How They Get on Your Unwanted Guest List
They’re not on your contacts list, and they aren’t a part of your social media circle. How can termites just show up at your house without being asked? You may be sending open invitations without realizing it. Here are five surefire ways to extend unintended RSVPs to termites in Phoenix and Tucson.
1. Set a Tasty Table – There’s nothing like a nice layer of mulch to help your garden through a hot Arizona summer. It’s full of nutrients, and it holds moisture. It’s also a gourmet delight for termites that burrow into as little as 1 inch of the stuff. If you layer it close to your foundation or wood porch, you’re ringing a pest dinner bell.
2. Extend the Buffet – Old tree stumps add rugged accents to the landscape, but they’re a favorite entree with nesting termites. Is your old fence an attractive menu item? If it’s not pressure-treated wood or vinyl, it’s part of the backyard bug buffet. Take a look around the property. Where you see wood, termites see tasty appetizers.
3. Open the Bar – Termites naturally colonize around easily accessed water sources. Drinks are on the house when they come across leaky faucets, pipes and AC units. A small puddle next to your foundation turns into an oasis for termites looking to establish a new home, and they also enjoy the damp in dark crawl spaces.
4. Give Them Shelter – These destructive pests don’t need much more than moisture, dirt and wood. When you stack firewood against the house, you’re offering termites a nesting haven. Any organic material close to exterior walls gives the bugs a collective leg up on getting inside and infesting your home’s infrastructure.
5. Underestimate Their Numbers – A termite colony matures in three to six years, and its members number in the hundreds of thousands. By the time you find their mud tunnels on the foundation or inside your home, they’re firmly established members of the household. Dealing with these pests isn’t a DIY project.
We hope our post helps you pull up the welcome mat before termites make themselves at home. If you suspect that they’re trying to sneak in, contact Burns Pest Elimination. We know how to get rid of unwelcome guests with effective pest control services in Phoenix and Tucson.
