Home Protection 101: 10 Termite-Proofing Tips for Your Home

Any homeowner’s worst nightmare are termites. These pesky little creatures burrow through wooden structures and build their colony right under the residents’ noses. Unlike other pests whose damages can be easily spotted and repaired, termites destroy homes from the inside out, so it’s often discovered when it is already too late.

You don’t have to wait until you see holes on wooden structures of your home to do something. You can implement termite proofing strategies to protect your home from these sneaky pests. Keep reading to learn the top 10 termite control tips for your home.

A Quick Overview of Termites

Before we start with the tips, do you know the different types of termites? Knowing the different types of termites can help you properly prevent termite attacks and identify an infestation immediately should it occur.

Here are the most common types of termites in the Philippines:

Subterranean termites – they build colonies underground and feed on cellulose-based materials like wood and plant debris. They’re smaller, but expand their colonies faster, making them a potent threat to your property’s wooden structures.

Drywood termites – they build colonies within wooden structures, and require minimal moisture that they get from consumed wood. They consume wooden structures from the inside, leaving them hollow.

10 Tips for a Termite-Proof House

When it comes to termites, prevention is much better than cure. Here are 10 ways to protect your home from termites:

1. Get a Regular Termite Check-Up

One of the first layers of protection against termites is regular termite inspections. Termite invasions can go undetected for a long time, so it’s best to have professional inspectors who are trained to spot early signs of termite activity to check your property periodically.

Regular inspection helps you detect termites early on, allowing for timely intervention before infestations become severe. Ultimately, it can save you from costly repairs needed when structural damage has occurred. 

2. Get Your Garden Treated

Gardens are often wet or moist and filled with wood, so they serve as potent bridges for termites to access homes. Treating the soil around your house and garden areas, and getting it re-treated regularly, creates a barrier that repels termites so they can’t reach your home’s foundation nor start a colony anywhere in your property.

3. Avoid Wooden Furniture

Wood is the primary food source or potential home for termites, so it’s best to avoid wooden furniture. Termite-resistant furniture like those made of metal, especially if you’re using them outside, can help minimize the risk of attracting these pesky termites.

If termites can’t find a suitable food source in your home, they are less likely to start their colony there.

However, if you already have wooden furniture, implement these strategies to protect them from termites:

• Keep wooden furniture six inches away from soil
• Prevent wooden furniture from getting wet
• Periodically tap the surface with a hammer to check for hollowness
• Listen for creaking sounds in furniture and wooden structures

If you notice any of these signs, immediately call your pest control service for termite control.

4. Use Boric Acid on Wooden Furniture

Another termite-proofing technique you may implement if you have wooden furniture is to use a variety of pesticides. A few of the best ways to protect wooden furniture are anti-termite wood polish and orange oil, which has been found to eliminate termites that comes into contact with it.

Here’s how to get rid of termites at home with orange oil:

• Spray the orange oil over any wooden item or surface where termites are. Use this as a spot anti-treatment, which is why it is ideal for furniture.

However, keep in mind that DIY termite treatments only temporarily address the issue so that the termites don’t infect other items or areas in your property while you wait for a professional termite control company to completely eliminate them.

5. Store Cardboard Items Properly

Another culprit of termite invasions is cardboard, which we commonly keep in case we need them later. However, cardboard boxes have high cellulose content, so they are a great source of food for termites.

It’s best not to store cardboard items in your home at all. But if it can’t be helped, store cardboard items properly – that is to keep them out of reach of termites. Here’s how:

• Do not store cardboard items on the ground or near walls with cracks or crawl spaces
• If not in use, store them in plastic bags or boxes
• Keep cardboard boxes dry; throw them away if they get wet
• Keep them clean from dust and cobwebs

6. Correct and Fix Cracks

Termites are known to pass through expansion areas of your house, such as cracks in the walls, plumbing openings, and crevices. They use these as pathways to creep into your home’s foundations and build a nesting ground there.

So, to prevent termites from entering your home, seal everything that has to be sealed – cracks, pipe joints, tubing, and any other potential openings.

7. Fix Water Leaks Quickly

If a pipe in your home is leaking, water can leak into foundation structures and make them moist, which can then lead to mold, deterioration, and termites. Moist wooden structures attract termites and allow them to thrive in your home, so it’s important to fix any form of leaking water around your home.

Catching and fixing water leaks early is crucial in termite-proofing your home and keeping its foundations’ integrity.

Once you’ve fixed water leaks in your home, thoroughly clean the damp areas, and ensure that they are kept dry. It wouldn’t hurt to visit those areas again periodically.

8. Use Only Termite-Treated Wood

If you’re doing repairs, renovations, or improvements on your house, use termite-treated wood. As you already know, termites love wood and other cellulose products. They may sneak into your home through untreated lumber.

9. Clean Your Home Regularly

As a responsible homeowner, surely, this is something you already do. However, cleaning your house regularly is a necessary step in keeping it free from termites.

As with other pests, termites are usually attracted to areas with significant dirt. Areas that tend to accumulate a lot of dirt – especially those you may not clean as often, such as storage rooms, baseboards, and areas under appliances – can become a haven for termites, making your home more prone to infestations.

Besides cleaning your home regularly, it’s vital to make it a point to clean every part of your home to keep termites at bay.

10. Get Professional Termite Control Services

One of the most common misconceptions among Filipino homeowners is that termite control services are only necessary when there is already a termite infestation in their property. However, professional termite control services are key to preventing infestations, not just eliminating them.

Professional anay pest control services can treat your house’s foundation and the soil around it to create a barrier around your home preventing termites from infiltrating it. They can also set up baits that serve as an additional layer of protection and a surveillance system that lets you and your provider track termite activity in the area, allowing them to respond immediately before the critters can inflict major damage on your home.

Keep Termites Off Your Property with TOPBEST

Termites are sneaky and persistent creatures, so protecting your house or removing them is no easy task. While there are things you can do on your own, such as using boric acid and keeping wood furniture dry, successfully termite-proofing your home is best done with the help of professional termite control services.

TOPBEST can help you protect your property by treating the soil around your house and setting up baits to monitor termite activity. With our team of experts to support you, keeping termites away can be much more manageable.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you with termite control.