Check your yard regularly.
If you poke around any trees, stumps or timber, and you know what a termite looks like, you might get an early warning. A good tool for poking and prodding to make use of is a large screwdriver. If you do find anything, the best bet is always to call a termite specialist. The risk you run by treating them yourself is that you could be able to kill the termites in that particular area, although anything available towards the public will unlikely transfer back towards the main colony. You may wind up scaring them out of their current food source, and to your house.
Keep an eye on the timber in your home.
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. When you poke it, your finger goes straight through! If you do find them, and also have a damaged piece of timber they are in, put some masking or duct tape within the hole, and call a termite inspector straight away. Every one of the DIY solutions I’ve seen are hit and miss at best, and totally fail at worst.
Receive the best builder you can afford.
Termite protection comes standard with any new home at the time of writing. This can either be a physical barrier, a chemical barrier or both. These products could work fantastically, so long as they’re installed properly. We are in possession of seen the 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 can insist on the termite company you know includes a high standard of work to accomplish your termite protection, which can alleviate any problems. Even when your new home includes 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 great deal of stress. We look for all the factors conducive to termite attack above, plus more, as well as checking for termites themselves. We are in possession of expensive high tech equipment and a whole lot of real world experience. Even when you’ve termite protection installed, it still pays to get an inspection every year, to produce sure something hasn’t compromised it, and 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 property.