Spring is the usual time when termites are at its worst on Texas homes. This is when they usually thrive and create new colonies, and most of them are in your homes. Termites literally eat a home out of your floors or your walls, creating much damage as they go. According to studies, termite damage is up to $5 billion worth of damage every year.

But how do you prevent termites from even infesting your property? Here are some of the tips that you can do to protect your homes from termites:

1. Termites need moisture to thrive. Reduce or eliminate the amount of moisture or condensation within and around your house.
2. Try to see if there are any leaks from your faucets, water pipes and even your exterior air conditioning units.
3. Regularly check your house’s foundation for any signs of mud tubes made by termites. You can also try to tap any cracked or bubbling paint and check if it sounds hollow.
4. Don’t keep or bury any scrap wood or waste lumber near or even in your yard. It attracts termites and can cause in infestation. If your property is not large enough to store wood at a large distance, you may try to use thick concrete slabs or heavy duty metal stands to raise the wood off of the ground.
5. Use only treated lumber if it will be installed in the ground. You can use treat wood to provide protection against any termite activity. Home improvement centers in all states, including Texas, now offer concrete support that helps elevate the wooden support beams off the ground.
6. Make sure that your house’s downspouts, gutters, and splash blocks are properly working so that any water will be diverted away from the house.
7. Thick vegetation can help keep moisture in the soil. Since areas with high condensation are where termite colonies usually survive. Making sure that there isn’t any brush or heavy growth around your house would be the best way to prevent any termite infestation.
8. You can also seal any holes or cracks that you find in your house’s foundation. Pest control experts in Dallas say that this will prevent any termites from accessing your home’s foundation.
9. You can install some bait stations around your house. Then replace the wood with the poison laced bait if you find any termite activity near the bait station. These termites will then feed on the bait, return it to the colony, and poison the others.
10. Keep vents cleaned and screened at all times to prevent any flying pests from coming in your house.

The best way to control termite infestation is by doing necessary precautions. Contact a licensed pest control expert if you suspect any termite infestation.