Termites cause billions of dollars in structural damage every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
And if this fact worries you, we completely understand. Termites can take a major investment like a home and cost you a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of stress.
It is a much better strategy to prevent termite damage than it is to have to treat termite damage or make structural repairs as a result of termite feeding.
Let’s look at some ideas for termite prevention in Maryland, so you can better shield your home from these invasive pests.
The Top 4 Termite Prevention Tips in Maryland
Termites are extremely sneaky pests. They rarely emerge from dirt or their homes and passageways in mud tubes, which makes them hard to spot.
In fact, Central and Southern Maryland homeowners many times don’t even know they have termites until they see a termite swarm or the damage they’ve left behind.
Swarming typically happens as a result of warmer weather and moisture from the rain that happens in April or May in Maryland. And, kind of like it sounds, when termites swarm, they take flight into the air and then shed their wings and find a mate to start a new colony in the soil.
Termite damage can be spotted by looking at your wood. If you see hollowed out, crumbling wood around window or door frames or near the home foundation that caves when you push your thumb into it, this could be from termite damage.
But these are signs you don't have to see in your yard if you learn how to prevent termite damage with these strategies.
1. Control Moisture and Wet Wood
Termites love a moist environment. They use this moisture in the soil to create mud tubes for their termite colonies to survive and thrive.
What can create damp environments around your foundation is poor drainage or low spots or vapor barriers between the ground and your crawl space that create a lot of condensation or moisture.
Another issue that can cause moisture around your home are clogged, overflowing gutters that create that extra water.
Moisture is all termites need. Standing water doesn’t suit their purposes. If you eliminate moisture you can prevent termite damage.
2. Keep Things Clean Around Your Foundation
In addition to eliminating moisture, you can also keep things clean around your home foundation.
For instance, excessive mulch, firewood, or scrap lumper left to pile up around your home are attractants. Add moisture to that and you’re basically inviting termites in.
A surefire solution to include in your strategy for how to prevent termites is to eliminate moisture along with those unnecessary wood piles too close to your home.
3. Get Annual Termite Inspections or Monitoring
The best termite prevention tip is getting a termite inspection.
Many pest control companies in Maryland, including Natural Green, perform your first termite inspection free unless it’s part of a home inspection for refinancing or a real estate transaction.
The process is quite simple. Once you call and request an inspection, a pest control professional can schedule it 24 to 48 hours later. You should be home for the inspection to let the technician inside. They need access to the exterior and interior of your home, particularly vulnerable areas like crawl spaces, basements, attics, and garages.
They look for tell-tale signs of termite activity and current or even past signs of termite infestations. This is because even signs of inactive damage can tell them that your home might be ripe for reinfestation. The whole inspection process takes approximately an hour.
4. Opt for a Preventive Treatment
Natural Green Systems typically finds evidence of termites in 25 percent of the homes our pest professionals inspect.
If your pest inspector finds termite damage, they will conduct a treatment to eliminate the termites, as well as put in preventive measures to keep them away. This includes a trench-and-rod treatment that involves digging a shallow trench around the whole foundation of your home and inserting termiticide every 1.5 to 2 feet along this trench, creating a complete barrier. This is certainly a way to further prevent termite damage.
Termite treatments range from between $10 to $13 per linear feet of your home’s perimeter, including any structures like garages.
A termite treatment is guaranteed, as long as owners keep up a $125 annual inspection to ensure termites haven’t broken through the barrier, as well as restrengthen areas if necessary. These annual eyeballs on the problem are important since weather conditions and home improvements can change the way a treatment is protecting you around your home. Preventative termite treatments are also important to keep any worries of possible infestations away.
Trust Natural Green to Help You Prevent Termites in Central and Southern Maryland
If you have had termite problems in the past or think you need to put in place some of these termite prevention tips to protect your home, you can’t go wrong with following this sound advice.
As you put some of these moisture-controlling strategies in place and relocate your firewood piles, you may also want to get an inspection to ensure termites aren’t present.
Ease your mind and give Natural Green a call. You can get an inspection for free, and we can give you additional advice to help you in your prevention planning.
We want you to be able to relax in your home. Give us a call today and we’ll bring our proven termite control experience and create a custom plan for your Central and Southern Maryland home. Get started today with a free quote.
