Americans spend a lot trying to get rid of pests. Revenues for pest control services reached $12.29 billion in 2016. Termites pose problems for homeowners all over the country. It has been estimated that they damage about 600,000 homes every year. In doing this, they do between $1 and $2 billion in property damage. It has been estimated that to combat these pests American homeowners spend somewhere between $1 and $2 billion on Formosan pest control and repairs every year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The good news about termite control is that there are steps homeowners can take to prevent or limit the damage these pests can do.

Have your home inspected on a regular basis. You want to catch a termite infestation quickly and before it has had a chance to get out of control. Bringing in a quality pest control service to examine and inspect your home, especially in the spring when most infestations happen, can prevent these bugs from doing a lot of damage to your home.

1. Listen to the experts. When the termite control services expert comes to your home, they will do more than just look for current infestations, they can also identify problem areas and advise you of steps you can take to make your home less attractive to these bugs. Listen to their suggestions.
2. Consider taking preventative action. You do not have to wait for termites to strike to protect the wood structures of your home. Your wood can be treated to make it less tasty, you can use bait to ferret out the insects and monitoring techniques can be employed to keep an eye on the situation.
3. Talk to your neighbors. If termites have arrived in your neighborhood, you want to know about it. Talk to the people who live near you about what they have seen.
4. Make it harder for the termites to get into your home. Look at your water and gas lines. Seal the areas around these entry points. This is a popular way for them to get in so by sealing these areas, you make it harder. If you have cracks in your siding or foundation, you should make it a point to seal these as they can be access points for bugs.
5. Look at the wood to ground contact points. You want to do what you can to eliminate areas where there is this wood to ground connection. If you have areas where the wood hits the ground, consider treating it with a termiticide to make it unappealing to the insects. Often people overlook their wood siding, that should stop at least six inches from the ground or be treated with chemicals to keep termites away from it. These bugs love firewood and dead trees.
6. Be careful to not leave food out for the termites. If you use mulch, you can get cellulose free products that are not as attractive to these bugs. If you do not want to do that, just make sure you keep it at least six inches away from your foundation. Check areas such as crawlspaces for wood products that the termites will find appealing. Watch your wood siding for signs of termite damage.
7. Keep water from pooling around your home. This is a good idea for a number of reasons and keeping these pests away is just one of them. You should also look to your basement or crawlspace and make sure there is no water pooling there. Keeping these areas as dry as possible is a good habit to get into. When you do this, you should also pay close attention to your plumbing and fix any leaks as they are found.
8. Keep firewood away from your home. Some people like to stack firewood against their home but that is just asking for the termites to invade the home. Keep this away from your foundation and remove any dead trees or tree limbs that are near your house. From time to time, you should look over your firewood for evidence of these insects.

Termites and other pests cause a lot of damage to homes all over the United States. By being vigilant, you can get to the insects before they can damage your home.