Every year, termites – yes, those small, harmless-looking insects – cause $5 billion in property damage. It’s not exactly the mental imagery homeowners wish to conjure up when thinking thoughts about spring and summer; surely they’d rather envision their blooming gardens and lush lawns. Unfortunately, these pesky creatures are a homeowner’s worst nightmare, and they don’t discriminate.
Many homeowners don’t even know they have termite issues until it’s too late. Some of the tell-tale signs of their presence include swarms and shed wings as well as the mud tubes they use to travel. If you notice any cracked or bubbling paint, or wooden structures that have a hollow sound to them, your home has most likely become termite dinner.
Fortunately, there are many treatments available for termites (however, you’re still going to need to repair the damaged parts of your home). You could call up a professional who will most certainly get the job done right, but it won’t be inexpensive. Or, you could get rid of termites with one of the many DIY treatments available. There are termite monitoring stations which will help to indicate whether you’ve actually got an issue if you’re still unable to tell. There are also insecticides and fungicides, bait stations, specialized termiticide solutions, and other at-home pest control treatments.
It’s not a bad idea to buy a few termite monitoring stations at the beginning of the season just so that you can nip the problem in the bud should it affect your home. But there are other things you can do to prevent these pests from chowing down on your wooden structures:
- If you live in a wooded area, regularly clear out fallen wood debris like sticks and branches.
- Don’t lean firewood against your home.
- Eliminate sources of moisture, such as leaky pipes and HVAC units.
- Pre-treat any new wood that you use to renovate your home.
- Keep up on the cleaning of drains and gutters.
Though termites are a treatable pest, the damage they cause is not. Having insecticides on-hand, as well as tools for detecting their presence, will help to ensure that if you are so unlucky, the damage they cause won’t be the end of the world. As always, it’s better to stop the problem before it starts.
