Yuma Pest Blog
Termite infestations can ruin your home’s value. By eating anything and everything plant-based, termites can ravage nearly every kind of home. Infestations often go unnoticed until they have already caused massive amounts of property damage.
No one is immune to termite damage. Every year, termites affect nearly 600 thousand homes and cause $5 billion in damages throughout the United States. This high rate of occurrence means you might be a victim of a termite infestation too. Fortunately, you can take a proactive approach to protect your home from termites.
How To Prevent Infestations
The different varieties of termites find their way into your home’s wooden structures in several ways. Some can fly while others inhabit the soil, making them difficult to keep out.
Starting at the beginning of any home’s construction, installing a barrier or termite mesh underneath the foundation of the house will keep them out. Concrete foundations at least four feet thick work best for all types of foundations. Additionally, pressure-treated wood and termite-resistant heartwood may keep termites out.
For already constructed homes, make a solid effort to eliminate wood contact with the soil around your home. Removing other plant materials such as logs and mulch from around a home’s wood frame keeps termite-prone spots safer. Keep the mulch at least four inches away from your home.
Make sure all drains empty at least 15 feet away from your home, as termites love moist soil.
The best way to keep termites out is to hire a professional for a preemptive spray.
Signs of Infestations
Look for swarms of winged insects, rotten or hollowed wood and shred wings/excrement around the exterior of your home. Also, beware of blistering on sheetrock and mud tunnels on exterior walls.
Hire a Professional
As soon as you notice or suspect signs of an infestation, call a pest control professional. Termite infestations can cost you tens of thousands of dollars if left unresolved. Plus, infestations tend to spread, with new colonies popping up from one original infestation.
If you live in Southwest Arizona, Yuma Pest can solve all of your termite problems. Whether it be spraying to keep them out or dealing with an ongoing infestation, we have your back. Contact Yuma Pest today and start taking your home back.