One of the worst things about termites is that they are sneaky: just because you don’t see them, doesn’t mean that they’re not there! Termites could easily be eating away at your ceiling or walls without you knowing.
So, the first step to preventing termites in your home is to get rid of the conducive conditions encouraging termites to infest your home. Here we list some of the most common conditions leading to termite infestations.
Water and Moisture
Termites are fond of the wet foundations, damp floors, and moist crawlspaces your house can offer. These conditions may be caused by leaking taps, broken pipes, water tanks, or other plumbing issues. These plumbing issues in and around your house need immediate attention as they significantly add to the risk of “inviting” termites in.
Make sure that leaky pipes are fixed permanently and water drainage runs away from the foundations of your house properly. Install a moisture barrier in your crawlspace to minimise moisture. In terms of damp subfloor, draining affected areas are highly recommended to maintain low moisture levels.
Also read: Does My Home Have Termites?
Ground soil – wood contact
Wood directly touching the ground is a savoury food for termites. These may be your fences, sidings, trellises, stairs, patio posts, and other wooden structures in and around your house that have physical contact with the ground. As much as possible, keep away with wood to ground contact in your structure to prevent termite access.
Insulating wood and ground contact using concrete blocks or bricks is proven to be useful. Installing a non-wooden post and removing attached wooden fences from your house is also recommended.
Unwarranted cellulose rubbish
As mentioned earlier, wood is a delicious meal for termites. Aside from woods touching the ground, termites are also attracted to the smell of decaying old tree stumps, timber cut offs, construction lumbers, mulches, stacked firewood, and other concealed woods.
To prevent termites attacking these cellulose supplies, avoid stacking firewood in and around your house. Remove old and rotting tree stumps within the vicinity of your home. Search for concealed wooden debris or construction left-overs and get rid of them. Install ant caps on timber stumps to force termites out in the open and expose them as best you can.
Vegetation
Plants and bushes planted too close to the house exterior confine moisture next to your home and subsequently invite termites. Although vegetation helps to keep a healthy home, greeneries must be planted with a bit of distant from your house to prevent termites from lurking around.
Faulty water drainage slopes
Areas of your house with drainage problems are very conducive to termite activity. This is because they allow water to stagnate around the structure. At the same time, wood debris mixed with the eroded soil can invite termite access undetected.
To prevent this conducive condition, ensure that your landscape is sloped away from your house. This will prevent water stagnation around the structure and elude moisture build-up. Eroded wooden debris will also be averted if water runs away from your home properly.
Also read: Important Information About Timber Pests
Insufficient ventilation
Check for proper ventilation on foundation walls, crawl spaces, and other similar areas. Insufficient ventilation brings about moisture especially in enclosed proximities. In turn, the moisture, as recently mentioned, draws termite attack.
To fix this, install vents on needed areas of your home properly. A vapor barrier is also of big help to eliminate ground moisture coming from evaporation mist. Ensuring sufficient ventilation will keep your home unattractive to termites.
Home extension and makeover
Undertaking major work on your current property can sometimes mean a future termite hazard. Using non-professional contractors who tend to ignore installing termite protection can be a detrimental move for your home’s condition.
In order for this not to happen, you must seek help from professional pest protection whenever add-ons or home renovations will be carried out. By doing this, future termite problems will be minimized or fully prevented on the spot.
Get a pest and termite inspection with Inspect My Home
Conducive conditions, if left undetected, will surely cause termite problems in the long run. Therefore, it is important that a complete and extensive termite inspection of your home is done. This is the only way these conditions can be specified and proper recommendations given that are vital in getting rid of future termite problems.
If you think your house may be susceptible to these conditions thus making it vulnerable to termite infestation, contact us immediately.
Inspect My Home specialise in building and pest inspections with fully licenced and insured technicians. Our experienced and knowledgeable inspectors will conduct a thorough pest and termite inspection of the property using the latest tools and methods. The findings of the inspection will then be noted in your pest report which will be issued via email the following morning, including any recommendations for a suitable termite treatment plan.
Call us at 1300 337 447 or fill out our online booking form to schedule a building inspection today or view our inspection prices page for an approximate idea of the cost.
