How To Keep Damaging Termites Away From Your Home

The last thing you want in your home are termites. They can damage the foundation of your home and anything made from wood. To keep you from having to pay a lot of money in repair bills, below are things you can do to keep termites from invading your home. 

Keep Moisture Away

Termites love any place there is moisture, so if there is standing water near your home, you could have termites very close by. One way you can prevent them from moving in is to put a moisture barrier around your home's foundation to keep things dry. You should also cover water sources around your home, such as swimming pools and ponds when you are not using them.

Look around your home for any plumbing problems that are leaking water and have them repaired, if needed. Keep things made of wood away from your home. For example, if you have wooden chairs, set them as far away from your home as possible. Termites are especially drawn to wood surfaces when they are wet, such as after a rain. 

Treat Wood

If you have any wood furniture, such as on a patio or deck, near your home, rub aloe vera gel over the furniture, as it will kill termites. You can purchase aloe vera plants at garden centers. Crush up the leaves to release the gel.

You can also protect wood surfaces with orange oil. This oil will also give your wood a nice gleam and kill any termites that may be embedded in the wood. 

Keep Plant-Based Materials Away

Even though termites love wood, there are other things they like to eat, such as plant-based materials, also known as cellulose-based. Cellulose is found in cardboard, paper, bark, anything made of plants, and leaves.  Keep your yard picked up, and rake up and discard of leaves. Do not have a foundation bed, which is planting shrubs and other plants, near the foundation of your home.  There are chemical barrier soil treatments that can help with this problem if you currently have bushes or shrubs planted close to the foundation.

If you see any termites, call a pest control company (such as Bug Busters Inc) to remove them for you. They have special pesticides that will kill them without causing harm to any plants, pets, or people. They will likely also spray the inside of your home.  While you are waiting for the pest control company, you can spread some borax on the soil where you see termites. The termites will eat this substance, and die soon after.