1. Inspection. The only place to start any termite management plan. The inspection is how you learn where any termites are present, potential natural or physical control options, where the nest may be present if at all, and where the termites accessed the premises. During the inspection you will undoubtedly learn whether there are any inaccessible any e.g. under patios or stairwells that may need to have access organized to enable treatment.
2. Identification. Termites have many different species, of which we are only generally concerned with four or five of these. The differences in the species is extremely important when considering the various treatment options available, and when endeavoring to locate a nesting site as each species has different nesting habits.
3. Colony Elimination. There are various methods for colony elimination of termites dependant mainly on personal preference and sometimes budget.
· Application of a termiticide dust
· Placement of bait stations
· Direct destruction of the colony
· Physical barriers (often not able to be retro fitted)
4. Prevention of future attack. Ongoing prevention can be achieved chemically or non chemically. No termite prevention strategy is foolproof and all methods of control rely on regular competent inspection of the premises.
5. Regular inspection is the best way to avoid very expensive repair bills when termites manage to re enter your home, whilst you had a false sense of security in the termite prevention system that you have installed. All prevention systems can fail and for a myriad of reasons, therefore ongoing regular inspection must be carried out at appropriate intervals.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
What does a termite look like?
Termites are commonly referred to as white ants. The truth is that they are neither white nor ants. In fact termites are more closely related to cockroaches than ants. Termites have three castes that are commonly found by homeowners so we will deal with those three here. Most worker termites tend to take on the colour of the timber that they are consuming as they have an opaque skin.
1. Alates
Alates are the winged reproductive caste of termites. The size of alates varies from species to species however generally they will be between 6-10 mm long. Alates (called swarmers in the US) are usually only seen in summer, after a very warm and humid day and given quite still conditions they will leave the nest en masse. They have clear veined wings which they drop very shortly after landing. The purpose of this colonizing flight is to establish new colonies.
2. Soldiers
The soldier caste of termites carries out the function that the name suggests. Large numbers of soldier termites exist throughout the colony placed strategically to ensure that if intruders are found that they can be swiftly dispatched. Some species of termite have the ability to exude a substance from the fontanel on their head which is useful in warding of enemy ants etc. Soldier termites do not feed themselves they are fed by the worker termites and are often the last in the colony to receive food.
3. Workers
Worker termites are the caste which causes the most damage to buildings, being the termites at the coal face. Apart from being the gatherers of food, these termites are responsible for the distribution of food to the Queen, King and other castes. The workers are also responsible for building the shelter tubes that protect the termites from the outside environment and also for providing moisture for the colony.
1. Alates
Alates are the winged reproductive caste of termites. The size of alates varies from species to species however generally they will be between 6-10 mm long. Alates (called swarmers in the US) are usually only seen in summer, after a very warm and humid day and given quite still conditions they will leave the nest en masse. They have clear veined wings which they drop very shortly after landing. The purpose of this colonizing flight is to establish new colonies.
2. Soldiers
The soldier caste of termites carries out the function that the name suggests. Large numbers of soldier termites exist throughout the colony placed strategically to ensure that if intruders are found that they can be swiftly dispatched. Some species of termite have the ability to exude a substance from the fontanel on their head which is useful in warding of enemy ants etc. Soldier termites do not feed themselves they are fed by the worker termites and are often the last in the colony to receive food.
3. Workers
Worker termites are the caste which causes the most damage to buildings, being the termites at the coal face. Apart from being the gatherers of food, these termites are responsible for the distribution of food to the Queen, King and other castes. The workers are also responsible for building the shelter tubes that protect the termites from the outside environment and also for providing moisture for the colony.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Stop termites from attacking your home naturally
There are many different commercially available methods of termite control and prevention. Very few of these will work if you do not have the basic groundwork of termite prevention in place and follow some simple guidelines.
1. Reduce any excessive stored materials around or under your home. A termites’ diet consists of anything that contains cellulose, this goes as far as to include boxes and books (made from paper which was originally a tree) furniture, which often used to be a tree, cottons and any other natural fibres as these contain a large percentage of cellulose and many other articles commonly used in furnishing and construction of our homes. If you continue to provide these materials in an easily accessible area right next to, or under your home, termites may well attack them, and once finished devouring them may well attack your home.
2. Reduce the number of readily available water sources around your home. Termites in Australia have a constant battle for survival in this the dryiest continent on earth. As homeowners we often inadvertently provide termites with easily accessible permanent moisture sources right next to the very thing we are trying to protect, our homes. Hot water systems, automatic garden watering systems and leaking taps or pipes are just a few of the culprits. Be aware of where these high risk areas are on your home and if you cannot remove the water source, reduce it and make sure to keep a close check on the area.
3. Carry out some research into the particular type of termite management system that your home was built with. All homes in Australia have been built with some form of termite control existing in them since 1972 and many homes built before that had physical methods of detection inbuilt. You can start your research by checking in the electrical meter box for a termite protection notice which will (if present) indicate whether physical, chemical or any other type of termite control method was carried out, it will also indicate what measures you will need to take to maintain the system. If no termite protection notice exists and you have no paperwork relating to termite control history, contact a professional pest management company for advice.
4. Ensure that your yard and garden is maintained with the least amount of waste timber, branches, leaf litter, mulch and other types of garden debris that can build up over time. All of these items are potential feeding sites for termites and can easily be a place for termite alates (winged reproductives) to start a new nest.
5. Have a regular inspection regime in place. Familiarise yourself with the signs that termites leave when they are around and ensure that you know how to identify termites. Forming a relationship with a professional pest management company is one of the best preventative steps that you can take as the advice specific to your property is invaluable and the ability to call upon a trusted advisor in a hurry gives great peace of mind.
1. Reduce any excessive stored materials around or under your home. A termites’ diet consists of anything that contains cellulose, this goes as far as to include boxes and books (made from paper which was originally a tree) furniture, which often used to be a tree, cottons and any other natural fibres as these contain a large percentage of cellulose and many other articles commonly used in furnishing and construction of our homes. If you continue to provide these materials in an easily accessible area right next to, or under your home, termites may well attack them, and once finished devouring them may well attack your home.
2. Reduce the number of readily available water sources around your home. Termites in Australia have a constant battle for survival in this the dryiest continent on earth. As homeowners we often inadvertently provide termites with easily accessible permanent moisture sources right next to the very thing we are trying to protect, our homes. Hot water systems, automatic garden watering systems and leaking taps or pipes are just a few of the culprits. Be aware of where these high risk areas are on your home and if you cannot remove the water source, reduce it and make sure to keep a close check on the area.
3. Carry out some research into the particular type of termite management system that your home was built with. All homes in Australia have been built with some form of termite control existing in them since 1972 and many homes built before that had physical methods of detection inbuilt. You can start your research by checking in the electrical meter box for a termite protection notice which will (if present) indicate whether physical, chemical or any other type of termite control method was carried out, it will also indicate what measures you will need to take to maintain the system. If no termite protection notice exists and you have no paperwork relating to termite control history, contact a professional pest management company for advice.
4. Ensure that your yard and garden is maintained with the least amount of waste timber, branches, leaf litter, mulch and other types of garden debris that can build up over time. All of these items are potential feeding sites for termites and can easily be a place for termite alates (winged reproductives) to start a new nest.
5. Have a regular inspection regime in place. Familiarise yourself with the signs that termites leave when they are around and ensure that you know how to identify termites. Forming a relationship with a professional pest management company is one of the best preventative steps that you can take as the advice specific to your property is invaluable and the ability to call upon a trusted advisor in a hurry gives great peace of mind.
Pestec Pty Ltd in Sydney is available on 1800 111 616 The termite experts http://www.pestec.com.au
Top seven tips for natural termite control.
1. Remove termite food sources
Termites will eat any product that contains cellulose and some that do not. Inadvertently homeowners store all manner of belongings in areas that are easily accessible to termites, the worst place to store items is under your house. Often items are stored in cardboard boxes which themselves are commonly attacked by termites. When the boxes are placed on soil termites have easy access directly into them and their contents. Other commonly attacked items include such things as firewood, stored and waste timbers and furniture.
2. Reduce moisture sources
There are many different reasons that excess moisture can build up under or next to a building. Leaking pipes are an obvious cause. Often the overflow from the hot water system has a constant drip and this makes for a large moisture source. Drainage and irrigation placed inappropriately can cause a moisture buildup. Gutters that are in poor repair allow moisture buildups. Termites need large amounts of moisture to keep the air in their workings high in humidity. The easier we make it for them to find moisture near our homes the easier termites will enter our homes.
3. Reduce soil levels
Often soil levels around the perimeter of houses are built up to the point that physical termite barriers that have been installed during construction are rendered inoperative. Termite entry to homes where soil or concrete levels are high, is often not detected until large amounts of damage have been done, this is because it is often at the entry point that termites are first noticed but when the entry point is covered by soil they will not be easily detected.
4. Improve ventilation
When ventilation under a home is poor, built up moisture that arrives via a variety of means (see tip number 2) has a very poor chance of drying out if the ventilation is not up to scratch. The theory behind successfully ventilating subfloor areas is that when dry air moves through an area of high moisture it picks up moisture and carries it away depositing it outside the area of concern. Terracotta vents that were put in place historically often do not allow enough air movement for the drying process to happen. The amount of ventilation required varies from building to building and is partially dependant on the terrain where it is constructed. Where this is the case the ventilation may need to be augmented by larger vents or even specially designed fans that will extract large volumes of air quickly and over a long period of time.
5. Improve access
Often when buildings are constructed there are small (and sometimes large) voids that are left with no access to them. This leaves us with several problems, firstly no ability to inspect these areas routinely with the rest of the home. Secondly, voids notoriously contain building waste, often formwork timbers and other items that provide a food source for termites. Finally, where voids are not accessible they are often poorly ventilated creating problems as pointed out in tip 4
6. Plan monitoring points
There will be high risk areas around your home that can be chosen as points to monitor for termite activity on a regular basis. E.g. a timber retaining wall is a huge monitoring point and the gaps between the timbers and at the joins of the timber will become filled with termite mud packing when activity starts. Stumps can be a good monitoring point (though they should preferably be removed) many stumps are used in gardens as a feature and end up covered in vines or other foliage or with a pot plant placed on top, remove the foliage to check along the grain for termite mud packing and make sure you move the pot plant and check under it!
7. Inspect, inspect, inspect.
There is no substitute for professional termite inspections, however if you educate yourself about termites, and the signs that you need to look for when inspecting, you can help to augment the inspection programme put in place by your inspection company. The more regularly that your premises are inspected the earlier any signs of termite activity can be picked up. There are many termite monitoring systems available on the market that can be installed and easily monitored by the homeowner, again the use of these systems augments a professional inspection regime.
Termites will eat any product that contains cellulose and some that do not. Inadvertently homeowners store all manner of belongings in areas that are easily accessible to termites, the worst place to store items is under your house. Often items are stored in cardboard boxes which themselves are commonly attacked by termites. When the boxes are placed on soil termites have easy access directly into them and their contents. Other commonly attacked items include such things as firewood, stored and waste timbers and furniture.
2. Reduce moisture sources
There are many different reasons that excess moisture can build up under or next to a building. Leaking pipes are an obvious cause. Often the overflow from the hot water system has a constant drip and this makes for a large moisture source. Drainage and irrigation placed inappropriately can cause a moisture buildup. Gutters that are in poor repair allow moisture buildups. Termites need large amounts of moisture to keep the air in their workings high in humidity. The easier we make it for them to find moisture near our homes the easier termites will enter our homes.
3. Reduce soil levels
Often soil levels around the perimeter of houses are built up to the point that physical termite barriers that have been installed during construction are rendered inoperative. Termite entry to homes where soil or concrete levels are high, is often not detected until large amounts of damage have been done, this is because it is often at the entry point that termites are first noticed but when the entry point is covered by soil they will not be easily detected.
4. Improve ventilation
When ventilation under a home is poor, built up moisture that arrives via a variety of means (see tip number 2) has a very poor chance of drying out if the ventilation is not up to scratch. The theory behind successfully ventilating subfloor areas is that when dry air moves through an area of high moisture it picks up moisture and carries it away depositing it outside the area of concern. Terracotta vents that were put in place historically often do not allow enough air movement for the drying process to happen. The amount of ventilation required varies from building to building and is partially dependant on the terrain where it is constructed. Where this is the case the ventilation may need to be augmented by larger vents or even specially designed fans that will extract large volumes of air quickly and over a long period of time.
5. Improve access
Often when buildings are constructed there are small (and sometimes large) voids that are left with no access to them. This leaves us with several problems, firstly no ability to inspect these areas routinely with the rest of the home. Secondly, voids notoriously contain building waste, often formwork timbers and other items that provide a food source for termites. Finally, where voids are not accessible they are often poorly ventilated creating problems as pointed out in tip 4
6. Plan monitoring points
There will be high risk areas around your home that can be chosen as points to monitor for termite activity on a regular basis. E.g. a timber retaining wall is a huge monitoring point and the gaps between the timbers and at the joins of the timber will become filled with termite mud packing when activity starts. Stumps can be a good monitoring point (though they should preferably be removed) many stumps are used in gardens as a feature and end up covered in vines or other foliage or with a pot plant placed on top, remove the foliage to check along the grain for termite mud packing and make sure you move the pot plant and check under it!
7. Inspect, inspect, inspect.
There is no substitute for professional termite inspections, however if you educate yourself about termites, and the signs that you need to look for when inspecting, you can help to augment the inspection programme put in place by your inspection company. The more regularly that your premises are inspected the earlier any signs of termite activity can be picked up. There are many termite monitoring systems available on the market that can be installed and easily monitored by the homeowner, again the use of these systems augments a professional inspection regime.
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