The Secret To Protecting Your Knoxville Home From Termites

April 28, 2021

You could have an army of termites eating up your house without even realizing it. Termites can cause significant property damage before homeowners even notice the problem. They eat nonstop around the clock and if an infestation goes untreated, termites can cause floors and walls to completely collapse. Here’s what you need to know about protecting your Knoxville home from termites.

subterranean termites tunneling through wood

What Are Termites?

Termites are some of the most successful insects on the planet. Some estimates suggest that for every human on earth, there are 1,000 pounds of termites. They live on every continent except Antarctica and inhabit a variety of habitats but prefer warmer climates. Termites feed on cellulose-based materials, which include (but are not limited to) wood and wooden structures.

Termites live in large colonies with thousands, even millions of members. As social insects, termites serve their queen, who continuously produces eggs to expand the colony. Some termite queens can lay as many as 30,000 eggs per day, causing infestations to grow exponentially.

There are three main types of termites: dampwood, drywood, and subterranean. As their names indicate, each of these types has its preferred habitat and behaviors. Dampwood termites can be found in wet rotting logs while drywood termites are more likely to be found in structural wood. And subterranean termites, the most common home-invading type, live in vast underground colonies.

Why Are Termites Attracted To My Home?

Termites are attracted to moisture and cellulose-rich material. If you have damp soil surrounding wooden segments of your home, it’s an open invitation for a termite infestation.

Water accumulating around the perimeter of your house can create conditions favorable for termites. Clogged drains, backed up gutters, and leaky fixtures are all common factors that contribute to excess moisture. Reducing moisture on your property can reduce the likelihood of getting termites along with other moisture-loving pests like spiders and cockroaches.

Mulch and other landscaping features can be attractive to termites and compel them to establish a colony on your property. The closer mulch and other termite food sources are to your property, the more likely an infestation becomes.

However, wooden beams and siding that make direct contact with soil are the most common reasons termites are attracted to your home, especially for common subterranean termites who will build mud tubes to connect their colony directly to your home.

How You Can Prevent Termites

Termites cost American homeowners an estimated $5 billion in damage annually. To keep your home and your wallet safe, you can help to prevent termites with a few simple tricks:

  • Reduce moisture. Seal leaky pipes and fixtures, clear drains and gutters, and make sure water doesn’t accumulate in the soil around your property. Consider installing a dehumidifier in your basement to make your home less attractive to termites and other humidity-loving pests.
  • Do some landscaping. Make sure your yard isn’t hospitable to termites. Remove any fallen trees or logs and switch to a cellulose-free mulch. Pull back landscaping features like woody shrubs and hedges away from directly contacting your house if possible.
  • Create a barrier. Reduce wood-to-soil contact by installing a barrier of gravel, sand, or rocks around the perimeter of your home. When building new additions or new structures, try to elevate wooden beams and segments from the dirt.

The real secret to protecting your Knoxville home from termites is to get help from the experts at Urbanex. We use the industry-leading Sentricon® System with Always Active™ to eliminate termites at the source. Our expertise and experience combined with cutting-edge treatments will give you lasting relief from termite damage, saving you from expensive repairs. To protect your property from destructive termites, get in touch with us today.

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