Common Sense Ways To Prevent Termites

Prevention is better than cure and in the case of termites that is so true. It's really not that hard to take preventative measures against termites and most of it is really common sense.

To prevent termite entry you have to make sure that your home and yard are free of anything that might attract termites and also keep things clean and tidy so in case they do show up you can easily see them. The following list are just a few things to keep in mind to do your part in preventing termites in the first place.

Keep your home clean from any rubbish, debris and timber lying around. Don't store firewood or have any timber, dead branches and building materials lying directly on the ground around your yard. Store firewood or timber by raising it off the ground on a metal stand or on a concrete slab. This way if termites do make a tunnel to get to your stored timber at least you can see them and stop them in their tracks before they get into your house.

Keep gardens tidy by removing any thick overgrown plants from around your home. Thick vegetation creates areas of intense moisture which attracts termites.

Any building done around your home such as retaining walls, decks, pergolas, garden beds, fences, in fact any timber structures must be built using treated timber. For pergolas and decks use metal supports for the posts. These metal supports are then bolted to concrete, the timber posts are fitted to the supports keeping timber off the ground.

All vents to sub floor areas must remain unblocked to encourage airflow and keep the sub floor dry.

If your house is built on a concrete slab then make sure the edge of the slab is visible at all times as well as the weep holes. So whilst garden beds might look nice it's a bad idea to build them up against house walls. It makes it impossible to see the edge of the slab and if it's covering weep holes then it's a direct entry point for termites.

Garden mulch actually attracts termites. It provides them with a food source and because it's not usually far from your house the termites will graduate from mulch to house prettuy quickly. There are mulches available that aren't made of wood chips or bark.

You may have noticed metal termite shields that are found around the foundations of houses. They are designed to force termites out into the open but they need to be monitored and musn't be damaged.

Termites need water and moisture attracts them. Any leaking taps, pipes or water that pools up around your home are all invites to the termites. Fix any leaks and drainage problems to prevent this problem.

Look out for any cracks or holes aropund the foundation of your home and seal them. An entry point as thiack as a piece of peper is all the termites need to gain entry.

Finally the best preventative thing all homeowners can do is to get your home inspected for termites annually. It is better to have the peace of mind with an annual check. It's a lot cheaper to have regular inspections than to discover a damaging infestation and not only have to have a complete treatment but have to rebuild and repair any damage. Termites have the ability to completely destroy houses resulting in a total rebuild.

Treating Termites

Queensland is the termite capital of Australia.Termite treatment Brisbane is big business as most people at some stage will have a termite infestation. It can be costly to treat and if repairs are needed then the cost will rise. That's why it's so important to be vigilant with termite prevention.

If you are unfortunate enough to have discovered termites then you have to get them treated. There are a few different methods in achieving this but by far the best is using a non repellant chemical barrier. A non repallant barrier has the advantage of allowing the termites to move back and forth through the barrier as they can't detect it's there and pick up a lethal dose which will either kill them or be taken back and passed around the colony.

The one thing about termites is that they are resistant. That is why trying to treat them yourself simply won't work in the long run. If you do succeed in removing them from one spot they will appear somewhere else. As a colony they have invested too much time, sometimes years in establishing themselves and finding a massive food source (your house) to just retreat. They will find other ways into your house.

That is why getting a professional termite control specialist to properly treat the whole perimeter of your house is the only way. They know what they are doing and are the only ones that can use the best product on the market for eradicating termites and that's Termidor. In Australia and Queensland only licensed pest controllers can purchase Termidor. Termite Control Brisbane and Termite Inspections Brisbane can only be carried out by licensed pest controllers. They also specialise in termites Gold Coast and service all areas throughout both cities.

via articlesbase.com