5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Termite Season

Are you ready for termite season? Here at Triangle Pest Control, we certainly are ready to provide our termite control services in Raleigh! Every year, reproductive termites leave their nests and fly away in large groups. They are searching for new ground with fresh sources of food (like the wood that makes up the structure of your house). This swarming activity is how termite colonies spread to new locations.

Knowing when the termite swarming season in your area is important so you can prevent them from making a new colony in your home. In the Raleigh-Durham area, the most common time for termite swarming is in the spring, and sometimes again in the fall. That means now.

Five Ways to Prepare

With termite season here in Raleigh, you need to take measures to prepare your home against a potential invasion. Remember, the first line of termite protection is prevention:

1. Eliminate all possible food sources. Cellulose is what termites love. They will create colonies in stumps, rotting logs, and any wood they can reach. To keep termites out of your home, you need to remove all sources of non-living wood from around your home's perimeter. Stacked fire wood and rotting landscape timbers are a couple of examples. Wood mulch is another way that termites gain access to homes. Replace it with alternative materials like rubber mulch or rock.
2. Stop moisture. Termites, like most living things, need a source of water. Moisture in and around your home's foundation provides an ideal environment for termites. Eliminate moist conditions as much as possible. Divert water away from your foundation with gutters and down spouts. Make sure your home's water pipes are in good shape and not leaking. Be sure crawl spaces have adequate venting to prevent moisture build-up.
3. Treat the soil and foundation before you build. If you are building a home, be sure to get the soil and foundation treated as the first line of termite protection. While the upfront cost of these treatments may seem high, the protection your home gets is well worth the cost. On average, people dealing with termite damage spend $3,000 on repairs. The cost increases exponentially when the infestation has gone undetected for too long or has spread to multiple parts of the house. Spend the money up front and save yourself higher costs and more hassle in the long run.
4. Remove heavy brush and growth from around the house. Heavy growth against your home's foundation provides a source of moisture and cellulose debris. That makes it the perfect breeding ground for swarming termites. Get that vegetation away from the house. Cut back shrubs and clean behind them regularly. A bit of prevention will help keep termites from finding a nice nest from which to start their invasion of your home.
5. Get your home inspected by an experienced and responsive professional. If you live in a termite hotbed like North Carolina, have your home inspected for termites every one or two years. You might think you can spot the signs of a termite infestation on your own, but the professionals know better. What most homeowners do not realize is that termites can enter through cracks as narrow as the thickness of a piece of paper. They can come up through the blocks of your foundation. A termite inspector knows all the tricks termite populations use to invade homes. They can find if you have a problem or not. It is well worth the price of an inspection to catch a problem early and to have peace of mind. You can ensure effective termite protection by using your head and the help of a termite inspector.

If you suspect you have termites or they turn up during your inspection, you need to bring in termite treatment professionals to handle the problem. Home treatments are not effective and can be dangerous. The professionals will know what kind of termite you have and know which treatments are most effective.