Preventing Termites

[Julie-Ann]

I do hate creepy crawlies - especially those that like to damage your home. Protection against termites is essential here in the West. Up north they have super sized termites. Is it the same in your area? If you are looking at what are your options for termite protection here is a brief outline of the choices:


Physical Barriers

These are usually installed in new constructions but some can be retrofitted to existing houses. They are made from metal, crushed rock or other materials that are too dense and hard for termites chew through. Barriers can be laid under concrete slabs, foundations and within cavity walls. Ant caps can also be installed at the top of stumps or underfloor piers to force termites into the open where they are easier to detect during regular inspections.

Chemical Barriers

Chemicals are usually insecticides and can be placed under concrete slabs, foundations and around houses, both in new and existing structures. There are two types of chemical barriers – in-soil and in-plastics. In-soil barriers are formed where the chemical is applied to the soil under or around the foundations of a building. In-plastic barriers are plastic sheets containing a chemical which are typically installed like physical barriers. Please note that chemical barriers can only be installed by licensed pest controllers.

Good Maintenance

There are a number of smart ways you, as a house owner or resident, can discourage termites, mainly through limiting the potential food supply:

Keep loose timber, old stumps, garden logs/sleepers away from buildings – pick up all those timber off-cuts that are lying under the house.
Make sure you have no leaking water pipes, drains, showers or sinks, and capture water from air conditioning units.
Keep the area under your house well ventilated, so there is a lot of air movement under suspended floors – avoid a humid atmosphere that will attract termites.
Check to see that your concrete slab is properly designed, compacted and cured.
Use treated or naturally resistant timber when it is in contact or close to soil.
Arrange for regular inspections by a professional inspector of the outside environs of your house as well as the interior – ideally on an annual basis. Termite activity is particularly high in early spring to late summer.
Garden mulch is attractive food for termites. If you have a garden around the base of your house, make sure you keep mulch clear of the ‘weepholes’. Weepholes are located in the first or second course of bricks on a concrete slab house, where the mortar has been left out in every second or third brick.

What If The Unwanted Guests Have Already Arrived?

It is reassuring to know that you can get rid of termites. But it is important that you do take immediate steps to eradicate them so the damage doesn’t spread – on your property or on that of your neighbours.

Having said that, if you should uncover termites, it is best to put things back as you found them until you can get an expert to effectively treat the nest. Otherwise, you may find you can kill a few termites initially but the rest of the colony will re-group and set off to attack another part of the house.

Remedial termite control is covered by Australian Standard AS 3660.2 (2000) and usually involves chemicals applied as dusts, baits, barrier treatments or reticulation systems.

Dusts
Dusts can be applied as stand-alone treatments or as part of an integrated approach, but they can only be used by licensed professional pest controllers. The dust is applied to active termite workings (i.e. an infestation site), the idea being that the dust sticks to the soft termite bodies inside. Termites will carry this dust back to the nest, and as they groom themselves, they will pass the toxic dust through the nest. A nest will quickly die off as a result.

Baits
Baiting systems attract termites into a baiting station and then feed the termites a food that contains an active toxic ingredient. The termites will collect the bait and take it back to their nest, again spreading it through the colony. If enough is ingested, the nest can be eliminated. As with dusts, baiting systems must be applied by a professional pest controller.

Barrier Treatments
A remedial soil barrier can be applied under and/or around the house in the same way as a preventative chemical soil barrier.

Reticulation Systems
Purpose-built reticulated pipe systems have been developed in Australia. These systems apply an insecticide around the home and can be periodically replenished.

Managing the Guest List

From a houseowner’s perspective, there isn’t anything nice to say about termites. They are horrid creatures, with expensive taste. You should take every precaution you can to keep them at bay.

Before you buy a house, we strongly recommend you arrange a building and pest inspection. You don’t want to run the risk of having your expensive investment eaten away, so it makes sense to pay a small inspection fee by comparison for that peace of mind.