Top 7 Tips for Termite Prevention - Termite Control Toms River

Top 7 Tips for Termite Prevention

As a homeowner, you should know how to prevent termites, in an effort to avoid costly damage to your house. Don’t assume termite infestation can’t happen to you: these critters will invade any type of home as long as there’s lots of material for them to eat through: wood. Your home, fence, deck, and other wood structures can lose their structural integrity as termites tunnel through on a path of destruction.

Termite Control

Eastern subterranean termites, the most destructive pest in this country, are more common in the eastern half of the United States, especially in New Jersey.

Check out these seven tips for termite prevention.

1. Instead of using mulch in your garden beds around your foundation, try pine needles. It’s well known that subterranean termites don’t like pine needles nearly as much as they do mulch. Don’t have ample access to pine needles? Locate some pea gravel or other non-organic material.
2. Because termites like moisture, point all sprinkler heads away from your foundation.
3. Properly ventilate your crawl space and ensure it has a strong vapor barrier to keep moisture from getting to the floor joists and subfloor. Moisture not only attracts termites but also causes unpleasant odors inside the house as well. Plus, it encourages the growth of wood-destroying fungus and may attract wood-destroying beetles, which are similarly destructive around wood.
4. Cut back on soil-to-wood contact around your house with the removal of all lumber, wood, plants, mulch and cardboard from around the foundation. Ensure your gutters and downspouts empty well away from the foundation.
5. Turn off outdoor lights at night when it is swarming season. If you can, relocate them to areas away from doors and windows, in an effort to reduce the chance of attracting swarmers.
6. Engage in preventative maintenance for your wooden siding and windows to reduce the possibility of water leaking behind the wall.
7. Trim all shrubbery near your home on a regular basis, leaving at least 12 inches between the bushes and the exterior wall of your home. This will create ample air flow and allow damp areas to dry quickly. Plus, you can then spot termite tubes and damage much earlier.

Sometimes you can take all the necessary precautions and you still get a termite infestation. When this happens, act quickly to minimize damage. Contact Cavanaugh's Professional Termite & Pest Services or complete our online form for more information.

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