You've seen them around. Huge house-size tents dominating your neighborhood's landscape where a home used to be. Those tents mean only one thing: termites.

As much as the word can strike fear in the hearts of homeowners, having termites in the soil around your home isn't only inevitable, it's actually good for the soil. The problems start when the termites start chomping on your home instead of around it.

The best way to avoid a termite infestation of that magnitude is to avoid getting termites in the first place, of course. Following are a few simple steps for avoiding a large-scale termite invasion.

1. Avoid Termites by Removing Food Sources

Getting rid of termites' food helps to keep them away from your home. What do termites eat? Wood in any shape, form, or size. Make sure you leave a one-inch gap between any wood portions of your home and the soil around it. Also, be sure to keep wood debris, stacks of firewood, and wood mulch products at least six inches away from your home's foundation.

2. Avoid Termites by Keeping Soil Dry

Wet soil encourages termite activity, so keep things high and dry next to your home and do not let water accumulate. Keep your gutters cleaned out, your downspouts functioning properly, and water draining well away from the house.

3. Avoid Termites by Removing Stumps

Stump is just another word for termite heaven. Do yourself a favor and remove any tree stumps that are 75 feet or less from your home foundation. You don't want millions of termites in the middle of a feeding frenzy anywhere near your house.

4. Avoid Termites by Protecting Your Foundation

Best-case scenario, your home was built on a monolithic slab foundation and termites have no way to get up through cracks in the slab. If you have a crawl space, keep humidity as low as possible and create plenty of opportunities for ventilation.

Worried about termites? Don't be. Just follow these simple preventative steps and your home won't be wrapped in a huge termite tent anytime soon.