Termites in trees in Sydney

Because there are many national parks and bushland areas in and around Sydney the prevalence of termites that like to nest in trees is very high. It is a misconception held by the general public and also some members of the pest control community that termites that live in trees do not attack homes. This could not be further from the truth. In fact for the termites to live in the trees they must 1st excavate enough room inside the tree for their entire colony, this in itself should surely be enough evidence that termites eat timber. Houses are made from timber. 2+2=4
The termites that cause the most damage in the Sydney basin are a species that almost always lives inside of a tree. This species, Coptotermes are very prevalent. There is another species which is also known to nest on and sometimes in, trees, and that is Nasutitermes Walkeri, and these are the termite nests that you might see high up in a tree, they build large round or oval shaped mud nests. These nests are only half of the actual termite Colony with the other half of the colony being in a separate area underground. These termites to, can cause great deals of damage and have been known to damage a house to the point that it needs to be demolished.
If you have trees around or near to your property then it pays to have them checked when you have your annual termite inspection.

Termite baiting in Sydney

Termite baiting is certainly proving to be an outstanding leader in the field of termite colony elimination. When it comes to eliminating a termite colony there are few choices really.
The choice of a system to protect your home is very important as not all systems are designed to work in all homes. Much research should go into which system best suits your particular home. A professional can usually sum this up in next to no time, so if you have a technician that you trust take his advice. There is a lot more behind termite control products than the layman might think.

• Baiting, feeding a palatable substance to the termites that they will willingly transport back to the colony and share it as a food source.
• Dusting, introducing by stealth a toxic dust that will adhere to the bodies of termites and inadvertently be transported to the colony where members of the colony may come into contact with the toxicant as they groom each other thereby possibly ingesting the dust.
• Nematodes, an extremely small creature that can be introduced into the termite workings where it can then try to do what nematodes do, and enter the termite and cause death by eating the gut and other parts of the termite.

Baiting termites has become a %100 positive solution for controlling termites in Sydney. When the system is installed correctly and maintained in the correct way there are no failures.

Termite inspections are a necessity in Sydney

A termite inspection is a standard part of home maintenance. By ensuring that regular inspections of your home are undertaken you not be faced with crippling damage bills for the repairs that are needed when termites attack.
Termites can consume huge quantities of timber particularly in summer when they are at their most active. Science has proven that Coptotermes spp termites have the ability to consume up to 1.5kg of timber per day. Often the timber is consumed without the homeowner having any indication that the destruction is happening right under their noses.
By carrying out regular maintenance small signs that termite attack is present can be noted by an expert in the field and recommendations to eliminate the colony can be put in place. A termite inspection is the integral part of any termite control programme, without it most homeowners are just presiding over a home that has a decreasing value over time.One piece of advice, inspect, inspect, inspect.
To ensure that your investment is not eroding, take action now, inspect, treat, prevent, inspect and repeat.

Termite inspection in sydney

Termites in Sydney have been the focus of my business life for the last 20 years. I have been able to experience many different species of termites in vastly different situations through Greater Sydney. One theme has consistently shone through. I don't usually have panic stricken calls from people who have made it their business to properly maintain their home. The calls I get are from panic stricken people who often don't even know what a termite inspection is.
It is no wonder that many of these people suffer great psychological and financial damage when they finally discover by default that termites have decided to make a meal of their homes. Prevention is better than cure, yes I know we cannot all have a Chrystal ball, however when the scientists from the CSIRO have stated repeatedly that all of the Eastern seaboard of Australia is at high risk of termite attack it is up to us the public to take some heed. These warnings are not given lightly.
There are some simple steps to take to ensure that either your home is protected from termites.

1. Carry out regular termite inspections.
2. Carry out the recommendations contained in your inspection report.
3. Ensure that you have some form of termite prevention in place.
4. Make sure you have regular termite inspections.
   

Options for termite (white ant) inspection in Sydney

In general all homes should have a visual timber pest inspection carried out at least every twelve months. A visual inspection is simply an inspection that does not include such things as lifting carpets, moving large furniture or insulation to better enable the inspection. what it does include is the checking of the yard and exterior of the property, underneath (if access available) through each room of the house and finally through the roof void.When carrying out a visual inspection a competent termite control technician will be able to determine if there is a need for further tests or an invasive inspection.Often when carrying out a visual inspection, a technician will find some conditions that give rise to suspicion that termites exist in the are but cannot prove it. During a visual inspection a moisture meter may be used. A moisture meter will detect the presence of moisture in such materials as gyproc and timber. Often when termites are present a high level of moisture will also be present.A thermal imaging camera can be used for special circumstances where non invasive investigation is preferred. A thermal camera detects infra red radiation from the top 1/1000 of an inch of the surface that the camera is being pointed at. Termites use damp mud in their workings and this can show up as a different thermal signature when viewed through the. Thermal camera.Invasive inspection is often a last resort method of determining whether termites are extent. Invasive inspection may include lifting carpets and vinyl, removal of some trimming timbers and even cutting areas of gyproc to reveal the timber wall studs.There is a place in pest management for all of the above however in general the place to start is with a visual inspection. After carefully choosing a termite control company you must then be able to be confident in following the recommendations made by the technician.

Termite inspections are crucial

Termite inspections are a crucial part of the termite management systems built in to every home.even 100 years ago the termite management systems designed into a house were designed in such a way that without human interaction (inspection) they would fail.
An inspection is necessary to enable all functions in termite management

• Prevention
• Detection 
• Elimination

Without the initial inspection all of these functions can only blindly be carried out. For a homeowner to believe that they are adequately able to carry out an inspection is a pipe dream. Experienced pest control technicians struggle with termite inspection. It is truly a specialist field. In Sydney, termite inspections are carried out by many levels of technician. It takes only one week to become qualified to carry out termite inspection and treatment, there is no requirement for experience.

Cheap inspections are very readily available, avoid cheap like the plague. There is only one word that fits perfectly with cheap and that, is Nasty. It takes time to carry out a proper termite inspection and the time will vary dependent upon the size of the home and the complexity of its construction.

Ensure that you research any termite inspection or control company and see to it that they are appropriately skilled, qualified, licensed, insured and that the person who proves he is all of the preceding will be the one carrying out the work. For good measure if you require that anyone that you employ is a member of the AEPMA (the relevant industry association) and Pestcert (a body created to raise industry standards) then you will be well on your way to choosing a quality company.

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.

Which Termite Control Product is Best? Is Sydney Different?

Termite treatment methods must vary from state to state and from area to area. Many Termiticides will have varying lengths of life and effectiveness dependent upon the soil type which they are introduced to. Very high alkaline soils have been proven to reduce the life and effectiveness of Chlorpyrifos based pesticides by up to five times. Very sandy soils are not at all good for the installation of chemical soil barriers as the molecules of the active ingredient find it difficult to bond to the sand particles, much more organic matter is needed in the soil for successful treatment and control. Clay soils present their own problems with it being very difficult to keep the pesticide from all running to a low point without evenly soaking in, and occasionally when good bonding to the soil has occurred a termite control treatment can be completely compromised if the clay dries out and does what clay does in dry conditions, and opens up, with large cracks which effectively give pathways through the treated areas.

There are some homes where these types of treatments are useful and can be the ideal termite control method, however they are few and far between. Ensure that you fully research all termite control methods before embarking on a method that may just be fruitless. Always take colony control measures first, this means killing the termite colony that is affecting your home. There are several approved methods of colony elimination including introduction of a termiticide dust to the termite workings, direct destruction of the colony and baiting

Termite Control Measures and the Home Owner

Termite control is not something that can be delegated to a pest control company and then forgotten about, you need to take responsibility for your own space. Leaving firewood stored against your home like in this photograph is an open invitation for termites.
Termites will forage around underground looking for what to them is a food source,and trying to find that food whilst keeping out of our environment. This means that they will be very secretive attacking timbers from below where you cannot see them until it is often too late. Often there are Water sources around homes that provide the termites with all of the moisture that they need. Moisture is a very important commodity to termites as they need very high humidity levels to survive. It is your responsibility as a homeowner to ensure that these high risk factors are minimised around your home.

Termites still going strong in Autumn in Sydney

We are into Autumn now in Sydney and the termite attacks that often start to wane at this time of year do not appear to be doing so this year. Pestec still is taking multiple reports of termites attacking homes each day! There are still several different species of termites doing the damage, mainly though the termites are Coptotermes spp, Schedorhinotermes spp and Nasutitermes spp termites. No matter which termite decides to attack your home significant damage can occur. The best security against termite attack is a monitoring system like the Nemesis Termite Monitoring System, further information and videos showing how this works can be found here.

Five simple steps to low toxic termite (white ant) control in Sydney

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.

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.