If you have recently purchased a home with a fireplace or wood stove or have had one installed in your existing home, you're probably looking forward to basking in the comfort of a warm wood fire. However, it's important to make sure that you don't bring termites and other nuisance insects indoors with the firewood. Here are three important things about firewood that you need to know in order to keep your home termite-free.

Store Wood Off The Ground

Because termite colonies tend to be located in the soil, storing your wood on a platform will eliminate direct contact between insect colonies and your firewood. Many homeowners use pallets to create a suitable place to stack firewood that keeps it off the ground. If you live in a damp climate or cold winter climate, consider using a designated woodshed for firewood storage in order to keep the firewood as dry as possible -- keep in mind that termites need a great deal of moisture to survive. If you decide to use a woodshed, make certain that it's of adequate size to allow for air circulation.

Store Wood Away From Your House

Storing wood along the side of your house or garage is simply asking for termite trouble. Keep your firewood at least 30 feet away from your home in order to circumvent problems with termites as well as other types of insects and rodents. Firewood should never be stored against a wooden fence or outbuilding. You will not be in danger of exposing your home interior to a termite invasion if you store firewood in your home overnight to start the morning fire unless the wood is damp -- and in that case, it isn't ready to be burned anyway. You can also safely store enough dry, well-seasoned wood for several days on an enclosed porch.

Season Your Wood Well

Well-seasoned wood generally doesn't harbor any insects at all except for perhaps a spider or two on the surface. You can purchase wood that has already been seasoned from a supplier or you can season it yourself. You can also buy a moisture meter from a home and garden retailer that will provide you with the interior moisture content of the wood. In general firewood cut from fir, pine, cedar, and other evergreen trees should be seasoned for at least six months, and the wood of dense hardwoods such as oak, ash, and maple will need to be seasoned from between one to two years. 

If you want more information on termites, contact companies like Blue Bell Termite Pest Control.

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