Safe Termite Control

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If you have any choice in the matter, avoid slab-on-grade construction. The concrete floor could develop cracks that would allow termites to creep from the soil into your home, and the lack of a crawlspace makes it difficult to detect an invasion in its early stages. Signs of termites in structures with slab foundations may be subtle—perhaps nothing more than slightly raised, crumbly areas on plasterboard walls, revealing that termites have consumed the paper between the gypsum and the paint.

Finally, the soil at construction sites in termite-threat areas can be treated with a lowtoxicity termiticide prior to building.

How to discourage termites from entering existing structures? First of all, don't provide them with a stairway to dinner by placing non-termite-resistant wood in direct contact with the soil and your home. Particularly attractive entryways include wooden steps, decks, trellises, planter boxes and firewood stacked against the side of the house. Stack your firewood someplace else, and for porches, steps and similar wooden structures, either use treated lumber—remembering to paint any sawn surfaces with an antitermite coating—or build with woods that are naturally resistant to termites.

The heartwoods of Arizona and bald cypress, eastern red cedar, black locust, redwood, osage orange, black walnut, northern catalpa and Pacific yew all contain natural compounds that are either toxic or repulsive to termites. (Sapwood, the lightercolored material surrounding the heartwood, is much less termite- and decay-resistant.)

Unfortunately, most of these species are rare or quickly getting there, and so are quite expensive. Lumber from some, in fact, can be difficult to find at any price. And, though using treated or naturally resistant woods is the foundation of termite prevention, this approach isn't foolproof; sometimes, the persistent insects will construct protective earthen tube bridges in order to cross these barriers and reach friendlier foods.

Concrete porches and steps whose open undersides are allowed to fill with dirt and debris can be termite havens, since they may conceal from view wooden parts of the house that come in contact with the soil while offering a friendly environment for infestation. Keep these areas cleared of dirt, wood and paper, and provide for good ventilation to prevent moisture from accumulating.

Likewise, be sure the crawlspace under your house is well ventilated. Don't store old lumber or newspapers there, and don't allow shrubbery to grow up and block the vents. In particularly moist climates and situations, it helps to keep things dry if you spread heavy plastic sheeting on the soil of your crawlspace, overlapping the edges of separate sheets by several inches. (Caution: To avoid excessive drying of wood members in older homes, cover only 60% to 70% of the subfloor area with plastic.)

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