You want to make sure you take as many steps as you can to prevent a termite infestation in your home and in the outbuildings you have on your property. Although termites are very small, they do repopulate quickly and in very large numbers, which means your home can become infested in a short amount of time. Termites are also extremely destructive, and they can damage your home extensively. This article will provide you with info on preventing termites and info on spotting trouble early on, so you can deal with a problem before it leaves your home in need of serious repairs.

How to keep termites from infesting your home

You should go outside and walk around your property. Look for any trees that are dead and that should be removed. Leaving dead trees in place is a great way to invite termites to come onto your property, and you don't want them anywhere near your home. If you have trees to be cut down, make sure you hire someone to both cut and remove the tree so you don't end up with all that tempting wood laying around.

Make sure you are keeping your firewood as far from the house as you can, and have it lifted off of the ground by at least a couple of inches. It's also extremely important for you to rotate this firewood so you are using the wood that has been in the pile the longest before you use the wood that is the newest.

How to spot a possible termite issue around your house

There are a few different things you can look for around your home, as well as your outbuildings, to determine whether there may be an indication that you have termites in your home. If you look for these signs and you actually see them, then you need to have a pest control company come out to get the termites out of your house ASAP. Here are the things that you are going to want to look for:

• A hollow sound in the wood around your home – If you tap on an area of your wall you know has wood behind it and it sounds solid, then you tap in another area with wood and it sounds hollow, then you may have termites. This sound happens when they have eaten much of the wood.
• Discarded wings around the house – Termites will lose their wings when they mate. It is common to have many of them mate in the same place at the same time, so you see a lot of wings. If you see some wings around your house without bodies, this would indicate the presence of termites.
• Mud tubes along the walls – Termites will travel through what are commonly referred to as 'mud tubes'. These are made by the termites out of dirt, as well as their own feces, as a way for them to travel while protected and undetected.