Spring is a wonderful time of year to improve your garden and refresh your home, but unfortunately it also marks the beginning of termite swarming season. Termites are small but very harmful pests that feed on wood and cause a serious problem for homeowners. The structural damage they can cause can be devastating and when they gather in swarms, it can happen very quickly.
Determining a termite swarm infestation as soon as possible is key and there are 7 telltale signs that you have termites in your home. But protecting your home from termite swarms before they have a chance to infest it is even better.
You may be wondering if your home is at risk of a termite swarm. Okay, yes. Every home is. But there are critical preventive measures you can take to deter the termite swarm from your home and direct it elsewhere. That’s why we’ve compiled a list below with 7 tips to protect your home from termite swarming season.
What is termite swarming?
Termites fly in large swarms as they search for a new place to call home. When they come to a place full of wood to eat, they stay, build a colony and reproduce. A swarm can consist of hundreds of thousands of termites, and while the swarm itself is not harmful, the colony they create can destroy your home.
Warmth is when they thrive and the spring season, around March, is the official start of the termite swarm, which continues until about October. If you live in a warmer state, such as South Carolina, termite swarms can be a problem for you year-round. These winged pests swarm and burrow in the wood they consider suitable to form their colony.
1. Trim bushes
Overgrown bushes are one of the favorite breeding places for termites. There is a lot of moisture and cellulose inside the plants, so if they grow too much, you are providing a very attractive location for a swarm of termites to be attracted to. So our first tip is to prune the bushes surrounding the exterior of your home.
Ideally, make sure your bushes and shrubs are at least six inches away from exterior walls at all times. Otherwise, the plants act as a gateway for termites to find their way into your home. If they have a bridge between the bushes and your house, they will use it to enter. It is essential to keep them trimmed and ensure there is distance between the foliage and your home. Make sure you don’t make these 7 mistakes when pruning a hedge.
2. Turn off the lights
Insects are attracted to light and that statement still holds true for termites. In the spring and summer months, if termites find a light in the dark, they will fly toward it. If a swarm of termites passes by at night and detects outdoor lights and sometimes even indoor lights, you may be attracting them without even realizing it.
Turn off exterior and even interior lights whenever you can. If they can’t see your house, they will most likely fly away somewhere else. Termites swarm around your porch lights, lights that shine from inside, and motion lights, so keep them off when the sun goes down to have a better chance of preventing them from taking up residence.
3. Reduce humidity
Termites love lights, but they also In fact I love the water. If you want to prepare your home to deter a termite swarm, you’ll need to stay on top of maintenance when it comes to leaking pipes, busy gutters, and unnecessary build-ups in drains. First, make sure the drain is pointing away from your house and won’t cause water to pool. Termites love standing water and humidity, so eliminating those sources is key.
Next, check the perimeter of your home, especially crawl spaces, for damage or problems that may be causing excess water. Check your sprinklers to make sure they aren’t pooling water in your yard, and start repairing leaks, cleaning gutters, and making sure drainage systems are properly perted away from your home.
4. Eliminate food sources
Another great way to prepare your home for a termite swarm is to make sure you eliminate any food sources that attract termites. Termites love mulch and wood, so making sure you get rid of excess of either of these items in your home is key preparation. Most of a termite’s diet is made up of eating wood to get to the cellulose. It’s no surprise then that if you are giving the termites more opportunities to obtain cellulose, then they will come to visit you in their swarm.
If you store firewood, make sure it is off the ground and away from the exterior walls of your home. If you allow termites access to your firewood, they will live in it when you finally move it indoors. Dead or rotting wood is especially attractive to termites, so dead tree stumps or other unused wooded areas, such as old sheds or leftover wood, should be removed.
5. Repair holes or cracks in the foundation.
Doing a perimeter check of your home’s foundation and sealing any cracks or holes you find will eliminate entry for termites. While termites themselves cause damage, it can be even more devastating if they have used a weakness in your home to delve into how your home is built to feast from within.
If you have ducts or vents around the exterior of your home, you should consider sealing them with stainless steel woven wire mesh to prevent termites from entering your home. If they see an opportunity to get in, they will take it.
6. Use plants that termites hate
There are certain plants you can place around your home that will deter termites with their scent or by attracting other predators they may want to avoid. Consider planting these natural insect repellents; catnip, marigolds, lemongrass, vetiver, mint and garlic. These plants are in good company among the 7 best pest resistant plants for a bug-free garden and will do the hard work for you.
You will also find that these are excellent plants for repelling wasps, snakes and cockroaches. Dragonflies, spiders, ants and ladybugs are some of the beneficial insects you may want to consider attracting to your garden, as they will also feast on termites.
7. Schedule a home inspection
If you are concerned that you are not doing a thorough enough termite check, live in a particularly termite-infested area, or fear you may have found termites or signs of damage, it is recommended that you schedule a home inspection by a termite specialist. .
The general advice is to schedule one of these annually or every two years, as it is quite difficult to determine if you have a problem and sometimes it may be too late. Termites are sneaky pests that can get into foundation cracks without you knowing. Therefore, to anticipate the problem, sometimes the best option is to schedule a visit from a professional.
- How to get rid of termites in your home
- 7 things that attract pests to your home
- 5 things not to do when repelling pests, according to experts
