How Do You Get Termites in Your Home
If you own a nice home, chances are you want to keep it nice and safe. One thing you don’t want ruining your home is termite infestations. Termites can make your home a horrid-looking hazel within just 6 months due to their constant chewing and digging.
How do you avoid termite infestations in your home? After all, the last thing you want is to spend lots of money and time trying to kill off an infestation, only to fall victim to it again.
How do you get termites into your house? We’ve got all the info you need right here. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on how termites work.
Soil-to-Wood Contact
Soil-to-wood contact is one of the biggest ways termites can access a home. Termites require contact with soil for their food and for the moisture needed to keep their colonies alive, so they will travel from the soil up the side of your home looking for food.
They may enter near soil-to-wood contact points, such as below porches, stairs, patios, or where the soil contacts the wood of the foundation or siding. To prevent termite infestation, it is important to inspect for soil-to-wood contact areas outside your home.
Wooden Debris
Termites are tiny insects that feed on wood. They can be a major problem in households, especially wooden debris. Termites are attracted to moist, dead, or decaying wood, and they will search for it under anything they can find. The most common way to get termites in a home is through the use of wooden debris.
This includes anything such as twigs, leaves, branches, or other organic material that can easily become moist. Wooden debris left near a foundation can cause moisture to enter the area, thus setting the stage for a termite infestation.
Cracks and Gaps
These cracks can be as small as 1/16th of an inch, giving termites access to the wood in the home. They can also come through holes in walls and flooring that are caused by flooding, plumbing leaks, or poor building design.
As well, old window frames, doors, and outdoor furniture can provide access points for termites if they are not sealed properly. Also inspect any possible access points such as bridges, types of patios, walkways, and landscaping.
Moisture Accumulation
Moisture accumulates in the soil, near wood, around leaking pipes, in improperly sealed bathrooms and kitchen areas, and in overgrown shrubbery and foliage. All of these conditions increase the possibility of termites invading your home.
They prefer moist painting and improper ventilation of the house. Without proper ventilation for the wooden structures and floors of your home, termites will find warm, moist places to hide.
Seek Profesional Help
Professional pest control in Cape Coral is experienced and equipped to properly inspect your home to verify whether there are signs of termites and provide effective treatment options to eliminate the infestation. Termites can gain entry into a home by creating their own tiny pathways through small spaces in the structure. Their presence is often difficult to detect unless a visual inspection is done inside and outside the home.
The Bottom Line: How Do You Get Termites
Termites can cause substantial damage within your home if left unchecked. If you suspect termites, contact a professional pest control team as soon as possible to perform an inspection and recommend treatment options. Taking proactive steps on how do you get termites is the best way to prevent the costly and time-consuming damage they can cause.
For more tips, be sure to read through our other guides on our blog.
