Termites are sneaky. They can feast on a home for years and do enormous damage before anyone notices.But there are ways to make your home less inviting, recognize an infestation and wipe them out.

Eliminate easy access to food and water. Termites get water from wet wood or damp soil. Their food source is anything made from wood, including wallpaper, facing on drywall, hardboard siding and cellulose insulation, if you remove the sources of wood and water from around your home, they won’t be attracted in the first place.

Don’t store termite food on the ground. A crawl space filled with cardboard boxes or anything made of wood set directly on the ground is an invitation to termites. If you must store wood products in a crawl space, store them off the ground on top of bricks or concrete blocks.

Repair leaky plumbing. Dripping or leaky faucets keep the soil moist year-round, even during dry spells.

Caulk gaps in siding. To prevent rainwater from penetrating your walls, fill any holes or gaps in siding and around window or door trim with acrylic latex caulk.

Channel runoff away from your home. Limit moisture near your house by adding downspout extensions that are at least 6 ft. long. Fill in low spots that hold water, and slope the soil so water runs away from your home.

Keep bushes trimmed. Heavy vegetation keeps soil moist. And dense branches can keep your siding moist and even lead to moisture inside the walls. Trim your shrubs so sunlight can dry up the soil and siding.

Keep wood away from your home. Firewood stacked next to your house and wood mulch near the foundation can invite termites. Store firewood at least 20 ft. from your home and replace wood mulch with decorative stone or gravel.