If I have Termites, what should I do?

Many people fail to realise, until it’s too late, the extensive amounts of damage that termites cause to modern
homes. Since they remain concealed in the wood, and enter your home through underground leads, it is often
not until the damage is extensive, and timbers collapse, that you realise you have a problem.

Termites, or white ants as they are commonly known, cause serious structural damage to timber and other
cellulose based products. The most common species, Coptotermes acinaciformis, is in fact the most destructive
termite species in the world. Studies have revealed that on average 1 in every 5 homes are attacked at some
stage during their lives by this ruinous insect. In some cases it can be as high a 1 in 3.

Clearly it is important to take every action possible to prevent their menace. The most commonly encountered
termites are subterranean termites. Living in large underground nests they travel through the soil and then build mud tunnels to gain access to the timber in your home.

Once inside, the worker termites chew up the timber to feed the nest. This frequently leaves timbers hollow
and structurally unsound.

Termite Protection

Termite protection An extensive Australian Standard (AS3660.2) deals with protecting homes from termite attack.
This standard provides minimum guidelines for homeowners and Timber pest managers on termite control and
protection. The Building Code of Australia, which is administered by local government authorities, requires various measures be taken when your home is built.

In the past, persistent pesticides were sprayed underneath slab on ground homes. These have been withdrawn
from use, due to community concerns, and replaced with acceptable alternatives. Applied correctly these
alternative termiticides will help protect your home from future attack. There are also termite baiting systems
used now. Termites may still gain entry though, if you don’t take basic steps to help maintain the defenses to
your home.

How you can help ensure your home remains safe.

1. Always follow the guidelines and recommendations issued by a Timber Pest Specialist. They are
   designed to ensure maximum protection.

2. A termite Treated Zone abutting the perimeter walls of your
   home may be essential to reduce the risk to your home. You must avoid disturbing this Treated Zone. If
   it is disturbed then entry by subterranean termites is possible. If you have not had this Treated Zone
   applied yet then your home remains fully exposed to future destruction by termites.
3. Any termite management program can be rendered ineffective if building alterations or additions
   are made. The construction of pergolas, awnings, verandas, etc can provide a route for concealed
   entry into the property.

4. With many concrete slab homes it is important that you ensure the edge of the slab is left
   exposed. Weep holes in between the bricks, found immediately above the slab, must also be left
   exposed. By building up gardens or soil levels over the edge of the slab or over the weep holes you may
   allow termites to gain undetected entry into your home and bridge Treated Zones.

5. With suspended floor homes, any material that may be conducive to termite infestation, including
   any form-work, timber, tree stumps and similar materials must be removed from the sub floor and away from
   the external walls of your home.

6. Ensure that termite (ant caps) shielding are not damaged or breached in any way (metal strips
   around the foundation). Termite shields do not prevent termite entry. They do force termites out
   into the open so as they can be detected by regular inspection.

7. Ensure leaking taps, showers, pipes, etc under the home or adjacent to it are
   repaired immediately in order to reduce moisture levels in the sub floor.

8. Ensure that vents to sub-floor areas are never blocked. These keep the sub floor dry so termites
   are not attracted to the area.

9. Do not use untreated timbers to form garden beds or retaining walls as these will attract
   termites. Untreated timber retaining walls should be replaced.

If you intend to make changes that may affect the protection of your home, as mentioned above, then
ensure you contact your Termite Specialist first. Concrete paving is a great idea! Provided a Treated Zone is
applied prior to its installation.

You can greatly enhance the security of your home by constructing a one metre wide concrete
path, around the entire perimeter of your home. If installed correctly, termites will have to build a mud tube
across the pathway to gain entry and can then be easily dealt with. However, the soil under the path mustbe treated first. This is done through the installation of a soil Treated
Zone by your Termite Specialist beforethe path is poured. Regular inspections The Australian Standard
recommends at least annual inspections.

However, more frequent inspections are strongly recommended. Your Timber Pest Specialist will perform
these inspections for you. He will perform a thorough survey of your property, including the garden area and
trees where termite nests may be found, and provide you with a full written report detailing the results of his
inspection.

Appropriate recommendations on treatment and measures you should take to help ensure the
security of your home will be outlined. If you find any evidence of termites, damaged timbers or mud
workings, then immediately contact your licensed Termite Specialist. Do not disturb the workings in any way.

Why not do it yourself?

We do not recommend the "Do-it-Yourself" (DIY) approach for chemical control of termites for several reasons. Simply spraying swarmers or the surface of accessible infested wood kills the termites you see now, but it does not protect your house from further termite attacks. If you see termites in one area, you shouldn't assume that it's the only infested area. Only a thorough inspection can show if the termites are also feeding someplace else and even then, termites could be infesting your home in some unseen and inaccessible area.

What is required to do a liquid termite treatment correctly?

1. A proper termite treatment can be very complex. You can't simply spray the soil surface or the foundation walls. You must trench and the soil along both sides of the foundation and on all sides of piers. The trenches must be 150 mm wide and extend 80 mm below the structures footings, it solely depends on the depth of your foundation's footer. Crawlspaces can be difficult (and potentially hazardous) places to work in, particularly if you're trying to trench and treat the soil with a pesticide.
   
   
2. You need a substantial volume of diluted chemical. Termiticides are applied to the soil at the rate of 15 litres per 3 linear metres per 300 cm of depth (i.e., the depth from the soil surface down to the top of the foundation footer ). Many footers in south east queensland especially new homes are about 300-450 mm below grade (soil level). Therefore, a house with a 12 metre x 10 metre "footprint" and a 300 mm deep footer would require 430 litres of termiticide spray just to treat the soil along the foundation walls (inside and out). The total amount of chemical needed will depend on other aspects of the building construction (such as attached garage slabs, earth-filled porches, etc.) but could easily exceed 600 litres. Houses with basements or those built on slopes may have deeper footers and so you would also need the equipment to treat to the necessary depth which could be as much as 1.5 metres. Few homeowners have the equipment to apply large quantities of chemical effectively and safely.
   
   
3. As mentioned in the previous section, a proper treatment includes drilling and treating concrete slabs (such as porches and garages) as well as voids in foundation and piers adjacent to the termite infestation. This part of the treatment requires some understanding of construction, plus specialised equipment and training to avoid injuries or damage to underground utility lines or to the masonry. Although you could skip this part of the work, an incomplete treatment may not solve the problem and may leave your house vulnerable to future termite attack.
   
   
4. The cost of the chemical is higher for consumer products. For example, in 2000, one brand of permethrin-based termiticide available at a large retail store in Brisbane was priced at approximately $46.50 per litre. According to the product label, the chemical is applied at a 0.5% concentration which requires adding 40 grams of chemical per litre of water . Using the example of the house mentioned above, your cost to purchase the chemical needed to treat just the soil around the foundation (430 litres) would be nearly $800.