Subterranean termites can cause a significant amount of damage to your Denton home, and you should take them seriously if you find these pests on your property. It is important to understand termites to prevent them.
Understanding Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are the most common in the country and, unfortunately, the most destructive termite species in Denton. These pests range in color from cream and tan to a dark brown depending on age and role in the colony and typically don't grow more than an eighth of an inch long.
This termite species is found across the United States and prefers to make its home in moist and warm climates. Subterranean termites will eat wood 24 hours a day every day of the week and will build distinctive tunnels that are commonly known as mud tubes. These mud tubes will protect the termites from open air as they travel, enabling them to reach food sources outside of their colony.
Once termites enter your property, they can cause serious damage to the internal structures of your home. Because these termites will constantly eat away at wood, there is a significant risk of the wood in your home becoming hollowed out. Most property owners will not recognize this at first, only noticing there is a problem when extreme damage has already occurred. Over time, subterranean termites can cause the collapse of properties and repairs that are extremely costly or maybe even impossible to complete.
Termite Prevention Tips
To stop termites from entering your home in the first place, there are several prevention tips that you can follow:
- Address any moisture issues around your home, fixing up leaks both inside and outside of your house. Moist, warm areas are extremely attractive to subterranean termites, so you should also be sure that your home has proper ventilation.
- Clear your yard of debris, especially fallen branches and tree stumps. You should also keep firewood or lumber stacks at least ten feet away from your home and store them on an elevated platform to prevent soil-to-wood contact, as this makes it easy for termites to infest the wood.
- Inspect around your house and seal gaps around water and gas lines or other utilities. These areas are prime targets for termites looking for a source of food, and they will often enter your home using these spaces.
- Place rocks or another solid barrier between the soil in your yard and your foundation to add an obstacle for termites looking to make their way into the wooden areas of your house and help prevent an infestation from starting.
- Clean out your gutters to ensure that there are no pools of moisture-attracting termites on your roof. You may also want to trim back overhanging branches and bushes to reduce areas of shade and moisture in your yard and to prevent termites from entering your home via the branches.
Professional Termite Protection
Subterranean termites can be a nightmare to deal with once they have started infesting your home. It is unlikely that you'll be able to eliminate an entire colony by yourself, so the best way to protect your property is with professional termite control. The experts here at Mayco Pest & Termite Control will be able to remove the source of subterranean termites from your home, leaving you pest-free and with as little home damage as possible.