"Don't Let This Article
    Eat Away At You ... or
    Your Home!" 
            

   There are basically three types
of termites: termites you had; termites
you have; and termites you're going to
have. Unbeknownst to many homeowners, there
are scores of termite colonies, which have invaded, or
are about to invade, their homes.... maybe your home! 

Let's take a look at some termite facts: 
   1) Termites live in colonies
      underground, from which they build
      tunnels in search of food. They are
      dependent on moisture for survival, so
      they cannot live inside the wood frame
      of your home. They build mud tubes,
      primarily along foundation walls, from
      the ground up. 
   2) One in twenty homes are infested
      each year by termites. 
   3) Concrete foundations are not a
      deterrent. Termites only need a crack of
      1/64 inch in the slab floor to invade
      your home. 
   4) On average, there could be as many
      as 13 to 14 termite colonies, 1 million in
      each colony, per acre of land. A typical
      home may easily have three to four
      colonies situated under or around it. 

What can YOU do to reduce the risk of
termite attack on your home?
1) Eliminate wood contact with the
    ground. Wood elements should be at
    least six inches above ground level.
    Make sure the soil around your home is
    graded properly, away from the
    foundation. 
2) Don't allow moisture to accumulate
    near the foundation. Divert water away
    from the foundation. Check faucets,
    water pipes and air conditioning units
    for leakage and repair immediately. 
3) Do not store firewood, lumber or
    other wood debris against the
    foundation or within any crawl
    spaces.These materials attract termites
    and are a source of food. 
4) Do not store cardboard / corrugated
    boxes on the floor of your garage. Probably one of the most common
things we are all "guilty" of, these boxes
provide tasty havens for scores of
termites. If necessary, construct shelving
in your garage to store your boxes and
cartons. If you had a home built, which
was landscaped after you moved in and
was never re-treated, the chemical
barrier was probably broken, and the
home is very vulnerable to termite
infestation. The best advice is to
consider having your home treated by a
professional pest control firm, such as
Burns, Orkin, Terminix, etc. Although
you can take certain action to make
your home less attractive to termites,
the best way to prevent infestation is to
treat the soil around and beneath the
building with a termiticide. Preventively
treating a home for termites is a
reasonable investment, especially if the
structure has had no prior history of
treatment. If a pest control firm
previously treated the building, it's a
good idea to maintain the warranty by
paying the annual renewal fee. Should
termites reinfest the building (which is a
definite possibility), the company will
return and re-treat the affected area at
no charge. As the adage goes, "An
ounce of prevention"……… may
protect YOUR home from termites!     

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