Termites: How Best to Treat Them Effectively

Damage Control

Termite control is one of the toughest cases of pest removal for homeowners. These tiny insects, similar looking to ants, can tunnel in complex colonies numbering above the thousands. Termites tunnel and burrow through structures in order to reach food or water access. The home will retain a multitude of damage including weakened foundations, damaged flooring and unsafe framing due to the termites processes. Termites are also known to ruin entire crops with their voracious appetite and their extensive colony structures that can be built above and below ground. Preventing a termite colony from ever establishing roots is the best pest control measure for homeowners. The property impacted by termite damage plays a large role in determining the type of pest control and prevention techniques used. The termites can still go unnoticed for extensive periods of time even with detailed termite inspections due to their tunneling skills.

Prevention Is the Best Policy

Termite damage is one of the most costly types of repairs a homeowner can face. Termites have the ability to gnaw through everything from dirt to wood to carpeting. Insurance companies are often wary of covering termite damage in regions that are prone to termite populations. There is no guarantee that the same home won't be affected by termites again, and also the scope of structural and foundational damage can be expensive. Some termite removal methods that a do-it-yourself homeowner may consider in preventing termite damage includes the following:

• Inspect wood structures and foundation supports regularly for signs of termites. This includes garages, porches and decks. The insects themselves can be visible, along with mounds of dirt from their tunneling activities.
• Replace any timber that is coming into contact with the ground. Concrete or other masonry materials are safer from termite populations.
• Keep areas around a home dry. Around the foundation of a home, inspect the rainwater, gutter drains and soil. If the ground remains saturated too long after a rainfall, add sand or gravel.
• Weed and clean the garden. Termites also consume rotting vegetation in addition to wood.
• Clean up after pets. Be sure to keep the yard clean by properly disposing of animal waste, as termites have been known to feed on it.

Prevention is a far easier solution than an actual extermination process and may cost you considerably less money. The sheer damage a colony of termites can generate is the necessary incentive for even the laziest couch potato to get up and take care of things before termites take over.

Bad Ideas for Termite Control

While termite prevention is the best policy for termite control, there are many bad ideas that homeowners are often given that can actually make a small problem worse.

• Don’t buy a house without a professional termite inspection.Many homeowners become overwhelmed and simply give up after they get an assessment of termite damage. Now you will inherit their problem. Get a complete home inspection, including a termite analysis, particularly if you are purchasing in a region prone to termite populations.
• Simply using chemical sprays does not mean you are finished. Spotting termites and killing them with toxic sprays is a great way to express aggression, but without looking for tunneling areas or the colony source, a weakened foundation will still be at risk for collapse.
• Don't think that the worst is there. Before ripping up your entire foundation and replacing it with concrete, the termite problem may not be as bad as you thought. Sometimes old colonies or tunnels are abandoned. With an inactive colony, the damage will subside.

Catching a termite problem early on and implementing some additional pest control methods can be all that a homeowner needs to be protected from costly termite control damage. Doing nothing because there’s nothing you can do is some of the worst advice a homeowner can receive - or believe! By learning and applying termite knowledge early, there will be fewer repercussion down the road.