One of the biggest problems you can face in your home is termite damage, because you may not even realise the extend of the damage they have caused until it is too late, and your structure has collapsed. Most timber pests, and more specifically termites, can be hidden in your home for years, and may grow and develop into a huge colony wreaking havoc to the timber laden areas of the house. This is why you need a regular timber pest inspection in Sydney to detect damage caused by them and areas which may be conducive to infestations.
While such termite infestations may not be visible to you or I, inspectors who have been doing this and dealing with such problems for years can easily detect signs of termites that show up in your home. Through such an inspection you can quickly take steps to get rid of the infestation, because the damage that they do can be quite expensive to repair and rectify, especially if you have to replace all the timber.
Termites are especially troublesome because they can spread really fast. If one house in a neighbourhood gets infested, then it won’t be very long until the houses in the entire neighbourhood have them.
What precautions can you take to prevent termites from spreading in your home?
- Moisture reduction – Moisture rich areas in a home will attract termites, and one of the ways you can prevent them from spreading in your home is to reduce the moisture in and around the property. Walls, roof areas etc which are moisture laden will attract these pests. Using a dehumidifier and having a good ventilation system should prevent unnecessary moisture from forming.
- Leaks – Make sure you fix any leaks that there are in the plumbing system, because water seepage will cause moisture and thereby attract termites into the house, especially in areas such as basements. Regular inspections will help you to identify such water leaks and to get them fixed in time.
- Declutter – Old magazines, cardboard boxes and similar junk are breeding grounds for termites, and they thrive in such areas. They can easily spread form one room to another when you move the junk around, so if you want to create an environment that is not conducive to termites and other similar pests, make sure you declutter your home and throw away unwanted junk.
- Distance between soil and wood – Subterranean termites thrive and live underground, so if the soil level of your house is above the foundation level and close to any wood laden areas such as decks, patios etc, it could mean that your house is infested with them. Experts advise to keep a minimum 18-inch distance between soil and wood to prevent a termite attack. Creating a physical barrier with stone or concrete is one of the best ways of preventing these pests from eating you out of house and home.
- Using borate – Most times termites travel long distances on the timber that is used for constructing homes and this is how they make their home in your home. One way of ensuring that they don’t enter your home this way is to spray Borate on the timber before it is primed and painted. Borate is a termite repellent and will keep them away from the timber in your home for many years. Once the Borate spray has dried up, priming and painting can be done.
- Keep items in the sun – Termites hate the sun, they prefer cool, moisture rich areas to those where the sun shines strongly. If you notice that any furniture items have termite damage, then the ideal and chemical free solution is to keep the items in the hot sun. 3-4 days in the sun will chase away the termites from the wooden items.
- Keep plants away – Some plants can draw in termites to your home, and while plants are beautiful to have, you need to be careful about how close they are to your house. All shrubbery near your house as well as the grass surrounding it should be kept neatly cut and trimmed at all times. If you use mulch, it is more advisable it use pine needles rather than wood mulch.
One of the best ways of protecting your home from these destructive pests is to get regular timber pest inspections in Sydney based homes. The small investment involved with getting this done can save you a lot more in terms of costly repairs and replacements of timber. Termites can eat away wood from the inside out, and while they have destroyed the wood and made it hollow on the inside, they will leave a very thin outer veneer, which makes it impossible to know that there is a problem with the timber, that is until the entire thing weakens and collapses. So, protect yourself, your family and your home with a regular timber pest inspection.
