Check your yard regularly.
In the event you poke around any trees, stumps or timber, and you realize what a termite looks like, you might get an early warning. A good tool for poking and prodding to use is a large screwdriver. In the event you do find anything, the best bet is to call a termite specialist. The risk you run by treating them yourself is always that you might be able to kill the termites in that particular area, although anything available for the public will unlikely transfer back for the main colony. You might wind up scaring them out of their current food source, and to your house.
Keep an eye on the timber in your property.
Any imperfections in the timber parts of your house could be a sign of termites. Usually termite damage will appear as ripples or bubbles on the surface. Once you poke it, your finger will go straight through! Should you do find them, and have a damaged piece of timber they are in, put some masking or duct tape over the hole, and call a termite inspector straight away. All of the DIY solutions I’ve seen are hit and miss at best, and totally fail at worst.
Obtain the best builder you can afford.
Termite protection comes standard with any new home at the time of writing. This could either be described as a physical barrier, a chemical barrier or both. These products can function fantastically, provided that they are installed properly. We’ve seen these products breached though; generally in corners of the home or in the garage. Some builders just want the piece of paper saying the work has been done. You are able to insist over a termite company you understand features a high standard of work to do your termite protection, which can alleviate any problems. Even when your new home has a steel frame, termites can and do still damage huge amounts of timber inside.
Get regular inspections.
Here’s the commercial part you’ve been patiently waiting for! Seriously though, having termite inspections on at least an annual basis will negate a whole large amount of stress. We look for many the factors conducive to termite attack above, plus more, as well as checking for termites themselves. We’ve expensive high tech equipment and a whole large amount of real world experience. Even though you’ve got termite protection installed, it still pays to get an inspection every year, to create sure something hasn’t compromised it, and also the warranty of said protection is often conditional upon it.
Have termite protection installed.
Again, it’s commercial, but it’s an essential part in keeping termites out. Having a chemical barrier installed in the soil, and under the concrete goes a long way towards killing any termites that try to enter your house.