What To Do When You Find Termites In Your Home

In Arkansas, a big rain like we had last week means more than just flooded backyards and slower traffic. With the rush of water coming in from all directions, there is an onslaught of different kinds of pests that ride the waves to their new home; yours! Ants, spiders, mosquitoes, and termites are notorious for increasing their numbers where heavy amounts of sitting water can be found.

Termites especially are a major nuisance for the amount of damage they can cause in a short period of time as well as how expensive it is to repair that damage. Termites.com states,

“A homeowner who discovers termite damage will spend an average of $3,000 to repair the damage”.

(Compare that to our $99 annual termite inspection fee and it seems like a no-brainer).

So, if it’s too late to prevent termites from entering your home, what should you do after you discover them? Perform the following on our To Do Termite Checklist.

• Reduce Moisture Like we mentioned earlier, these pests consider a hydrated home a welcoming home, so it’s your job to make your house inhospitable by reducing the amount of moisture in and around the home’s structure. Do this by checking leaky taps and pipes and blocked gutters. Proper ventilation is important to keeping your home dry.
• Seal Cracks This mostly applies to wooden structures in your home, since that is their main source of food. Check thoroughly for ways they might have entered and seal with caulk or other binding materials. Note: If you feel uncomfortable with DIY sealing, fill in the gaps with sand until a professional can come to your home.
• Replace Wood After Command has rid your home of termites, you’ll need to replace some of the damaged structure and there are certain woods we recommend. We don’t consider termites picky eaters, but juniper, cedar, and redwood are the least likely to be feasted on by the pesky critters.
• Schedule A Yearly Inspection You never want this expensive and inconvenient annoyance to happen again. So, we recommend scheduling a yearly inspection with us to ensure your home is protected and continues to be an investment for you rather than a burden.

Stay tuned next Wednesday when we discuss what NOT to do when you find termites in your home!