Although we are looking for termites during our inspections, we inform our clients on anything which could be a problem in their home. Here we have an infestation of ants found during an inspection - they were in a cupboard in the subfloor. They were promptly dealt with!
Signs of what has been.
An inspection is more that just looking for live termites, it's an investigation to look for entry points and old damage as well. See some things that we look for during an inspection.
Read MoreThe best fence shouldn't be termite food!
Fences are often made of timber, it's important to keep an eye on these as they can often attract termites and become a target in themselves.
Read MoreTermatrac 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!
Hidden dangers of previous treatments.
With 1 in 3 Australian houses being affected by termites, it's not uncommon for a house to have had a previous treatment, and while it's good that something has been done to deal with the termites, sometimes the residues of the treatment are far from safe.
Take Arsenic Trioxide for example.
This highly toxic substance has been used for many years to eradicate termite colonies, the main drawback however, is that this substance is left behind in the timber long after the termites have been eradicated.
If there was any doubt about how dangerous it is, look at the MSDS for the Arsenic Dust commonly used for termite eradication and then correlate the Schedule 7 Poison label with this list.
To add insult to injury, it's mandated that notification be provided when arsenic is used to control termites in a building (as with many other termite treatments) however, during our inspections we seldom find any reference to any termite treatment in the meter box or anywhere else in the house. It's usually when we're confronted by the actual dusting that we first realise that arsenic dusting has taken place.
If you're worried that your home could have arsenic in the timber, make sure that you get a thorough inspection outlining if there has been any termite damage or treatments.
The bright red dust you see in this picture is arsenic trioxide dust. It was used in the past to eradicate termites from this timber and the dust is clearly visible.
The Arsenic trioxide dust penetrates deep into galleries in the timber. Thus exposing anyone who works on the timber, (think renovation) exposed to arsenic trioxide dust. A Schedule 7 Dangerous poison.
Is this Termite damage?
Some damage in buildings looks like termite damage. But how can we tell? Here are some examples of Fungal decay.
Read MoreDetermining 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!
Termatrac - Detecting termites in difficult places.
Termites often like to hide out in concealed places, it's the very nature of their existence, so it's important to have the right tools to find them.
We use a Termatrac extensively during our inspections, it helps us to identify termite activity or often just for peace of mind that there really is no activity. The unit uses a radar to bounce signals into wood and other materials to determine if there's movement, it's so sensitive that it's best to set up on a tripod as you can see in the pictures. The benefit is that we can get an extremely accurate understanding of what's happening inside walls and means we don't have to do any destructive inspecting.
Checking a door jamb where evidence of termite mudding existed.
The unit sends signals deep into the timber to accurately measure movement.
Termites were discovered in this wall because of the Termatrac.
Ant capping - how does it work?
This ant capping actually did it's job, making sure the termites are visible.
It's often thought that Ant capping will keep termites out of a building, unfortunately it doesn't quite work that way. Ant capping prevents termites entering undetected, rather than stopping them completely. This is why regular inspections are important, not checking ant capping regularly is like having a security camera that is never looked at, it's not going to be of any use unless it's actively used!
Read our detailed blog post on how ant capping here.
Read Posts on all things Ant Capping.