Does having a brick house mean that it’s safe from termites?

People generally associate termites with causing damage to wooden homes and it’s true that these pests do gnaw at the timbers of a home, undermining its safety. This does not mean that your home is safe from termites if it is made from brick. Termites can actually travel behind the veneer of bricks. This is why you should always check for any activity behind the veneer when you are checking for termites.

Of course, even if your home is made from brick, the framework could be wooden. This means that termites can cause a massive amount of damage to the structure of your property. At the end of the day, it does not matter whether your home is made of brick or wood, you still need to keep a close eye out for termites.

What signs of termites should you look out for?

One of the major signs that there may be termite activity around your home is the tell-tale mud tubes. You should look for these around cracks in the foundations or around the siding of your home. You may also want to use a flat-head screwdriver to help you listen out for any potential hollow spots in the wood in your home. Termites gnaw at wooden structures from the inside out so wood can look perfect from the outside but be hollow on the inside. You may not even realize there is a problem until significant damage has been done.

How to avoid infestation by termites

One of the best ways to avoid having problems with pest infestation in your home is to have regular inspections carried out by a Lubbock exterminator. This should help to identify any problems before too much damage is caused. It’s usually recommended that you have an inspection carried out every twelve months but you may need to ensure you have more regular inspections if you live in an area with high termite activity. There are also several actions you can take to make it less likely that termites will invade your home.

• Make sure that there is no water standing in pools close to your property.
• Make sure that there are no shrubs growing close to your property. If there are shrubs growing close to your property the debris from them can build up and cause water to accumulate.
• Make sure that gutters and drainage pipes are clean. If pipes and gutters are not clean water can overflow and leak into the wood of your home.
• Make sure that any wood that is stored on your property is not stored close to your home itself. You should also make sure that the wood is stored off the ground.

If you take all of these precautions you make it less likely that your home will be infested with termites. Do not forget that even if you have a brick built home you can still have problems with termites so you need to make sure you take all the necessary precautions.