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Tips to Keep your Pool Area Termite-free

John — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:54:44 +0000

Your pool is one of your prized possesions and you hate to think about it attracting termites that would destroy your house. Read this interesting article and protect yourself and your home.

Many people believe that because your pool is made of solid construction materials like reinforced concrete and ceramic tiles, your pool is in no danger of termite infestation. Think again. Pools and surrounding pool areas are also prime targets of termites.

It would worsen the problem considerably if you chose to delay action to prevent termites from creating a town of their own around your pool. The following information includes some tips for a termite free pool.

Why termites are attracted to pool areas

What is it in pools that attract termites? One is wood, another is water. Your pool definitely has water. And despite the all-cement or ceramic construction, chances are, the surrounding areas of the pool will have wooden decks, wooden shades, wooden diving boards, shrubbery and landscaping where wood will be there. Added to this, if you live in a mostly arid area, termites will be water-starved that your pool becomes their primary target. The wooden areas around the pool become a bonus to them, too.

Pools also have wooden liners, wooden walk-ways, wooden outhouses for pool equipments, filters, and the like. Many pools have wood chips or some sort of landscaping around the main pool and pump area. These landscape additions usually contain a good amount of wood or shrubbery. Any of these areas may be harboring a termite colony already.

What can you do?

The prevention can come before or after the pool construction. For in-ground pools, the ground area needs to be treated prior to pool construction. For above-ground pools, the pool liners in addition to the surrounding areas will have to be treated. As the soil around the pool foundation is treated with termite pesticide, it will at least last for a considerable period of time because it is practically covered by the pool and is thus free from the elements that will wear away the effect of the pesticide like sun and rain.

Indoor pools are another set of problems altogether. In this case you cover the surrounding and adjoining areas to the pool. Unlike outdoor pools, indoor pools will tend to have more wooden components similar to a sauna or a kitchen. And there you have the primary elements for termite infestation – moisture and wood. It will be good to have surrounding areas of indoor pools treated and regularly checked for possible or existing termite infestation.

Other tips to keep your pool area termite-free

As we keep saying, prevention is better than cure. But if you failed in the prevention side, you can compensate with regular monitoring and inspection.

While you cannot avoid moisture and wetness in pool areas whether outdoors or indoors, there are other tips you can follow to at least minimize if not totally eradicate the risk of termite infestation and keep your pool area termite-free.

Cleanliness and sanitation is paramount. Make sure pool areas are always kept clean and free from debris or garbage, whether wooden, cellulose (as in paper and carton packs), food, even plastics. Where possible, avoid wood to ground contact but where it cannot be avoided; treat the wood and the ground with an appropriate substance.

Keep vegetation away from wooden structures or components. They tend to keep moisture trapped, making ready habitation for termites. Keep drainage systems free from debris so that water is not trapped. Pool gutters and wash areas should be regularly drained and cleaned. Where there are landscape areas that will tend to trap water, be on the lookout for water stagnation and inspect the area regularly. Better yet, have these areas treated with pesticides to keep away the termites.

Where infestation is suspected, and where treatment has been done before, fumigation may also help. This will be especially true for indoor pools with hard-to-reach sides or areas. For outdoor pool areas, trenching is sometimes done to form barriers in the perimeter. Thereupon, treatment must be thoroughly applied. Termite baiting can also be used in surrounding pool areas where termite colonies are suspected. These can be applied in between the pool structure and the suspected termite nest. Below and above ground baiting can work for both in-ground and above-ground pool structures.

There are also available in the market self-help kits with sprays and baits for home use. If you have been consistent in inspecting and monitoring for possible termite infestation, you can also use these kits. For suspected larger or more severe infestation, professional exterminators should be contacted.

Keep these preventive and corrective tips in mind to help keep your pool area termite-free and fun for the whole family.

By: Grant Eckert

About the Author:

Grant Eckert is a freelance writer who writes about issues pertaining to home maintenance including Pest Control | Exterminator

Read repellent reviews at Pest Exterminators.com

Your Crawl Space Can Attract Termites

John — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:34:52 +0000

Termites

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No one wants a termite infestation to hit their home, but if you are not careful you might actually be attracting the pests. If you have a crawl space to allow for access to your home’s foundation, you could have an environment that’s ideal for termite colonies to live in and thrive. Luckily, this is a problem that can be easily taken care of once you realize the aspects of your crawl space that are likely to attract termites. If it’s too late and you already have termites under your house, take comfort in the fact that you’ve found them while they are still in the crawl space and not after they have moved up into walls or other parts of the house.

The reason that termites are attracted to your crawl space is that in most cases a crawl space provides an ideal environment for them. Think about what your crawl space looks like. Does it have poor ventilation, lots of exposed wood, and plenty of scattered bits of wood on the dirt itself that has dried out over the years? The poor ventilation will result in the crawl space having higher humidity than the air outside, which is needed by termites to live. They will be initially attracted by this excess moisture, and then realize that there is a large amount of cellulose and wood material for them to eat. Even though you obviously did not want it to be, your crawl space could appear to them like an all-you-can-eat buffet in paradise.

Assessing Your Crawl Space

Chances are that you do not spend much time in your crawl space. It’s dark, cramped, and the air is probably a bit musty. Unfortunately, if you are going to check for termites (and to check whether the conditions in your crawl space are likely to attract termites) then you are going to have to head under the house. Be sure to watch out for other insects and animals under there as well; while some of these, such as spiders, can be helpful and will actually kill and eat termites that might be in your crawl space, this doesn’t mean that you want them in your hair or face. Take the necessary precautions to avoid bites before going under your house.

Once there, see if the air is musty or smells like mildew. This will indicate that there is excessive moisture in the air, which is one of the key elements that will attract termites. Much preferable is for the air to smell dry or dusty, though in this case you will need to check and make sure that any wood in the support of your house isn’t becoming overly dry. While under the house, you should also take the time to look at the wood and house supports themselves for any indications of termite activity. See if there is any wood or plant material on the ground, especially next to the walls of the house where it might draw in termites from outside.

Preventing Termite Infestations

After you have evaluated how much moisture and loose plant material are under your house, it’s time to do something about it. One of the first steps that you can take is to hire waterproofing experts to come in and seal all of the walls of your crawl space and provide complete cover so that there isn’t just open dirt under your house. This will close off most of the access points for termites, and will greatly reduce additional moisture from getting in. Many waterproofing experts will also clean up any loose debris in the process to further prevent termites from being attracted to your home.

You can choose to have the crawl space completely sealed so as to prevent airflow as well, though a more common solution is to make sure that your crawl space has enough ventilation so that excess moisture doesn’t build up in the air. Just remember that any vents in your crawl space need to be sufficiently above the ground so that water won’t enter them when it rains, and you should avoid having any plants or plant material blocking them or touching them because that is a good way for termites to find their way in.

Treating Termite Outbreaks

Should you find that you already have termites in your crawl space, you should call your preferred pest control expert or exterminator immediately. They can spray the outer perimeter of your house in order to prevent additional termites from coming in as well as using foggers or other sprays to kill all of the termites that have already made it into your crawl space. While at your home, they will also evaluate it to make sure that your termite problems have not spread elsewhere.

By: Stephanie Larkin

About the Author:

Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about issues pertaining to home maintenance including Pest Control | Exterminator

Check out Repellent Reviews for more DIY repellent and pest control information. Repellentreviews.com has homemade repellent recipes, products for various sources so you can compare prices and more.

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