Have you recently discovered bits of sawdust, discarded wings, or droppings that indicate your home has a termite infestation in progress? Did you already call an exterminator but you're wondering if there's anything that you can do yourself? Depending on the extent of the damage, dealing with a termite infestation can be expensive and time-consuming. Using a professional termite pest control treatment company can help ensure that the issue is taken care of as quickly and as inexpensively as possible, but there are definitely things that you can do to help expedite the eradication of the termites. Some of the most important things include:

Get rid of "termite food" around your home: Termites will eat anything that is wood or that was once wood. This obviously includes things like firewood and mulch but you also need to be aware that termites can and will eat things like newspaper or cardboard. If your garage is full of stored cardboard boxes, start buying plastic tubs or other inedible storage containers to keep your stuff in. Although not strictly necessary, consider replacing any wooden shelves in your garage with metal ones. Shelving material is unlikely to be made out of treated wood and can make an easy meal for a hungry termite colony.

Eliminate standing water in your yard: When it rains, do you have areas of your yard that stay damp or that retain pools of water for a significantly longer time than the rest of your yard? If so, you should work to even out the ground in these areas so that water is no longer retained, especially if the pools form near your home's foundation. As with any other animal, termites also need to drink. They love damp areas, especially damp areas in or near wood. Even the best termite pest control treatment methods may be less than effective if the termites still have places to drink.

Maintain your gutters: Clogged gutters can be a source of damp leaves that termites will love to eat. The water that spills over the edge of a clogged gutter can also create small puddles and valleys that will retain water after a storm, hindering your efforts to keep the ground around your foundation level and free of water. In addition to keeping your gutters clean and in good repair, you should also ensure that your downspout directs water as far into your yard as possible or else fills up a rain barrel that you can use to water your lawn later. The less water that termites have direct access to, the more likely the colony is to die out.

Contact a local termite pest control treatment company for more information.