Top Tips to Eliminate Termites from Your Home Forever

Image by Roy Buri from Pixabay 

The best way to eliminate termites, or the chance of termites, in your home is to replace all the wood with metal. This means the joists, the doors, furniture, and anything else that has wood in it. Termites eat wood, the only way to eliminate them completely is to eliminate the wood.

Of course, this isn’t a practical option for most people!

In fact, the simple answer is that you can’t eliminate them forever. There is always a possibility they’ll return.

However, with the right steps, you can eliminate an existing problem and reduce the likelihood of them returning.

Professional Help

The first step is to get hold of your local pest control expert and get them to inspect your home. They’ll identify any issue you already have and help you to eliminate them. The usual approach is to use bait boxes that kill the majority of the termites. This will help them to locate the nest and use chemicals to ensure they are all dead. You can learn more here.

Follow this up with annual inspections to ensure the problem is not returning.

Sealing Up

Termites often enter the space under your home through the soil around the edge of your property. They burrow through the soil to the damp and warmth of your subfloor void, where there is also plenty of wood to eat and complete privacy!

You’ll see the signs of their presence in the small tube holes in the soil. If you cover one it will reopen in a day or two, or a new one will appear next to it. That confirms the termites are active. To help eliminate this entry point you should concrete around your home, at least 3 inches deep and 6 inches out from your walls.

It’s also important to look for cracks and gaps that will allow termites into your walls, seal these as quickly as possible.

Check for leaks

Water leaks can cause dampness to collect in your house. As water runs downward it will often collect in your floor or sub-floor space. You can check for these leaks by taking a water meter reading. Don’t use any water and check the reading again in an hour. If it’s moved you have a leak and you’re going to want to sort it.

Damp doesn’t just attract pests, it can also damage your foundations and structure of your home.

Treat Your Wood

This can be difficult when you’re in a house that’s already been built. It’s hard to find every piece of wood and spray it with treatment. But, treatment is effective at deterring termites, you may want to get a professional to treat the wood as they’ll be accustomed to the crawl spaces and can check for termites as they spray.

The chemicals they use are safe for humans, meaning you won’t need to vacate your home while they’re working. Of course, you may wish to give them a little space to get on with the job.