Not all visitors to your home are invited ones. Besides burglars and moisture, there are termites. How can you discourage such visits from termites? Remove their ?welcome mat.? Many homeowners not only invite termites, they build super highways for them through improperly planned and planted trees, shrubs and mulch. That creates rush-hour-quality traffic for the hungry hordes flowing into a home. When you plant and mulch too close to the foundation, termites are attracted by the plants, shrubs and trees. Don't plant anything within 18 inches of your home, and you won't give them anything to munch on. Mulch is a problem, too. Use a layer of inedible gravel or flagstone instead. Termites also need moisture, so be sure nearby ground slopes away to provide for water run-off. Also, large trees shouldn't be closer to the home than 20 feet, because their extensive root systems form a perfect underground highway system directly into your home. And that's the On The House tip for today.