Termatrac finds termites - where thermal imaging won't!

Most people have heard of thermal imaging inspections, mostly due to the heavy advertising that takes place to promote it by inspectors. But many people don't realise the limitations that comes from using thermal imaging. Here is a great example of why the Termatrac T3i is superior in detecting termites. (And no, I'm not paid by Termatrac, more like I pay them for my Termatrac!)

A Termatrac T3i Set up on a tripod to detect termites moving in a ceiling - this was in a 2 storey building where the cavity was heavily insulated.

In this particular instance, the ceiling did not have any temperature variation at all, which meant that thermal imaging was not able to detect any activity at all. The Termatrac however, could locate the areas of activity, thus allowing the area to be baited accurately with minimal disturbance to the termites.

The Termites were subsequently baited, you can see here the cavity and the insulation on the side of the bait box.

The colony was safely eradicated due to the ability for the Termatrac to accurately pinpoint the areas of activity!

Determining termite genus & species - another part of an inspection.

Getting a termite inspection also involves determining the species of termites in a building and also the species of those surrounding the building. Each species have their own characteristics, interestingly only About 12 Species of termite damage sound timber in Australia. That's of the approximately 350 species in Australia, so determining termite species is important. The behaviour of these timber destroying species does vary, so an accurate identification is essential. 

A Coptotermes acinaciformus worker. The Coptotermes genus is one of the most destructive termites in Australia, accounting for the majority of the timber damage in structures. These were found in a subfloor and were consuming leftover formwork in the subfloor.

Nasutitermes on a fence post, this genus are very destructive termites, and are a threat to homes and timber structures. These were within 50m of a house and are a direct threat to the home.

The destructive Schedorhinotermes can be very difficult to control because of their their shy behaviour. And yes, they are very destructive! Here are some during a baiting programme we're carrying out.

So, make sure that termites are identified correctly during an inspection. The threat to your property, the type of treatment options and the effectiveness on control all depend on correctly identifying the termites in and around your home!