Worried after finding termites in firewood? As we all know, any wood stored near a home is a potential invitation for termites. Homeowners may not be aware that millions of termites are burrowing into their stocks of firewood right now. This infestation not only affects the quality of the firewood, but could bring in termites that may later affect the homes structure. Bringing in these pests into your home is just as destructive as having them outside it. To help you prevent these pests from doing more damage, here are some of the ways you can control the infestation and get rid of termites.
Spot the early signs of termites in firewood
Early termite infestation can be easily tracked by observing the tell-tale signs of their existence. They can’t be detected during the first few days or weeks of making a nest in the ground near your property. Not only are they difficult to detect, but they also have the tendency to burrow deep into your wooden structures, making the damages hard and costly to resolve. Don’t settle and wait for them to cause more damage. Be on alert when you start seeing these early signs of termite infestation:
- Wooden panels sound hollow when tapped
- Crumbling, buckling, and squeaky wooden structures
- Holes in drywall
- Peeling paint that resemble water damage
- Piles of drywood pellets that resemble salt or pepper
- Discarded wings that resemble fish scales
- Mud tubes found around the foundation of the property
- Termite swarms flying around your property
Relocate your firewood
Firewood is one of the main food sources of termites. If you don’t store it properly, you’ll be providing termites with a food source that they can nest in and feed off of. Termites can easily locate your firewood if you simply stack them from a dirt ground. The best ways to avoid this is to stack your firewood about 30cm/1 foot above the ground. Try creating a platform from concrete, brick, or an iron rack that gives your firewood the distance it needs from the ground. Forming walls around the edges of this rack will also prevent pests and termites from simply crawling directly into your wood pile. Avoid pouring any kind of pesticide over your firewood as it will release toxic fumes as you burn it, which could harm your family.
Keep your firewood dry
Damp or wet firewood is more appealing to termites. So if you have any firewood that seems damp, dry it out under the sun, cut it up into smaller pieces so it can dry faster, or try some other method that’s easy and reliable. If any part of the firewood looks likely to have a termite infestation, throw it out. No matter how damp or dry it is. Termites will continue burrowing in that firewood and will infest other pieces of firewood in the process. Throwing them out will keep the infestation at bay for the meantime.
Resolve your termite problem with methods that actually work
Although pesticides and other flammable products sound like a surefire way to get rid of termites, they can be equally damaging. Your best bet is to throw away anything that’s heavily infested and inspect all the others for any signs of burrowing holes or damp. To keep the termites from infesting the inside of your property, remember to only bring in enough to keep the current fire alive. It also pays that you learn how to keep your firewood dry during the summertime. You can achieve this by stacking them above ground and covering them with black plastic which can absorb all the moisture. Or to make it even safer, build a shed 10 metres/30 feet away from your property, making your property less susceptible to termite infestation.
Do you suspect you’ve got termites in firewood stored around your property? Don’t wait for your roof to fall in or your property to lose its stability. Get in touch with the professionals at Picton Pest Control today for highly effective termite inspection and termination.