Summer weather means warm nights spent in your backyard with family and friends. Termites, however, are not invited. If you’re not careful, your backyard may be an oasis for termites. Termites only need three things to survive: food, shelter, and moisture. Your home has all three!
Those fun summer nights can quickly turn sour if termites show up. Before planning your favorite summertime activities, it’s essential to protect your home from termites. Keeping a watchful eye on these seven areas below, in conjunction with a strong preventative termite treatment plan, equips your home with a stellar termite defense. equips your home with a stellar termite defense.
Here are seven places where termites might hide in your yard.
Termites feed on wood, so leaving out stacked firewood is like leaving out a buffet for termites. Keep firewood at least 5 feet away from your home’s foundation and place it on a rack or inside a box to avoid contact with the soil. This will help make the firewood less accessible to termites.
Termites love mulch because it gives them a moist environment to nest. Avoid placing mulch against your home’s foundation, and be sure to turn or refresh your mulch seasonally to help further prevent termite activity.
Not all termites live underground. Clogged rain gutters can contribute to above-ground infestations by giving termites a place to nest. Unclogging your rain gutters and making sure waterspouts are aimed 6-10 feet away from your home will help make your home less attractive to termites.
Looking to remove a tree from your backyard? Tree stumps can attract termites to your yard, so removing them immediately with the rest of the tree is best.
Keep an eye on the wooden furniture in your backyard, including deck furniture and play/swing sets. If you notice signs of rot or damage, call us for a further inspection.
Like wooden furniture, home extensions such as patios, decks, sunrooms, fences, and sheds should also be protected from termites. Look for the signs of termites, and contact us immediately if you see any.
AC units cool our homes, but they also provide moist environments for termites to escape the heat. We’re not saying you should throw away your air conditioning unit. Just make sure the moisture release is pointed away from your home’s foundation, and keep an eye out for leaks and cracks in the foundation. Remember, termites only need a 1/16 inch gap to gain access into your home.
Prevention is one of the best ways to protect your building from termite damage. Implementing a proven termite control plan early on is one of the new homeowners’ smartest investments. Often, termite damage is not covered by homeowners insurance. Having an effective termite control system in place will help to protect your home from termites year after year.
We can, of course, also help exterminate existing termite infestations. We’d like to drive the point home that by the time you notice visible external termite damage, the inside of your structure has likely faced far worse damage. No matter your situation, hiring a professional termite control company is an intelligent play when dealing with termites. Allow 707 Pest Solutions to set you up with protection that will last.