Home Construction Contractors Should Also Do Their Part To Prevent Termite Infestations | Tucson Termite Control
If a homeowner with a termite inspection contract discovers termite damage in his or her home, a pest control professional will inevitably take the blame for failing to prevent the infestation. Although pest control professionals are highly trained, they are not the only professionals who can help to prevent termite infestations in homes. Most people are not aware of how much a building contractor can do to minimize the chances that a home will become infested with termites in the future. Pesticides are considered the first line of defense against termite infestations, but building contractors can reduce the need for pesticides by choosing the proper building materials. All over the world more and more people are opting to live in homes made from unconventional materials that are resistant to termite infestations. Even if you prefer an old fashioned timber-framed home, there are still certain measures that building contractors should take during construction in order to prevent future termite infestations.
During the past decade, several termite-resistant construction materials have been developed. These materials include synthetic plastics and engineered wood. Now, scientists have developed a new type of termite resistant construction material that is made from fungus. This new material, which is called “mycelium composite”, is also beneficial to the environment. The building blocks are made from a mixture of garbage and the Trametes versicolor species of fungus. This building material was developed in Australia in response to increasing termite infestations in the country. The industrial and agricultural waste that is used to manufacture the building blocks contains high amounts of silica due to the high rice and glass content. Although termites are voracious creatures that have been known to chew through the most durable types of matter, silica is about the last thing that a termite could tolerate eating, making the fungal building blocks an effective type of termite-resistant building material. At the moment, building contractors often install termite barriers beneath the ground’s surface and around a home’s perimeter in order to halt a possible future advancement of subterranean termites. However, in a few years we may resort to living in mushroom houses just to ensure a termite-free living experience.
Would you be willing to pay extra money when buying a home in order to ensure that no termite infestations ever occured?
