You look at your recently refurbished kitchen and your eyes love what they see. The smell of oak and other wooden panels, the wooden countertops, the wooden cupboards, everything smells of taste and elegance. And you are raring to start the oven and whip up your favorite dish. But wait! There are others out there that also enjoy the smell of wood in your kitchen. And they are hungry for a feast, too! Prevent them from coming before it's too late with some tips below for termite free kitchen.

Your kitchen is a target

With all the wood that went into your kitchen, chances are wood-loving pests especially termites will be there one way or another. Your kitchen is a prime target for these wood-foraging pests and they can pose severe problems for you. Notwithstanding the potential structural damage, the needless worry and damage-control later should keep you on your toes already and prepare yourself and your kitchen against possible termite infestation. The danger in termites is that they work silently, and before you know it, the damage has been done. You hardly notice these pests until the wooden cupboard doors start falling apart or the panels start getting these holes and corrugations.

What can you do?

If you at least have a basic knowledge of how termites work and what you can do before these pests invade, you're off to a good start. Prevention is definitely better than cure, of which cure can add up to lots of pest-control expenses later. At the onset, even during the kitchen construction or refurbishing stage, you can do something. Your carpenter will definitely have an idea on treating wooden components with termite-control agents. From floors to walls to ceilings, from cupboards to paneling, to countertops, using pressure treated wood is already a first-step termite control measure.

Take heed to use other termite-control methods in the construction phase to ensure a termite-free kitchen. Aside from treated wooden materials, you can also arrange for surrounding soil treatments. Treating surrounding areas and foundation perimeters at the new-construction stage will work better rather than using these methods after construction and simply spraying or sprinkling around the construction.

If you wish to take the prevention to the next level, go out of the kitchen, beyond the kitchen periphery, up to the boundaries of your lot and check for possible infestation or potential infestation. Are there mud tunnels used by termites in the grounds? Are there damp areas in your backyard? Is there rotting vegetation around? For all you know, these are breeding and feeding grounds of termites already. If you do find such indications, you'd best contact professional exterminators at once.

Other preventive tips to keep the kitchen termite-free

Inside your kitchen, you can do your share, too. Regularly check kitchen compartments and areas for possible infestation despite the preventive measures you did before. It does not take Sherlock Holmes to find termite wings on window sills, or see shelter or mud tubes constructed by termites underneath door sills or floorboards, or even soil or wood debris inside kitchen cabinets. These signs of termite attack or even infestation must not go unnoticed.

Go on regular inspection tours of your kitchen. Knock on the wooden panels for hollowed out sounds indicative of damaged interiors. Sink a knife or screwdriver onto a wooden area, the floor or wall maybe, and where the solid wood is not there and all you get is an easy slice through of your knife, the wood may have already been infested.

Check your kitchen's window sills and door frames for decay or corrugation. Check kitchen areas that come into contact with moisture and soil. Tap on baseboards and flooring tiles. Look out for stains or discoloration. Check for water or moisture leaks (as moist wood is a termite's favorite).

It is paramount in prevention that you deny termites their food which is wood. Treat areas or points of soil-wood contact with termite-control substances, if this had not been done already. Seal out cracks where pests, not only termites but even roaches and ants, can enter. Fit windows and doors with screens and stripping-seals.

Keep your kitchen clean. Do not let dog- or cat-food or garbage rot inside the kitchen area. Remove debris in and around the kitchen area. Repair damaged wooden panels or replace them totally. By keeping in mind these common sense sanitation and construction tips, you can keep your kitchen termite-free.

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About Author: Grant Eckert is a freelance writer who writes about issues pertaining to home maintenance including Pest Control | Exterminator