There’s nothing like a wood fireplace in the winter. The toasty heat and savings on heating bills are just a couple of the benefits. However, improper storage of firewood can turn the fuel for that wood fire into a pest problem for your home.
A wood pile can serve as a home for termites, carpenter ants, and other wood-destroying pests. Here are some guidelines for exercising preventive pest control when using a wood fireplace or wood stove.
Store all firewood outside. While the garage or basement can seem convenient, the warmer temperature indoors can cause dormant insects in the woodpile to become active in your home.
Don’t store more wood than you will use in a year. The longer you How Often Should Pest Control Be Done store wood, the more likely it is to attract a pest infestation.
Don’t stack firewood against the outside of your house. Ideally, firewood should be kept at least 20 feet away from your home. Stack it on something at least 6 inches off the ground to prevent animals from hiding in it.
Only use local firewood. Non-local firewood can introduce invasive species of pests to your area. Apply this to camping as well; leave behind any unused firewood.
Rotate your stock of firewood. Burn the oldest wood first. This goes back to the point mentioned earlier: The longer firewood sits around, the more likely it is to become the source of an infestation. As a bonus: older firewood typically burns better, as it has had longer to dry out and cure.
Do not spray your firewood with pesticides. Wood sprayed with pesticides can emit toxic vapors when burned. If Insect Prevention Home you find your firewood is infested, a professional pest control service can rid the pests in a safe manner.
Examine your lighting situation. Because many pests are attracted to light, one way to practice good preventive pest control is to examine your exterior lighting situation. Most insects can only detect light within certain wavelengths; certain colors of light evade their detection. Orange- and yellow-tinted lights make excellent exterior lights because they are in effect invisible to insects. Sodium vapor lights, with their yellow light, make for good anti-pest exterior lighting.
Once you’re certain that the woodpile is properly situated, turn to more general preventive pest control methods. For instance, a weather-tight home, with no cracks or crannies where pests can squeeze in, is bound to experience fewer pest problems in general. Caulking and sealing any exterior surfaces is good way to reduce the likelihood that pests will invade your space.
If you follow these guidelines you’ll run a much lower risk of having to deal with pests as you enjoy your wood stove or fireplace this winter.
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