Subterranean Termites

No property is safe from termites! Termites are the cause of the greatest economic losses of timber in service in Australia. Independent data compiled by State Forests shows 1 in every 5 homes is attacked by termites at some stage in its life. Australia's subterranean termite species (white ants) are the most destructive timber pests in the world. In fact it can take "as little as 3 months for a termite colony to severely damage timbers within a home."

How Termites Attack Your Home; The most destructive species live in large underground nests containing several million timber destroying insects. The problem arises when a nest matures near your home. Your home provides natural shelter and a food source for the termites. They'll travel up to 100 metres to enter your home where there is a smorgasboard of timber to feast upon. Even concrete slabs do not act as a barrier, they can penetrate through cracks in the slab to gain access to your home. They even build mud tubes to gain access to above ground timbers. In rare cases termites may create their nest in the cavity wall of the property without making ground contact. In these cases it may be impossible to determine their presence until extensive timber damage occurs.

Termite Damage; Once in contact with the timber they excavate it often leaving only a thin veneer on the outside. If left undiscovered the economic species can cause many thousands of dollars damage and may cost thousands of dollars to treat.

Subterranean Timber Ecology; These termites are social insects living in underground nests. They tunnel underground to enter the building and then remain hidden within the timber making it very difficult to locate them. Where timbers are concealed, as in most modern homes, it makes it even more difficult to locate them. Especially if gardens have been built up around the home and termite barriers are either not in place or poorly maintained.

Termites form nests in all sorts of locations and they are usually not visible. Nests are often found within the crown root system of a large tree, or with a filled area such as a patio or bathroom. There may be more than one nest on a property. The diet of termites in the natural environment is the various hardwood and softwood species growing throughout Australia. These same timbers are used in buildings.

Worker termites move out from their underground nests into surrounding areas where they obtain food and return to nurture the other casts of termites within the nest. Termites are extremely sensitive to temperature, humidity and light and hence cannot move over ground like most insects. They travel in mud tunnels rising from the ground into the affected structure, thus locating termite activity takes an expert eye.

Termite barriers or "treated zones" make it easier to detect termites during regular inspections by forcing termites to show themselves. A termite may build a mud tunnel up a sub-floor wall or brick pier and upon reaching the termite barrier build the tunnel around the barrier to reach the timber above.

A clear view of walls and piers and easy access to the sub-floor area means that detection should be fairly easy. However many styles of construction do not lend themselves to ready detection of termites. The design of some properties is such that they make the detection by a pest inspector difficult, if not impossible.

The tapping and probing of walls and internal timbers is an adjunct or additional means of detection of termites but is not as reliable as locating tracks. The use of a moisture meter is a useful aid for determining the presence of termites concealed behind thin wall panels, but it only detects high levels of activity. Older damage that has dried out will not be recorded. It may also provide false readings. Southest have borerscope and microwave technology, to help detect concealed activity. These measures are used in a more invasive inspection.

Termite tracks may be present in the ceiling space however some roofs of a low pitch and with the presence of sisalation, insulation, air conditioning ductwork and hot water services may prevent a full inspection of the timbers in these areas. Therefore since foolproof and absolute certain detection is not possible the use of treated zones and regular inspections are a necessary step in the early detection of termite activity.