When you live in a climate like Houston’s, pests are a fact of life. If you have a wooden fence, pests can at times begin damaging fences. Termites, carpenter ants, and wasps are of particular concern.

Fortunately, it’s not hard to protect a wooden fence from pests, especially if you opt for one of our cedar fences. Cedar fences are already pest-resistant, which means you only need to take a few additional steps to keep them safe. 

Summer Maintenance is Key

Summer is the time to address your wooden fence. It needs a gentle power wash and scrub down. We cover the entire process in this blog post. 

What you’re doing is cleaning all of the agents that will tend to rot the fence: mold, mildew, and grime that tends to trap moisture. Insects tend to prefer wood that’s pre-softened, and that pre-softening starts with those agents. 

Houston is the 89th moldiest location in the state, so there’s no skipping this step.

Oil-Based Stain, NOT Paint

Paint is the go-to for many homeowners, but it ruins the natural beauty of your cedar, peels off before the year is even out even if you do a wonderful job priming the fence, and isn’t really up to the challenge of keeping your fence bug-free.

Instead, what you’re looking for is a really nice oil-based exterior wood stain. 

Lamenting the loss of color? You don’t have to. You can find stain in a wide variety of colors, including blues, greens, and reds. You might have to hunt a little more because the wood-color stains are more popular, but they’re out there. You can even have a purple stain (though we won’t speak to how your homeowner’s association might feel about that). 

Sealants Matter

A waterproof wood exterior sealant is the final step you’ll need to take. You’ll render your wooden fence virtually waterproof, and thus provide it year-round protection against moisture damage and rot.

Sealants also make it harder for insects to chew into or burrow into the wood. 

Pay Attention to Plants

Trim your shrubs back away from your fence during the summer months. Shrubs are a good hiding place and breeding ground for many insects. 

The last thing you want to do is create a superhighway between the spaces where they’re already living naturally and your too-tempting fence nearby.

If trimming back your plants doesn’t seem to be helping, you can also try applying a wood-safe insecticide. 

Is it time to replace your fence? 

Most wooden fences will last 7 – 10 years even if you take all the steps you can possibly take to keep insects out of the wood. When that happens, you’re better off replacing the fence than you are letting it rot away. A rotting fence will always attract bugs, no matter what you do.

If you’re ready for a fence replacement, contact the experts at Lone Star Fence. We’ll provide you a free quote, a custom design, and a sturdy fence made with high-quality cedar that’s ready to last as long as a fence can last. Contact us today!