Killing termites in Sydney

How do you kill termites?
There are three methods of killing termites that are available today. Two of these methods are tried and tested, have science to back them up and are the best choice. The other method goes outside the pesticide label (the law) and the Australian for termite control AS3660.2
The methods are

1. Baiting the termites to achieve colony elimination.
2. Dusting the termites to achieve colony elimination.
3. application of a liquid termiticide.

Here is a link to a video with a quick demonstration of how baiting works.

I will continue this post over the next few days.

Termites could be more prevalent this winter than ever

The weather in Sydney over summer has been much cooler and wetter than any other year in the last ten. For termites this can mean several things.

The summer months are usually when termites consume the greater portion of their food source than at other times of the year. Not having the warmer weather which can allow that, the termites may well be forced into higher than normal feeding patterns before winter as they need to increase their levels of stored foods for the cold times in winter when it is very difficult for them to forage.

Lower than average temperatures may see termites starting to become used to a smaller "harvest" and force them in to a situation where the "harvesting" will continue all year round.

One thing is absolutely certain, termites will not die out because of this small "blip" on our weather radar, they will prepare for the worst as all insects and creatures have the instinct to do.

One of the factors from all of this is that if termites need to find warmer areas then they will forage to do so. One such warmer area that exists at every second house is a hot water cylinder located on the ground or on a concrete slab on the ground. The radiated heat lost from the hot water system into the concrete and then the ground is just what the doctor ordered for termites, a consistent heat source available 24/7. Moving their colony under the hot water system could be a very efficient move for the termites. Of course right near every hot water system is a large food source, Wow how lucky can a termite get?

Regular termite inspection can ensure that your home has less conducive conditions for termites as the years pass rather than unknowingly letting these conditions build up over time and putting your home at risk of termite attack

Termites nesting in trees stumps and in cavities

Many species of termites live in and eat trees.
It stands to reason of course, termites eat timber, so trees are pretty fair game. Termites however do not eat live timber. The only parts of trees that termites eat are the heartwood which is already dead, (and the heartwood may in fact be contained in a very large area of the internals of the tree not just the trunk but also the branches and roots) and large areas of bark on the outer layers of the trunk which are probably ready to be shed by the tree.
The photo of a tree trunk here has a large deposit of a tan coloured substance in the centre. The substance is in fact a mixture of termite faeces and soil from the area around the tree that termites have put in place around a wounded area of the tree which of course was dead wood. Once the termites had covered the dead wood over they then ate it. This type of "mudding" found on the exterior of a tree is often indicative that a termite nest exists inside.
Once termites have eaten a portion of a trees' heartwood there will be a cavity left. A cavity inside a tree is a very suitable place for termites to nest as there are few predators that have access to it, there is only a short distance to a food source which is probably increasing in size, and if the termites use their heads they will be able tap into the trees moisture gathering abilities and really make life easy.

Thermal imaging in termite control sydney

Thermal imaging is used in termite control to detect termites on a very regular basis. Not all homes will lend themselves to thermal imaging however a competent termite inspector will be able to recommend the best course of action. Thermal imaging detects infra red radiation from the top 1/1000 of an inch of the surface that the camera is being pointed at. When termites are present there will usually be some thermal irregularity pointing to that fact. Because a thermal camera is only reading infra red radiation, it is not solely going to detect termites, any irregularity in infra red radiation will show up. This is the reason that a thermal inspection should only be carried out with a visual inspection and by a competent termite control technician. The representation on the screen of the thermal camera must be interpreted by the technician who can judge whether there is in fact a termite presence or whether some further tests may need to be carried out.

I have taken some video to demonstrate in an extreme case what may be seen with a thermal imaging camera. In this video is a home that did not need to have thermal imaging carried out to locate the termites but by having it done we were able to locate the centre of the termite colony and treat directly into it. Go to this page on Termite thermal imaging and scroll down to see the video.

Termites can and often do nest in Trees

Termites live in a community where there are several castes that all live together and each termite relies upon others for its very existence. They are similar to many other communal species of insect in their need for shelter, food and water. Today I will discuss shelter, a site to house the entire colony. Depending upon the age of the colony they may need a cavity the size of a football or they may need one much larger. A mature Coptotermes spp termite nest can contain up to two million residents, not all of them will be at home at any one time as they are 24 hour shift workers, but this will still demand a large area in which to house those termites carrying out duties such as looking after the young, tending and protecting the Queen, and those that are distributing food.
Often an area of around .5 of a cubic metre is found to be the area that the colony is inhabiting.
All Termite colonies start from a humble beginning of just two residents, the King and Queen, at the start they do not require a very large home but as their colony grows they must provide a larger premises or risk not being able to keep a healthy colony. Initially the colony may be housed at the base of a small tree, underground and not taking up much space. As the colony grows the workers can start to hollow out the heartwood of the tree which is in fact dead timber. The heart wood is a perfect food source and as the termites excavate it they are in fact able to extend the colony to fit into the space.
Trees are by no means the only place that termites can nest, they will be opportunistic and nest in any area resembling a hollow tree. This may be a small area such as a wall cavity of a house, or a large area such as the sub floor area of a fully enclosed patio. As long as the termites are able to ensure that they will be able to keep high humidity, are relatively safe from marauding ants and other creatures and are within striking distance of food.

Termite control

Termite control has been undergoing significant changes in Australia since 1995 when Organochlorine pesticides were taken off the market. Initially organophosphate pesticides were used as replacements with varied results as many technicians received no training on the very different way that these pesticides needed to be installed. Then over the last ten years several different termiticides have been released onto the market, all with proven performance when applied properly, the biggest downfall of all of these products is that there is room for applicator error. If the product is applied in any way incorrectly it will not do the claimed job and no manufacturer will warrant that. In the last five to ten years a new and different approach has been having success in controlling termites. Baiting systems have been implemented for controlling colonies of termites and monitoring systems have been successfully intercepting termites before they reach homes. These methods are low toxic, long term, 100% gauranteed and are certainly leading the choices in intelligent termite control.

Termite (white ant) control or inspection which is most important?

So what is what here? Is Termite treatment in a preventative way, or termite inspection, which is the best way to go for my home?

A termite treatment when carried out to the most precise label directions will not stop termites from entering the protected building. Termite treatments are designed to stop undetected termite access, in other words to make sure that when termites do enter a structure that they do so in such a way as to be able to be detected during inspection.

Termite inspections are carried out with the knowledge that termites will generally find the deepest darkest recesses to enter a structure. Many times the first signs of termite entry will be found between two bricks in the sub floor area of a home. Often this entry point will be under a bathroom or laundry where there is a leaky pipe which is supplying the termites with a moisture source. The gap between two bricks is pretty small, often ten mm or less so when taking in to account what size a house is, compared to what it is we are looking for, it bears great similarity to searching for a needle in a hay stack!

When chemical termite control has been carried out correctly, termites are far less likely to be able to take advantage of the hidden deep dark recesses and be much more easily found.

So inspection or treatment? Ideally both! That will give you long term protection from termites, and early detection when or if they do enter. If there is some reason that makes treatment out of reach,then have regular termite inspections and learn what the signs of termite incursion are so that you can also do intermittent checks yourself. This photograph shows a very well developed termite "lead" a mud shelter tube that termites build so that they can cross areas like this brick wall without having to enter our atmosphere. Even an inexperienced person should be able to find evidence this substantial however mostly what we are looking for is only pencil thin.

Termite control in Sydney using Nemesis termite baiting and monitoring

The Nemesis termite baiting and monitoring system is being widely used in Sydney. The reason for Nemesis being so widely used now is mainly down to its success rate. At Pestec we have a 100% success rate of gaining colony elimination when using the Nemesis termite baiting and monitoring system. This success can be attributed to many factors both within Pestec and in the manufacture of the bait and the rest of the system. Pestec has well documented procedures that ensure that all of our technicians follow the same process at all times when baiting. Consistency when first installing and then when replacing bait is imperative so that the termites continue to consume the bait once feeding has started. Ensuring that the bait is always mixed with the same amount of water is also a key to its success. Nemesis bait is produced under very strict conditions where the risk of contamination is minimised. The Nemesis in ground stations are a very well designed monitoring station that appears to be able to intercept termites more regularly than any other system.