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 or White Ant?

Are they termites or white ants?

White ants are actually termites, white ant is just the common name. Many people when quickly identifiying a mass of insects that have been disturbed, will often come up with White ants as the culprit. In the many years that I have been dealing with insect pests I have learnt that a quick id by an unqualified person, will often mistake common ants for termites.

Common Ants have nesting habits that ensure that above all the next generations are looked after first. When a nest of black ants are disturbed the ants will hurriedly pick up any eggs to protect them and find a new place to tend them. These eggs are very white and often around the same size as the ant that is carrying it. When the person who has disturbed the ants first sees a writhing mass of thousands of insects, often they have such a shock at seeing this unexpected insect life that the first reaction is to run and grab some spray to dispatch the invaders! At this point there is most often very little time spent in the identification of the pest however invariably the most common movement seen will be the ants that are rapidly moving the very white eggs to safety.

For a look at what termites really look like follow this link to a close up view of some termites

Thermal imaging ever more important in termite detection

Thermal imaging is certainly not new technology, it's use in termite detection is now becoming "old technology" the gimmicks of thermal imaging have worn off and the real benefits of using the technology in well trained hands is being seen.

A Thermal camera that is properly rated for the task at hand, will find traces of termites where a standard inspection may miss them. For example, if a termite colony has taken up residence in a cavity wall of a house, there may be no signs of that infestation under the home or even in the roof void above that area, given that termite colonies produce quite a bit of heat, the colony will show up even if the walls are double brick.

Follow this link to see a photograph of a wall of a house where for successive years the pest controllers could not find where the termites were getting in. The termites in fact lived in the wall cavity on the second floor. http://www.pestec.com.au/technology

Thermal imaging is no "magic wand" but in many situations it is invaluable.

A week of termite flights in Sydney "flying ants"

Wow!!What a week as far as termite activity in Sydney, the annual colonising flights of lots of species of termites started this week in earnest. Reports were heard that flights had taken place in almost all suburbs.We had only four reported flights that were coming from nesting sites inside peoples homes, however many people were very concerned that individual and in some cases masses of "flying ants" were entering their homes.There is very little immediate danger when a termite flies into your home. The colonising flight is for just that purpose, for termites to leave the original nest and find a mate and set up a new colony. To do this they have to fulfill several basic requirements,
1. Shelter, like most creatures termites need somewhere to set up their home base. This will often be nearby to their feeding site for ease of access. Remember at this point their are often only two members of the colony until they can start to produce young. Once the queen establishes herself she can lay up to 2000 eggs per day.
2. Food, a cellulose based one preferably, this gives a wide variety of items that are a target. cardboard boxes, books any stored or waste timbers, mulch, houses, posts, fences, telegraph poles, retaining walls, trees, stumps and pretty much anything that can provide them with sustenance.
3. Moisture, a very important and often overlooked point. Termites need a lot of moisture to sustain them. Prime points around a home for termites to gain access to a continual moisture source are, hot water system overflow pipes (they drip) leaking taps, leaking gutters or pipes, poorly drained areas, areas that have little chance of being accessed because of size restrictions or stored goods being present.
If you see termite alates around there is a chance that they will set up a new colony! Be smart and have a termite inspection carried out by a competent inspector. Choose a member of the AEPMA, the peak industry association and employ a Pestcert accredited company.
Pestec 1800 111 616 www.pestec.com.au

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.