Are you one of the many people who have discovered how relaxing and soothing gardening can be? Horticultural hobbies are enjoyed not only in warmer months, but commonly throughout most of the year. However, while you are planning to create an amazing natural space for yourself and your family, you may be also unwittingly creating an ideal environment for termites.
In fact, there are certain landscaping and gardening habits that can lure termites, attracting them to your backyard and potentially your home. Getting to know what those practices are will assist you to avoid them, giving you the early opportunity for rectifications.
In this article, Australian pest control experts from Sydney explain what can attract termites to your backyard, outline a few simple steps you can take to help you in creating a problem-free garden, where you can unwind and truly find peace of mind.
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- Garden Beds Set Too Close to Your Home
One of the most common reasons why termites are attracted into your home is dampness.
Having plants and dense vegetation growing in garden beds set right near the external wall of your home will help prolong water retention along the foundations. Because termites need and seek moisture, this wet and moist environment will certainly encourage and draw termites towards your home.
- Over-Irrigation
Plants need water to thrive, and if you want to see your garden green and flourish, then it must be irrigated regularly. Every garden lover wants to see their garden prosper, but the average gardener often gets too enthusiastic giving it much more water than it needs. Excessive watering of garden beds will substantially increase moisture levels around the foundations, luring termites towards your home.
- Mulching Your Garden
Wood mulch is one of the most commonly used products in gardens nowadays. Not only because it is highly decorative and it looks good, but also because it helps to suppress weeds. However, all wood-products attract termites, and If you choose to use mulch around your house and garden beds, then you may be inviting termites from the entire neighborhood into your backyard.
- Excessive Build-Up Of Leaves
There are many gardeners who work tirelessly to keep their gardens free from fallen leaves. However, if that foliage is not cleared quickly enough from roofs, gutters and the exterior of your home it can hinder water drainage causing build up of dampness.This can attract termites providing them with a suitable environment to enter and infest your home.
- Raised garden beds and edgings
Growing vegetables and herbs in raised garden beds are one of the better and easier ways to be a successful gardener, as the quality of the soil and moisture are easily maintained. The only problem is, most of the raised garden beds and planter boxes are made from wood. Having moist soil in these planter boxes can be a termite magnet. Timber edgings and retaining walls in close proximity to your home may not be such a good idea either. It can only result in drawing termites and attracting them towards your house.
Tips for Preventing Termites in Your Garden
While knowing what you need to avoid is one step in this process, it’s also important to know effective gardening habits to keep termites at bay. Some of these tips include:
- Don’t store any wood near your home: If you keep wood on your property, make sure it isn’t close to the house..
- Clear your gutters regularly: Maintain your gutters and downspouts and clear all the debris as soon as they occur.
- Limit water usage: Be sure water pipes and taps remain in good repair and fix any drips right away.
- Use alternative product: Consider using products for your garden that is not made from wood, such as rubber, rocks, gravel or pine straw for mulch.
- Don’t plant close to foundations: set your garden beds away from the foundation of your home’s exterior walls to avoid moisture build up.
As you can see, there are things you should avoid, and things you should do when it comes to making sure that your garden looks great and does not attract termites. If you have noticed any termite, or want to make sure there aren’t any nearby, contact your local pest control professionals. Doing so will help you to ensure any first signs of termites are eradicated quickly, and your garden as well as your home remains termite free.