Termite Prevention Tips for Commercial Facilities

A termite infestation can be devastating for your business. Although these pests won’t go after your food supply like rodents or cockroaches, they do pose a threat to the facilities that process, store, and transport food and other commercial goods. Termites are stealthy and cause severe structural damage ($5 billion annually in the United States) to commercial facilities and cost companies thousands of unbudgeted dollars in remedial treatments and repairs. This doesn’t include potential lost revenue from having to shut down portions of the                                                                                                         facility to perform treatment or make repairs.

Luckily, there are steps facility managers can take to prevent termites from taking aim at their facility and as the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Here are a few preventative measures you can take to protect yourself from termites:

• Maintain a 12-inch vertical barrier of smooth concrete, sand, or other non-cellulose material between the soil surface and substructure wood crawl spaces.
• Identify and correct conditions that are conducive to attracting termites.
• Use synthetic wood and non-cellulose building materials for fences, decks, or other structures that come into contact with soil.
• Remove wood piles, untreated fence posts, tree stumps and buried scrap wood near structures.
• Keep wood pallets off the ground to prevent wood to soil contact.
• Keep storage and crawlspace areas well ventilated and dry – excess moisture attracts termites.
• Repair foundation cracks and seal openings on exterior walls and soffits to deny termites’ easy access.
• Keep gutters and downspouts clear so moisture does not build up.
• Keep landscape shrubs trimmed and not touching the structure.

Looking for more tips, or want to learn more termite facts and figures? Download Holder’s free e-book, “The Impact of Termites on Commercial Facilities”, here.