Top 5 Ways To Discourage Termites Around Your Home

With the weather warming up and spring well on its way, Australian homeowners are preparing for the inevitable influx of termites that come with the heat. Termites emerge from hibernation in spring intending to eat, mate and create colonies.

Unfortunately, for many homeowners, this means that their houses become a tempting feast for the tiny pests. Once termites have invaded your home, it’s difficult to get the invasive pests out for good. So, rather than trying to fix the problem, you should focus on prevention instead.

Take a look here at our top 5 ways to discourage termites around your home.

1. Reduce The Moisture Around Your Home

Termites love moisture and thrive in moist conditions. Try eliminating any leaks or pools of water to ensure that you don’t have moisture gathering around your home. Areas such as crawl spaces and basements are notorious for having areas of moisture that attract termites.

Make sure that your home is leak-free and doesn’t have any damaged plumbing or gutters. 

Experts believe that termites can get into your home through areas where wood, such as the foundations of your home or decking, is touching garden or soil. If you’re worried, you can create a barrier with cement or stones that will help discourage termites from getting into the wood of your home. 

Borate is an effective termite repellent that you can apply to wood before painting or treating it. Once it has dried into the wood, it has been shown to help repel termites from your home for decades.

Try using Borate on your window sills, doors and even your furniture to help keep termites at bay, being mindful of pets.

If termites have already managed to get into your home and have started attacking your furniture, there are ways to prevent further damage. Try placing the infected furniture and items in the hot sun for at least 3 days in a row.

The heat will kill the termites within the object as well as drawing the moisture out of the item. This loss of moisture will help to prevent future infestations. You can also consider treating the item with a termite spray before bringing it back inside to be doubly sure that the infestation has been neutralised. 

Finally, reducing the potential food that will attract termites will go a long way towards helping to discourage termites in and around your home. Termites are attracted to objects containing cellulose.

This usually includes things such as cardboard, paper, wood and card stock. Get rid of any unnecessary items lying around your home to make it a less tempting food source for termites. 

When it comes down to it, one of the best ways to ensure that termites don’t invade your home is to undertake regular inspections and prevention methods. Get rid of any excess items containing cellulose and ensure that your home is moisture-free.

If you’re concerned that you might have termites in your home and you want to organise a termite inspection, give us a call on 1800 880 500.

We can help you keep your home termite and pest free.