Getting Rid of Termites for Good: 3 Tips for Protecting Wooden Structures from These Gnarly Pests

About Me
eliminating the pests in your home

Ants, spiders, fleas, mice and silverfish were all problems in my house at one point. When we bought the house, it hadn't been lived in for about three years. Since it was basically abandoned, the pests moved in and made it their homes. The first few months of battling with these pests was the hardest. We had so many different pests to contend with that it was hard to know where to start. With the help of a professional pest control technician, we have taken our home back from those pests and have been living pest free ever since. Find tips on eliminating the pests in your home here on my blog.

Tags

Getting Rid of Termites for Good: 3 Tips for Protecting Wooden Structures from These Gnarly Pests

26 December 2016
 Categories: , Articles


A colony of termites can easily demolish the structural integrity of your home without any effort and in little time. This is mainly due to the fact that termite colonies need to eat non-stop throughout the day. They eat constantly. Once they find a suitable food source, they'll eat and won't stop. Unfortunately, most residential buildings have wooden frames and internal structures. This makes them an ideal target for termites.

This article will look at 3 tips that you can implement to protect the wooden structures from termites.

Ensure There Aren't Any Cellulose Based Debris Around Wooden Frames

Even if you haven't noticed any termites around your property yet, you should still do your best to keep your place of residence tidy and clean. You don't want to attract a single termite to your property, as just a single termite can attract an entire colony. Once a termite has located a decent food source, it will begin to secrete certain chemicals that attract others that are nearby.

With that said, be diligent in removing any cellulose based debris on your property, especially ones around wooden frames, in order to prevent termites from finding their way to your home.

In the event that you're already dealing with termites, you'll want to be even more diligent in cleaning up around the house. It's vital that you remove all cellulose based debris, so that the termite colony does not relocate to another part of your home when you try to exterminate them.

Always Choose to Use Pressure Treated Lumber

To protect your wood and to prevent them from being targets, it's vital that you only use pressure treated lumber for construction purposes. Pressure treated lumber will have chemicals sprayed on them that not only make them more durable and sturdy, but will also repel termites and other pests. The chemical preservatives will seep into the core of the lumber, and, as a result, pressure treated lumber will resist rot and decay.

It's important to note that not all pressure treated lumber are equal in terms of quality. Speak with a contractor to determine which type of lumber is suitable for above ground use only, and which lumber can tolerate below ground use. In the event that the wood you've used is not pressure treated, you can hire a professional to apply chemical preservatives to the wood now.

Make sure that you wait until the treated wood is thoroughly dry before you even attempt staining or painting the surfaces. You can tell if the wood is dry or not by sprinkling water on the surface of the wood. If the water beads up, the treated wood is not dry yet.

Erect Barriers Between Wood and the Ground

Once the termites reach consumable wood, they'll go to town. As a result, you want to limit the amount of wood that comes into contact with the ground as much as possible. While there are plenty of different techniques that can be used to prevent the wood from coming into contact with the ground, you should erect barriers in circumstances where contact is unavoidable. Place a sheet of metal or other type of material between the wood and the ground.

Try to keep as much wood above ground as possible and to use other materials for below ground use. A construction contractor might be able to make slight modifications and alterations to homes that are already built in order to correct situations where wood is in contact with the ground.

On top of protecting the wooden structures and frames from termites, you should also hire a company like Tri-County Termite & Pest Control, Inc. to inspect your property for termites every once in awhile. It's important to be aware of signs of termite infestations as early as possible. You want to prevent the colony from growing as much as possible, as a large colony will do a substantial amount of damage to your home.