How to exterminate termites in Sydney

How do you exterminate termites?
Really the science behind termite extermination is very complex, for the layman a simplified explanation follows.
Termites have a complex colony structure (not unlike bees) where there is a King and Queen who are looked after by a multitude of members of the colony which is made up mostly of worker termites and then soldier termites.
The queen is arguably the most valuable member of the colony, and her job really only involves constantly laying eggs. A Queen termite can lay up to two thousand eggs a day. The Queen is very large when compared to the other members of the colony and needs twenty four hour care.
The worker termites are the ones that do the destructive damage to our homes, eating vast amounts of timber from within the structure. The workers transport the timber back to the colony and share it with the other members including the Queen. The workers are also responsible for foraging for new food sources, extending the nest, grooming each other and ensuring that there is enough moisture to keep the colony healthy.
The soldier termites as their name infers are the protectors of the colony ensuring that marauding ants and other insects are kept away and generally guarding the entrances and feeding sites.
So after that introduction to how a termite colony functions, how do we kill the colony?

There are several ways

1. Direct destruction of the colony. If you know where the colony is and can be sure that the Queen can be located, then destroying the colony by breaking it open and applying a permethrin based pesticide will kill the inhabitants. Be sure to kill the Queen because if she is missed then the colony will be rebuilt.
2. Apply a bait product to the termite activity, the termites will share it amongst the entire colony and eventually die. This process can take some significant time however is very worthwhile as it achieves success %100 of the time.
3. Apply a termite dust which will be inadvertently taken back to the colony by those termites who come into contact with it. This method can work well but the pitfall is that there is usually no evidence as to whether colony extermination has been achieved.

The advice is still to seek professional help whenever you believe that you may have located termites and to ensure that you have a professional carry out a termite inspection each twelve months.