Stop Your Garden From Inviting Termites Into Your Home
Posted on: 6 September 2018
Termites are possibly one of the least popular creatures around, as they're seriously bad news for buildings. Because they eat wood, they can ruin furniture and destroy structural elements, and you might not even know they're present until the damage has reached a serious stage.
If you're concerned about them getting into your home, having regular inspections is a good idea, as a professional can spot the signs of termites and perform termite treatment quickly to stop the problem. However, there are also a few things you can do to stop them from entering your home in the first place. One of them is taking some care over your garden, so have a look at these tips and improve your termite resistance.
Keep wood away from your house
Those little bugs will be attracted to anything wooden they can munch their way through, and if it's near your house, they'll quickly make their way inside.
If you have a firewood pile, keep it well away from your home's exterior. You should also avoid using wood edging for flower beds if they're next to the walls, and use gravel instead of wood mulch on top of the soil.
Get rid of any dead trees
Dead trees — or stumps that have been left behind — will certainly attract termites. The risk is worse when they're near to the house, but increasing the chance of termites invading any part of your backyard is a bad idea.
Have them properly removed, and your garden will instantly be less attractive to termites.
Don't place rocks near the house
While wood is the main attractant to termites, it's not the only one. They also like moisture and darkness, so having a rock garden or something else that involves large stones next to your house is asking for trouble.
It encourages termites to burrow up from underground, which makes them more likely to enter your home and start causing trouble.
Take care with your planting
Small plants and flowers around the edge of your house shouldn't be a problem, but trees and woody shrubs can be — especially if their branches touch exterior walls.
The branches act as a sort of termite road, leading them right into your property where they can settle in.
Get a preventative applied
If you want to be really sure, or if you're unable to change something in your garden that can attract termites, you can have a chemical termite barrier applied around your home.
You should have this professionally applied because doing it yourself can mean there are gaps or it not being applied properly. Professionals also have access to products that aren't available to the general public and are more effective.
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