PEST PREVENTION INFORMATION ON THE WEB
A Green Building Pest Control Guide: Home Pest Invasion Protection
Green Pest Prevention: A Green Building Guide:
I
am sure that we are all familiar with the newest innovations in green
building design, materials and techniques. Most of these deal with
lumber from renewable resources, energy efficient insulation, and
appliances, alternate energy sources, and green designs.
Great!
But,
is your new home built with green pest control in mind? Prevention is
the best form of pest control. Is your home built with prevention in
mind?
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Like the old saw about real estate, location, location, location, that
is the place to start!
Where your home is built, has a major role in
pest prevention. If your home is built next door to a mosquito infested
swamp, you will have a mosquito infested home! If you build in a low
lying area you will likely have the problems associated with pests in
wet and low lying areas. If your home is built next door to a brushy
bramble patch with high weeds, you will, at some point, be visited by
the inhabitants of that brushy weedy landscape. There will be gophers,
moles, field mice, rats, and all manner of weeds, insect and arachnid
life probing for any possible opening in your lawn, garden, landscape,
and home. Some will eventually find or create an entry!
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The manner in which your home is built will also have an effect on your
vulnerability to pests.
If the elevation of your home leaves it
susceptible to drainage problems, you will probably have problems with
mold, mildew, and fungus. Even if the water doesn't get into your home,
moisture will be a problem. When this moisture softens the wood frame
of your abode, it becomes susceptible to a number of insects including
carpenter ants and termites.
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The way your home is sealed is your homes Alamo.
The final defense
against the marauders. Starting with the foundation. The standard
practices of the day, are to infuse pesticides in the soil beneath the
foundation for termite control. You however, are building a green home,
so this is not an option. Other methods are needed. Sand barriers work
great in this role. Coarse sand is placed, particularly around and
under any openings in the slab, and around the edges. Termites cannot
tunnel through this sand because it caves in before a tunnel can be
formed. The openings around pipes can be sealed with metal mesh
barriers to prevent entry as well. The old standard of no wood touching
the ground is a great place to start, another good reason to pay close
attention to the issue of elevation. All points of potential entry
should be sealed. Even very small cracks and holes. Small holes tend to
become larger over time, and insects can become very small when they
sense food, water and shelter on the other side of such openings.
More green building lessons
The
ideas mentioned on this page, are just a start. A much more detailed
account can be found by reading the rest of the pages on this site,
including how to seal these entries, and what to look for.
So, get started now! Go to our Main Directory, or to our page: Prevention Starts Outdoors, and get busy! If you are looking for a particular subject, we have that covered too, see our Our Weedy Site Map.
There
is a lot you can do to protect your home from pest invasion, some of
the steps (there are many more than can be easily listed even on a site
like this) may be difficult for the average homeowner to do for
themselves. If you need help in performing this sort of inspection and
the work that follows, see our Totally Green Service page for more details.
Conventional Pest Control Service: IPM based
Contact us at: james@bugsandweeds.com
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