A barrier to termites particularly suitable for protecting buildings comprising a mesh made of a material that is resistant to breakdown in the environment of use and is resistant to secretions deposited by termites, such as stainless steel, and is also sufficiently hard to not be attacked by termites, such as having a hardness not less than about Shore D70. The pores of the mesh being dimensioned so the maximum linear dimension in any direction of the pores is less than the maximum linear dimension of the cross-section of the head of the species of termite to be controlled.