Signs to look for - mudding on landscaping timbers

Landscaping timbers that are in contact with the ground are always a potential attractant for termites, especially untreated timbers such as these old railway sleepers. The termite mud galleries are clearly visible from the face of these sleepers. Keep an eye out for these mud shelter tubes not only on landscaping timbers, but also on the exterior walls, trees and any other timbers in contact with the ground in your garden.

Hidden damage.

Sometimes termite damage is extremely hard to detect, as you can clearly see in this picture. The underlay material under this linoleum flooring was significantly damaged by termites, whilst there was little evidence on the external surfaces, a careful inspection found the damage, then the entry point was located.

Termite bar and grill.

How to reduce conducive conditions to termite infestation.

A downpipe draining against a building, it's like a pub with free beer for termites!

Often when we find termites in a house, it's no surprise what we find outside. Termites need not only food but moisture to survive, so if there is a place near a building where there is a good constant supply of moisture, it will most likely attract termites there. That's exactly what happened in this instance. Upon discovering the termite entry point inside the house, it was no surprise to find that this downpipe was constantly dripping water against the house.

Here's a great free tip on reducing your homes attractiveness to termites. Remove any water sources that could be leaking against the structure. Ensure all leaking taps are repaired and that all your downpipes are connected properly.

Other things to look out for include hot water units and air conditioner overflows.

Termite resistant timbers - Way to go!

Timbers are classified on their ability to resist termite attack, choose carefully!

Large termite gallery on a Cypress Pine Stud. Cypress is considered a Class 1 Natural durability class timber.

There certainly is merit to building with termite resistant timbers, as you can see in this picture.

The termites had completely eaten out a masonite sheet that was used as the boarding material, however, due to the durable nature of the cypress pine frame and boards, these were not affected by the termites.

Choosing a material when building which is naturally resistant to termite attack will pay off in the long run. Generally, these materials are also resistant to other forms of natural decay, so you end up with a better building as a result.

Whilst a nuisance, the homeowner who had the problem pictured above, did not have to spend large sums of money replacing structural timbers, it definitely pays off in the long run!

Forgotten formwork

Did you forget something? 

We often think that a concrete structure is sound and has no need for termite protection, but unfortunately, the very formwork used to create these concrete creations are the cause of termite problems.

Termites mudding shelter tubes on some forgotten formwork.

Alhough this building did not have timber structural elements, it had a lot,of decorative timbers inside that were damaged. Just because it's not structural timber doesn't mean the termites won't eat it, and some decorative timbers are not cheap to replace.

An eradication programme ridded this building of termites and the owners were informed to remove all formwork to prevent this happening again.

Massive termite gallery

This monster was found in the subfloor of a property that had an infestation on the upper level of a two storey home. Whilst there were several entry points, obviously the colony decided to make a copper pipe into a superhighway. A thorough inspection found many more galleries turning this home into a regular smorgasbord.

Monster Termite Gallery!