Preventing Termites
Termites are one of the most dreaded of all household insect pests, because by their very nature they are guaranteed to cause real damage to your home. Other wood eating insect pests such as carpenter ants only bore into wood as part of an effort at home making, and therefore won’t destroy it totally, but given time voracious termites can do an incredible amount of structural damage.
The natural reaction of the home owner when his or her investment is threatened is to annihilate the problem, but years of combat against termites and other insect household pests has shown that we do more damage to ourselves with toxic approaches than we do to the pests. Integrated pest management means using a working knowledge of the pests in question not only to eliminate problems but to prevent future infestations from occurring. Let’s take a look at some ways to protect your home from termites.
* Keep wood well away from your walls! There is only one way that termites ever end up in a house, and that is from the outside in. They may get there by flying (more about that in the next point) but it is more likely that a termite infestation came through the walls of your home after the insects burrowed in from their nest outside. Firewood and other forms of stored wood should be kept well away from the rest of your house to deny them the opportunity.
* Place screens on all windows and doors. Termites send out colonizing insects on the wing every spring, and although this is the less likely of the outside in scenarios, you may get a termite problem when a couple of winged termites get in. Make sure that you have screens on all possible entry ways and that they have no holes!
* Keep structural wood out of the ground! Another way that termites can get in is by digging up from the ground through wooden posts used for support. Use concrete footings for your decks and other structures, and surround even them with some sand that termites can’t get through.
* Make sure your house is well ventilated. Termites, especially at the larval stage, are pretty vulnerable to dry conditions, so keeping your house well ventilated will control numbers by keeping humidity levels down. Pay special attention to ensure that there are no leaks around water pipes or in your bathrooms or kitchen which will cause the wood to become wet and ripe for the chewing!
* Encourage ants? If all else fails and you have a hard time getting termites under control, you might consider planting carpenter ant colonies near the main termite nests. These species are natural enemies and in most cases the fierce ants, which are multi functional, will defeat the termite soldiers in a battle. Carpenter ants don’t cause as much damage, and it can be cool to think of the battle being waged in your yard.