eliminating ants, flies and other household pests

When it comes to protecting your home from pests, there are many preventative measures you can take. However, when it comes to termites, there are some relatively specific ways that you should protect your home from these wood loving pests. There different ways to go about doing this, from making sure that your home is free from any excess moisture to making sure that all of the possible termite friendly entryways are properly sealed. In this brief article, you will learn about 4 ways to make your home unappealing to termites.

Remove Mulch

One of the biggest problems when it comes to mulch is that it creates an environment that is friendly to the presence of termites. Mulch not only provides termites with sustenance, it also supplies them with an amount of darkness and moisture, in which they can thrive and live. 

It is not necessary that you remove mulch from your home, but you should take precautions and make sure that it is properly placed on your property.  For example, you will want to make sure that landscaping is placed approximately 8 to 12 inches away from the bottom of your home's foundation.

Proper Plant Placement

Much like mulch, plants can also potentially offer the perfect environment for which termites can make their home. Not only do they provide some form of sustenance, but they can also provide moisture and a certain amount of coverage from light; these conditions can make for the perfect termite home. It is imperative that you do not place plants too terribly close to your home for this very reason. Make sure that plants are planted an adequate distance from your home and make sure that they are properly pruned, as well. Doing so will ensure that termites and other annoying pests will have no reason to enter your domicile.

Clean Your Gutters

Although it is rare that termites damage the gutters themselves (as most of the time, gutters are constructed from some form of plastic polymer or PVC), gutters can make perfect homes for termites to rest, regroup and, repopulate themselves. Why is this the case? If your gutters are full of leaves and other forms of debris, this will make them a potential perfect home for termites to populate, as it provides them with an adequate sense of moisture and shielding from the sun's rays. Take the time to clean out your gutters at least once a month, especially during autumn, when the amount of leaves falling to the ground is quite high.

Reduce Sources of Food

The reason that termites want to enter your household is because the house itself can supply them with an adequate sense of nourishment; in other words, they can easily feed on the materials of which your home is constructed. There are several ways you can go about reducing the sources of food that are readily available to termites in your own home. For example, make sure that the siding of your home does not touch the ground, as termites are quite fond of wood blended cellulose based siding. Make sure that all siding is raised at least 6 inches above the ground, making it quite difficult for subterranean termites to feast upon.

Termites can be a difficult bug to deal with. Luckily, there are several ways you can go about protecting your house from these pesky pests. Hopefully, you have learned of a few of the ways you can prevent your home from looking like a source of tasty treats for termites. If you have tried to prevent a termite infestation, and failed, contact a local pest control contractor.