Preventive Measures You Can Take
(for Termites)
There are several things you can do as a home owner to help prevent or avoid termite infestations including:
- Stack all firewood, lumber
or other wooden items, several feet away from your building.
- Keep all wood supports of
porches, patios, decks, or separate buildings more than one foot from
contact with your home’s foundation; and use only pressure-treated
wood for all construction which contacts the ground. Even treated wood
has a limited protection period.
- Move all wood-containing
mulch (even cedar or redwood) and decorative wood chips at least one
foot away from your foundation. Sand and stones can be just as attractive
and they discourage pest (including termite) harborage next to your
building.
- Repair any leaking water
lines or fixtures, especially any that wet any wooden part(s) of your
house. Repair any eaves, downspouts, gables, or shingles which allow
wooden parts of your house to get wet even occasionally.
- Monitor moisture levels and
take steps to reduce moisture build-up in any crawl spaces.
- Relocate any frequently-watered
garden or flower bed as far away from your home’s perimeter as
you can.
- Change your outdoor lights from "white" bulbs to some yellow or pale amber, especially during the Spring, to reduce attraction of any night-swarming termites near your house.