Your home isn’t built out of candy, but if it were, you would probably have a hard time not taking a bite once in a while. Fortunately, it’s usually built of wood and metal, both materials humans aren’t supposed to eat. Unfortunately, one of those things is beloved by termites. If you are worried about termites taking a bite out of your Saratoga County home, we are here to help. To prevent these invasive and destructive pests, use this handy prevention guide.
What Are Termites
There isn’t much variety when it comes to different termite species here in Saratoga County; we have eastern subterranean termites. The good news is that this makes describing termites in the area much easier.
Eastern subterranean termites are social pests that live in large colonies below the ground. A termite colony consists of workers, soldiers, and reproductives. These three castes work together to serve two purposes in life, gather cellulose and breed. If you don’t know, cellulose is the main component found in wood and other plants such as hemp, flax, cotton, and jute. To gather food, termite workers dig sprawling tunnels to nearby structures of harvestable timber. For wood to be harvestable by eastern subterranean termites, it must be soft, either due to water-damage, rot, or decay. These conditions happen to the wood of most homes over time.
How Destructive Are Termites?
Subterranean termites are the most destructive species globally and are responsible for a significant part of the 40 billion dollars that termites cost our planet’s people yearly. What is interesting is that these pests do not destroy wood fast, but instead silently. Typically, it takes a fully mature colony of termites over a year to deal significant damage to a home.
What Termites Like In A Home
Termites only need two things to be happy — a way to stay out of the elements and a reliable food source. If your home has dirt around it, which most do, and has wood that is negatively affected by either water-damage, rot, or decay, you will be more likely to have trouble with termites.
How To Prevent Termites
The less accessible and attractive your home is to termites, the better. Here are a few helpful prevention tips for you to try in order to help you make your property a termite-free zone.
- Keep your yard clean of organic debris and clutter.
- Remove dead trees and stumps from your property.
- Fix broken gutters.
- Repair leaky fixtures and pipes in and around your home.
- Use a caulking gun to fill in holes, cracks, and gaps in the exterior of your home.
- Make sure there is a non-wood barrier between exterior soil and the wood of your home.
- Repair or replace structural wood around your home that is damaged by water, rotting, or in decay.
- Avoid using untreated lumber when fixing or building onto your home.
- Store lumber piles and firewood at least 30 feet from your home’s exterior.
- Do not use wood-based mulch around your house.
Your Best Choice For Termite Control
The only way to ensure termites get and stay out of your Saratoga County home is with professional termite control services. At Old School Pest Control, we only use industrial-grade pest control technologies and advanced exclusion and elimination tactics when dealing with termites. If you are looking for reliable pest control at an affordable price, we are your best choice.
Call or reach out to us through our website now to learn more about our termite control or to schedule a visit for your Saratoga County home.