeping termites away from a home is an art and requires some strategy. If you take the following into consideration as you protect your home, then you should be safe: 1. Refrain from storing or piling firewood or any lumber with directly on to the ground. When you do this, you are supplying termites with food, shelter and moisture. Not to mention, this is a great hiding area for the termites to have access to any building in the area nearby to this woodpile. Termites are also capable of building tunnels over wood that has been pressure treated. Most people do not realize termites can enter through the end of the pressure treated wood where it is cut. As a homeowner, you have the choice to build a platform to pile your firewood or lumber so as to minimize termite infestation. The point is to find a means to keep the wood or lumber from having contact with the soil. 2. Build-up of humidity in crawlspaces in normal but needs to be kept at a minimum to reduce termites infiltrating the crawlspace area. Vents around these crawlspaces need to be cleaned of leaves and any weeds. You will also need to ensure that dirt and any kind of debris is kept out of the vents. Pest control businesses can install vents or vapor barriers to reduce the humidity in the crawlspace as well. They are expert in doing this type of installation. Termites are drawn to any type of build-up of moisture, so eliminating humidity is essential. 3. Another way to protect your house against termites is to reduce the amount of mulch you use around the house. Homeowners generally use mulch because it is pleasing to look at around your flowers and shrubbery. Mulch is also beneficial to the growth of plants and flowers. It does not provide much in the way of nutrition to termites but mulch holds in moisture. The moisture is what attracts the termites. Often, the mulch is misused or too much is spread around the plants. Of course, the flowers are around the house, which means the mulch is going to be right next to the foundation. It does not matter what type of mulch you are using because all mulch retains moisture, which is conducive to termites. The mulch should be kept away from doorways and windows; and there isn’t any need to spread mulch more than 2-3 inches. You can also consider using spray foam insulation within your home because it guards so well against pests and termites that can cause serious damage. Spray foam insulation is the only insulation on the market that will actually provide a significant barrier to termites. So, spray foam insulation is worth your attention -