Termites are a scary experience for house owners. These silent destroyers are active all year round without a break and might give house owners a run for their time, worry and money. But they can, indeed, try to prevent a termite infestation on their own by some DIY methods. They can also fight off an infestation on their own, to the best of their ability with simple solutions for termite control.

Termite Control Tips

Inspect your foundation every now and then

When searching for a termite infestation, it is very important to start from the very bottom of it. That is, one has to keep in check the wellbeing and strength of their foundation. Termites don’t start scaling from the top, they begin from the foundation. However, they do not bite or hole into concrete and only make mud tubes. While inspecting, if you find any mud tunes, it might be time to call in a professional or to take those termites out by yourself.

Check your basements and crawl spaces

Don’t delay, pick up a strong flashlight and get to checking now itself. This is one of the easiest ways to find out about the existence of termites in your house. Look closely for mud tubes or damage and pay very close attention to the edges and corners. If you think you’ve come across a part that is infested by termites, you may start with a test called the thumb technique. This involves pressing your thumb into the wood and if it gives it, you have a problem. Another way to find if termites have been at work is to look for small piles of grass and other signs.

Never undermine the power of proper ventilation and sealing

Proper ventilation and sealing can go a long way in termite control. Simple as they are, proper ventilation and sealing are the keys to moisture control, which in turn will lead to controlling the moisture-loving termites. Without the right ventilation, there might be condensation in the basement, which will be a perfect breeding and living place for termites. Without the right moisture barriers or sealing, this moisture can climb up the wall, and similarly the termites from the basement will then begin scaling up the wall. Hence proper ventilation and sealing are quite important, as they ensure that there is no moisture for termites to thrive on.

Keep your backyard and garden in check

Have you noticed termites in your backyard? Then curb them before they find their way into your house. This is the perfect time for you to bring in termite bait stations to capture and kill those silent destroyers before they destroy what is most important to you. Termite bait stations work to repel termites and pull away termites from your house, and also help you destroy their nest before they can do any more damage.

Live plants and vegetation can be quite a problem when related to termite control. Always keep your garden in check and don’t push much plants to grow against the walls of your house. Always trim and keep the trees and shrubs around your house in check, ensuring that they have no branches that are touching your walls.

Don’t keep dry wood near your house

As obvious as it may sound, one of the big mistakes that homeowners make is when they keep piles of cut wood meant for floorboards and other reasons very close to their house. This will cause termites to eat their way through inside their house. So it should be kept in mind that all logs, dry wood, pieces of floorboards, and others should be at least at a distance of 20 feet away from your home.

 Any place that you have wood that you mean to protect for use for a later time, you should keep it away from the soil, where termites are most active, at least by 18 inches. The easiest method to do this is to create a gravel bed, which can be DIY termite control and good drainage for your home at the same time.

Create a trench and apply termiticide

Another simple DIY that you can do by yourself is to dig a trench. This will work well if you’ve already fought a termite infestation and don’t want them to bother you anymore.

Dig a trench around the entirety of the problem area that you’ve encountered and fill it with a foam-based non-repellent termite insecticide. A non-repellent would ensure that termites walk right through it and pass away, unlike repellents, which will only keep them at bay. Additionally, you may also use termite repellents for any wood structure in your home.

Use their heat sensitivity as your advantage

Termites are highly sensitive to heat, so they could be the perfect termite repellent and an easy DIY solution for homeowners. If you are able to heat up the infested area to at least a bare minimum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of half an hour, there will be no way for termites to survive. However, you have to exercise caution around household items, plastics, and wiring, as they may melt and cause a fire and a hazardous situation.

Guard your air conditioning systems

Air conditioners and heat pumps work in a way that creates and drains moisture through a natural condensation process as the temperature changes. That is one of the moisture struggles around your house that you absolutely cannot eliminate. It is important to make sure that your Air conditioning systems are difficult for termites to find and that your moisture drainage system is always clear. This will ensure that the moisture is carried away from your house and not deposited in your house.