How To Keep Termites Away From Your Houston Property

First things first. We need to define what we mean when we say "How to keep termites away", because there is no way to keep termites away from your property. They will inevitably enter your yard from a neighboring property, whether by tunneling or by flying. There isn't anything you can do to stop this from happening; termites are abundant in Houston, Texas, and there is no deterrent that will keep them out of your yard. But, when you take steps to protect the structures on your property and deter nest creation, you can, in all the ways that matter, keep termites away. This is what we're going to discuss today.

Food Sources

When termite workers come into your yard and find an ideal food source, they could decide to create a new colony near the food source they've found. This can increase the concentration of termites in your yard by a significant margin. We don't need to tell you how bad that is. Termites are destructive insects that can do extensive damage to your home, over time. You can deter the establishment of satellite colonies by inspecting your yard and removing potential termite food. Here are some examples of things you might address.

• Stumps, logs, trees with heart rot, dead trees, etc.
• Piles of leaves and heavy leaf litter
• Piles of branches and sticks that have fallen from trees
• Wooden structures that are aging, such as fencing, decks, etc.
• Wooden pallets that touch the ground
• Stacks of campfire wood
• Construction materials
• Cardboard that touches the ground

Conducive Conditions

When termites come into your yard, they will be attracted to areas of shade and moisture. These are ideal conditions for swarmers to establish nests and for workers to create satellite nests. Here are some things you may need to address.

• A clogged gutter system can make your perimeter damp.
• Dense vegetation can make it difficult for air to flow through your landscaping and keep things dry.
• Heavy tree canopy can create areas of dense shade. This promotes moisture.
• Leaky sprinklers and hoses can keep the ground damp.

Termite Prevention Products

There are many products on the market that promise to exterminate termites that enter your yard. They primarily come in two forms: liquids and baits. While it is certainly true that these products can work to stop termites and eliminate colonies, they can be entirely ineffective when applied incorrectly, or when the wrong product is used.

Termite Bait

Baits are highly effective when you select the right brand. But all baits are not created equal—and don't expect the manufacturer to tell you that their brand is inferior. The experts here at All-Safe Pest & Termites trust the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. For the last three decades, Sentricon® has almost single-handedly changed termite control in the pest control industry, dethroning the reigning king of termite control… liquid termiticides.

Synthetic Termite Control 

Much has changed in the last few decades in terms of how termiticides work to stop termites. Rather than using toxic chemicals that termite workers detect and avoid, new products are invisible to termite workers. They pass through them without them realizing it, and then they share the product with each other. This leads to colony elimination. But termiticides are notoriously troublesome to use - and the new products are no exception. There are many ways weather conditions and inappropriate applications can render these products inert. The worst part is that if you invest in a product and apply it to your yard, you won't know when it becomes inert. This can leave your home exposed to the threat of termite damage.

Termite Control In Houston

If you've detected termites in your yard, don't take any chances. Reach out to All-Safe Pest & Termite. We specialize in termite control with the Sentricon® System with Always Active™ to give property owners in Houston the best termite control available.

• Sentricon® offers protection 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This is important since worker termites never sleep.
• The bait in Sentricon® gets more and more appetizing to termites the longer it ages. So, unlike liquid treatments that wear out, Sentricon® gets more powerful the longer it stays in your yard.
• Termites are difficult to detect, but Sentricon® makes detection easy. If termites feed on the bait in your bait stations, your technician will let you know.

Along with providing the highest level of termite protection, using Sentricon® with Always Active™, we also provide infrared termite detection. This advanced technology allows our team members to see termite activity in your home. 

If you need a termite inspection or the installation of the Sentricon® System, reach out to us today. Our friendly and fully certified technicians are looking forward to helping you protect your property from the destructive impact of a termite infestation.