Effective termite treatment of your home eliminates the pests and allows you to start over again with a clean slate. However, termites still live elsewhere in the environment outside your home. If you wish to keep your home free of termites over the long-term, these three yard care tips will help:
Keep Your Foundation and the Ground next to It Dry
Subterranean termites require a moist environment to survive. If your foundation and the surrounding soil are wet, it provides a perfect environment for termites to thrive. Check for and repair plumbing leaks in crawl spaces or beneath slab foundations. Fix all leaky outdoor faucets. Avoid over-watering the ground next to the foundation.
Your yard should be graded so that rain water runs downhill away from your house. Avoid gardening practices that dam up rainwater next to the foundation. In addition, make sure your rain gutter downspouts discharge water well away from the foundation. Finally, check the ground next to your house for pooling during or immediately after a rainstorm.
Avoid Placing Wood, Mulch, Cardboard, or Any Cellulose Products near Your Foundation
Wood, mulch, cardboard, or anything made from cellulose are termite food. While wood mulch is great for gardens, it also attracts termites. The same is true of stacking cardboard boxes or wood next to your foundation. Keep your firewood off the ground and away from your house by using a metal frame. The one ingredient all these things have in common is cellulose, which is the food that termites are really after. Cellulose is common in many construction materials such as sheet rock. When in doubt about the cellulose content of a material, don’t place it next to your house.
Remove Diseased or Dead Trees and Their Stumps
If you have a dead or badly diseased tree next to your house, have it removed. Dead or rotting wood attracts termites. You can identify diseased trees by their sparse foliage and fungal growth. Have the stump removed as well. The idea is to eliminate anything next to your home that attracts these pests. Finally, a dead or diseased tree can fall on your house in a wind storm.
For more information about preventing or eliminating termite infestations, contact us today.