Termite infestation shouldn’t be taken lightly. Colonies aren’t easy to get rid of and if left untouched, these could hollow out the foundations of your home which will weaken your house walls. We don’t want our families to be in danger of crumbling walls, right?
This is why you should start evaluating if your pieces of furniture at home are safe from termites. With these three tips (and with the help of family members), you could avoid having unwanted pests, thereby sparing yourself the stress and worry of harboring nasty bugs in your home.
Get your gear out, suit up, and let’s hunt some termite colonies down!
Moisture is not a must!
If there’s one thing that termites love, it would be moist places. This type of atmosphere allows termites to thrive because this keeps them from drying out. Place the furniture strategically in a place where it is less likely to get wet—away from windows and other open spaces. Moisture is also a breeding ground for fungi that would cause mold build-up, and you don’t want the interiors of your sofa to be infested with molds and mushrooms (yikes!).
Treat your furniture and doors with wood polish as this would reduce moisture buildup. Whenever cleaning for dust, use a dry towel and do not soak it in water. It’s also recommended to check for leakage anywhere in the house to ensure that pieces of furniture do not get wet.
If you happen to live in a humid area, you’re going to want to take extra care of your furniture. Termite colonies live off of humidity for food and shelter. What you can do to avoid termite infestation is to invest in a dehumidifier, or grow plants that absorb humidity.
Some good indoor plants would be cacti, orchids, and ferns. Not only would these reduce humidity; they will also bring a fresh atmosphere and aesthetic vibe to your home!
Make them feel the heat
If you suspect that the insides of your furniture might be building up some moisture, leave it out under the sun for an entire afternoon. The sun is your friend—heat from the sunlight will dry out the humidity from inside and if there’s any termite living within, it’s sure that the heat will kill them in a couple of minutes since they’d be all dried out.
Don’t worry if the sunlight’s not that intense. Exposing furniture to fresh air will rid it of moisture, ultimately eliminating humidity and the possible termites inside.
Even if there aren’t termites chipping away at your wooden home pieces, make it a habit to put furniture out under the sun for two to three days especially if it hasn’t been cleaned for a long time. You’ll be surprised to know that sunlight is lethal not only to termites but to disease-causing bacteria as well.
Extreme measures
There might be cases where it’s too late to avoid termite infestation because the termites have already established a colony in the wood parts of furniture. If you’re in this sitch, grab some termite spray from your local hardware or supermarket and apply it to your wooden furniture. For better results, leave the furniture under the sun.
However, termite nests can be enormous as the queen termite is able to lay thousands of eggs per day. Given this rate, there may be cases that the termite situation can get out of hand, and this is the cue to contact pest control services.
Don’t hesitate to call professional termite exterminators, like termite Control Toms River, because chances are you won’t be able to successfully extinguish each and every termite in the house through any DIY approach. Exterminators would survey the interiors of your home and try to find out where the infestation had started. As a result, you’ll be able to trace all possible termite nests and get them out before things could take a turn for the worse.
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