Quick Fix Will Reduce Chance of Termite Trouble

One of your home’s worse enemies is drywood termites, and one of the easiest ways for these winged pests to enter your house to start dining on the timbers is through the vents that allow fresh air to circulate through your attic.

A good way to help keep them from getting into the attic in the first place is to install fiberglass window screen mesh behind the existing quarter-inch steel screen material that keeps rodents and birds out of the attic.

The best way to do this is to cut the screen material about an inch longer and wider than the vent you wish to protect and make a fold about half-inch wide on every edge. Then use a stapler to secure the mesh to the wood members that surround the opening on the inside of the attic.

If the attic access is restricted, the screening can be placed around the vent on the outside. Be extra neat to avoid creating an appearance problem, though.

While this does not assure that termites will not enter the structure from some other access point, the cost is very low and it closes off a lot of square footage of very easy eating for them. Also, you keep wasps, bees, beetles and other insects from entering the attic.

Keep in mind that the screen material may pick up enough dust over time to restrict airflow and should be brushed clean periodically.