Real Estate Matters | Preventing termite infestations
Sam Leee
Sam Lee is a marketing manager and property consultant at JML Property. JML was established in 1994 and offers Investment Property & Homes. It specializes in managing properties for owners and investors, and providing attractive and comfortable homes for tenants.
Although apartments in Macau are not as susceptible to vicious termite infestations as homes made of wood, it is a phenomenon that can occur. Termite attacks can damage your home and furniture and cause economic harm as well as a health hazard.
So what can you do to protect your home against termites? Prevention is better than cure, and here are a few preventative options:
Eliminate moisture
The definitive first step in preventing termite activity (or a great number of other pest/insects) is to eradicate any unnecessary moisture wherever possible. Like all living things, termites need water and food to survive and given that they’re about the size of your fingernail on average, they don’t need a whole lot to get by.
Something as simple as water collecting underneath your bathtub on a regular basis, leaky pipes, condensation or dampness seeping through to the interior of the home can be all it takes to draw a thirsty termite colony into your house.
Don’t underestimate the intrepid nature of the humble termite – they’ll travel far and wide for sustenance, no matter how inconsequential you may think it is. Make sure to clean your gutters to prevent any water seepage from above getting into your walls and attic space and seal up any leaking pipes (even if it’s just a drip every so often).
You’ll also want to make sure the offshoot air from your air conditioning unit is funnelled away from the house and if you live in a humid climate, consider getting a dehumidifier to keep room climates balanced.
Keep the windows shut
At certain times of the year, winged termites hit the streets to reproduce. This normally lasts one or two days, and during this period it is best to keep your windows shut to keep the little buggers out of your home.
Cut down on wood
It’s no secret that termites are hungry for all the wood in your home. So, it makes sense to try and cut down on your home’s wooden furniture, structures or panelling as much as possible if you really want to close your termite buffet for good.
Where you might previously have bought wooden tables, why not try something metallic or plastic for example? Now, this isn’t to say you have to upset your interior decorating and turn it into some futuristic sterile space station devoid of any wooden furnishing – but it’s worth thinking about how much exposed wood is sitting around your home.
If you still have lots of wood around the house, then you’d better make sure that it’s been chemically treated, rather than left to the whims of any local termites that might happen by.
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