Termites are a dangerous pest, they destroy home, cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleaning bills and can drain your bank balance pretty quickly. So home owners are looking for safe affordable ways to protect their property from termites, and whilst a chemical protection is best and should always be carried out by a licenced professional, there are things you can do around the house to minimize the risk and hopefully avoid termites.

Of course prevention is a much better option than cure (and much more affordable) and there is no substitute for a preventive treatment, but there are a few simple steps you can take to help minimise the risk of termite invasion at your house:

1. Remove debris such as leaf litter, branches and firewood from around your house
2. Ensure that no earth wood or bark chips and against the exterior walls of the house
3. Ensure there is no moisture or water pooling under your house, termite love living in moisture
4. Ensure that under your house is well ventilated
5. Use termite resistant timbers when making modifications or additions to your house such as decks or fences
6. Keep sprinklers far enough away from the house so as to not wet the wood
7. Keep plants and ground covers at least 3-4feet away from the house
8. Use mulch sparingly, a maximum of 2 inches deep.
9. Remove any vegetation and plant debris covering vents.
10. Hire a pest controller such as Gold Coast Termite Treatment Specialist Complete Termite solutions to install a chemical barrier, the company you choose should offer a termite damage warranty

If you suspect you already have termites call an exterminator immediately, the longer you wait the more expensive the damage bill will become.

If you are unsure if you have termites there are a few things you can do to check:

1. Search underneath your home, look around stumps, foundations brick joints and the base walls of your home.
2. Closely inspect any timber supporting beams under your floor. Use a tool such as a screw driver to poke and any suspect looking sections of wood and look if it crumbles easily.
3. Look at painted surfaces for signs of termite damage such as wrinkled paint.

Termite damage can be hugely costly, and it is always a good idea to get your house checked by a licenced pest inspector at least one a year to insure that there is no developing termite problems.