8 Termite Prevention Methods That Will Actually Help Protect Your Home

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to dealing with termites. Termites can cause considerable damage so its always worthwhile taking precautionary steps.

Termite protection involves reducing the conditions that may encourage termite activity, keeping possible entry points visible and using professionally installed management systems where appropriate.

Termites can remain concealed inside walls, flooring, roof timbers and other structural areas for an extended period. By the time visible damage appears, the problem may already be more extensive than expected.

Although there is no simple household method that can completely stop termites from approaching a property, regular inspections and careful maintenance can help reduce common risk factors. They can also make signs of termite entry easier to identify.

Below are eight practical termite protection measures Australian property owners can follow as part of an ongoing termite management plan.

What Is Termite Protection?

Termite protection is a combination of building maintenance, regular inspections and professional termite management measures designed to minimise the risk of concealed termite entry and damage.

Depending on the construction and condition of a property, professional protection may include physical barriers, chemical-treated zones, baiting systems or monitoring stations. These systems work alongside practical measures such as controlling moisture, keeping weep holes visible and avoiding direct timber-to-soil contact.

The following steps can support termite protection around your property. However, they do not replace a professional inspection or treat an active termite problem.

1. Arrange Regular Termite Inspections

Regular inspections are essential for preventing termites from entering your property. Termite inspection performed by a licensed professional will ensure that any issues are detected early on, before any extensive damage is done and costly repairs are needed.

2. Repair Moisture Problems Around the Property

Moisture is, without a doubt, one of the main reasons termites enter the home and cause damage. Water damage acts as an attractant and usually always results in active termites in that area of the home. Leaking taps, shower heads, and toilets are the biggest causes, and if fixed quickly, they will prevent the likelihood of a termite infestation.

Another cause of dampness and moisture is air conditioning units and hot water heater overflow pipes. In most cases, the overflow piping or drainage outlet is positioned up against the side of the property, which results in water gathering at the wall’s edge. Again, this attracts termites to the area and usually results in termites gaining entry to the property.

Prevention methods – 

• Ensure any leaking taps, shower heads and toilets are fixed as soon as possible
• Ensure air conditioning drip tubes do not leak up against the edge of the property. Install a drain or direct the water away from the home
• Ensure hot water systems aren’t leaking out near the edge of the wall. Install a drain or redirect the water away from the property
• Any signs of dampness inside the home should be inspected immediately
• Ensuring your roofing and guttering are in good shape is also worthwhile, especially during periods of heavy or constant rainfall

3. Keep Weep Holes Clear and Visible

Another common cause of termites is weep holes covered by vegetation, mulch or soil along the external perimeter of a property. Australian standards stipulate that clearance between the soil and ground level or path to your weep hole needs to be 75 mil or greater. In other words, there needs to be enough of a distance between the ground and the very bottom of each weep hole, so it’s possible to visually see any signs of termites, which are usually mud trails.

Many homeowners tend to put grass clippings, dirt, mulch, and even garden beds along the wall’s edge, thus covering the weep holes over either entirely or in part. This makes access for termites incredibly easy, as they simply travel through that soil or vegetation, pass through the peephole, and begin feeding on the property’s framework.

Prevention methods – 

• Don’t cover weep holes with soil, mulch or garden beds. Keep them clear. At least 75 mm clearance between ground level and the bottom edge of each weep hole
• Don’t use a sealant to block weep holes. These act as breather holes for your home, should dampness get into the property’s foundation
• Don’t lay pavers or concrete in a way that obstructs or covers weep holes

4. Keep Garden Beds Away from External Walls

This falls under what was previously mentioned, but it’s worth noting simply because it’s so very common. Do not put gardens or vegetation up against the property, and most certainly don’t water that area constantly for reasons already covered.

Prevention methods – 

• Keep garden beds away from your property’s walls.
• Plant garden beds, or vegetation away from the home, at least a few meters clear of the property
• Be conscious of where you water (hose, sprinkler systems, etc)

5. Avoid Direct Timber-to-Soil Contact

The construction of decks, pergolas, steps or any other timber-based structure outside the home should always be carried out with termites in mind. Hardware stores sell metal stirrups explicitly designed to ensure that timber structures – footings in particular – don’t come into direct contact with the soil. Again, much like weep holes, there should be 75mm of clearance between the ground and any decking, latticework, steps, etc.

A large number of termite infestations we see are caused simply by the homeowner building an extension or deck up against the side of the home and concreting footings or uprights directly into the soil.

Prevention methods – 

• Always speak to a pest control professional and builder before beginning any form of construction
• Ensure the correct materials are used (metal stirrups for footings, etc)
• Abide by all council and building code regulations to ensure your home is protected

6. Consider Termite Risks When Installing a Spa

We often see homeowners buy and install large spa baths, either in the backyard, near the house, or, in some cases, recessed within timber decking. Spas mounted in this way are far more likely to attract termites simply because you’ve essentially created the perfect environment for them—timber, water, and soil directly beneath.

We’ve seen cases where the entire spa bath frame has been eaten out by termites, which gained access by coming up through the pavers in the ground. Again, they are attracted by the water in the soil. It’s essential that homeowners understand that termites are always actively seeking not only timber but also a natural water source.

Prevention methods – 

• Avoid installing spa baths within timber decks unless precautions have been taken during construction (stirrups, as mentioned previously) and adequate drainage has been provided.
• Avoid installing your spa directly up against the side of the property
• Seek the advice of a professional pest control expert before installing your spa

7. Choose and Position Mulch Carefully

Another common cause that we see often is mulch.

Homeowners give little or no thought at all to what types of mulch they use. In many cases, homeowners will simply pop down to a local landscaping supply yard, fill a box trailer with mulch, bring it home and spread it around their yard. Perhaps even worse are those that shovel up mulch or woodchips from local council cleanups from the side of the road, thinking they’ve saved some money, when little do they know, it’s potentially full of termites.

Prevention methods – 

• Only ever use certain types of mulch that are termite-resistant. We covered this in this blog post here
• Always ask what type of mulch you’re getting when dealing with landscape supplies
• Never shovel mulch from unknown sources off the side of the road

8. Store Firewood and Spare Timber Away from the Home

Without a doubt, many termite infestations are caused by people storing firewood against the sides of their homes. Not only are they stored directly on the ground, but they are usually always up against the house and, in many cases, cover the weep holes.

We sometimes see firewood stored beneath the property, leading to problems.

Regardless, you need to be mindful of where it’s kept, but keep stored timbers and firewood away from the wall edge so that if termites try to get in the house from the outside, you can see the mud tracks going up the wall into the house.

Household Maintenance vs Professional Termite Protection

The measures above can help reduce termite risk factors, but they do not create a complete termite management system.

Professional termite protection may be recommended where the property has no existing system, the original system has been disturbed, or the building has features that increase the likelihood of concealed entry.

The appropriate solution depends on factors such as:

• The age and construction of the building
• The foundation and surrounding soil
• Existing termite activity or previous damage
• Access beneath and around the property
• Landscaping and drainage conditions
• Previous renovations or extensions
• Existing termite barriers or monitoring systems

A licensed technician should inspect the property before recommending a particular approach.

Time to book a termite inspection?

If you have concerns about a termites damaging your property, be sure to give us a call and organise an inspection. We guarantee professional and effective termite treatments which will last you up to 8 years using the most effective termite control products in the industry – Termidor.

Give us a call today, we look forward to helping you.