Termite Prevention

Are you looking for termite prevention tips that are natural? As we become more eco-friendly in this country these are the kind of decisions we are faced with. Plus with all of the known and unknown chemicals that probably already exist in your house why would you start adding more when maybe you don't have too? This article will focus on natural termite prevention tips.

The Problem
While we may all like to be eco-friendly all the time when it comes to dealing with termites the clock is not on your side. You wouldn't want your house to become so badly damaged that you have to leave it would you? And even if it didn't get that far you will lose a large percentage of the value of your house in that situation.

Prevention Solution
With so many natural methods existing that can be effectively used in combating termite infestation you shouldn't have to make that kind of a choice. However, these solutions are not a silver bullet and you have to know what you need them for and what they are effective at dealing with.

The phrase,"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is good advice and applies equally well to this situation. You won't have to worry about dealing with an issue if the issue is never created in the first place. One of the easiest ways to prevent termites from getting into your house to begin with is simply move the right things around. This is because termites get into your house through wood to soil contact or wood to wood contact. So it is your first priority to make sure those situations don't exist as far as your house is concerned. So move that construction lumber or firewood far, far away from your house now. That will deal with one of the conditions but to deal with all of them you also need to make sure your house's foundation is at least six to seven inches above the soil level.

Chemical Solution
Of course you knew we would mention the old tried and true boric acid solution didn't you? You can find this stuff at most home improvement stores, hardware stores and some drug stores. Don't be alarmed but it usually comes in the form of white powder and can be used to treat a lot more then termite problems as far as insects are concerned. In any case we have three ways to put it to good termite prevention use:

1) Treat wood with it before use.
2) Spray it or "paint" it on the outside of your house.
3) Use it to get rid of an active termite colony. This is done by soaking the wood in a boric acid solution with water and then sticking the stakes in a location the termites will find and start eating it.

Heat Solution
This solution while not as popular as the other ones or inexpensive takes into account the fact that termites can't exist at temperatures equaling or exceeding 120 degrees. The way this works is by a technique called heat tenting where you put a big tent over the house and then raise the temperature using portable heaters and other related devices. This method is not cheap but it also doesn't require any chemicals to be an effective termite prevention and extermination method.