BUSINESS LICENCE
ABN: 24 112 454 592
Pest Licence No: 12115
QBCC No: 1071312
Termite Prevention
Termite prevention is essential for any home or business to protect their property. With 1 in every 3 properties affected by Termites and the high cost of repairs it is worthwhile putting control and protection in place.
How to Stop Termites?
The biggest question is “how to stop termites” with Termites having the most highly organized infrastructure and working 24/7 there is no real quick way. Termites can have half a million to a million termites in a single colony! They can tunnel to find food and can build subnests under the ground or where you can’t see them. Any buildings within a radius of 50 m from a nest are at risk of a termite infestation. The best way to stop termites is prevention.
Termite Prevention DIY
These are simple Termite Prevention DIY that will help reduce the amount of Termite susceptible materials and moisture around your house and yard.
1. Remove any loose timbers
Any timber within ground contact has the potential to become food for termites. Especially untreated timber, this means offcuts of construction material, branches from cleared trees, firewood stacked on the ground .or logs that have been mulched for gardens.
2. Retaining Walls and Fences
Whenever possible, use non-susceptible materials such as formed concrete materials for retaining walls and metal support posts for timber fencing, remember any timber in ground contact is a potential food source and possible nest sites for Termites.
“Structures including retaining walls should be constructed using termite resistant components thus minimising the potential for termites to establish nests.”
3. Trees and Stumps
Unfortunately these are the prime sites for subterranean termite nests. This does not mean you should run out and cut every tree down; there are trees that are naturally resistant to termites. But you should be aware that large stumps and their root systems pose the greatest threat and should be removed when ever possible. Termites feed on the dead timber not the living part of the tree, so in the event that a tree dies or a stump remains after clearing, the termites do what nature designed them to do, they are the forests recyclers. They will use the stump as a food source, or a nest sight.
4. Landscaping Timbers
They may look attractive in gardens but they are attractive to termites as well. Even old driftwood can still feed a hungry termite.
5. Gardens
When deciding on a garden the most important thing, aside from the plants, is the position and the construction of these garden areas. Termites can use moist areas to their advantage, so a garden (which is watered most days of the week) abutting the external walls of a house or a garden flanked by large timber sleepers is asking for trouble. The preferred option is to have the gardens away from the house in the yard and preferably concrete should be used for garden edging.
6. Slab Edge Exposure
A very important factor to remember is that termites usually, will enter homes underground where the Brickwork meets the Slab or through a Weep hole that has been covered, so it is good practice to leave the slab edge and weep holes exposed for inspection and not cover them with soil for gardens.
“the purpose of slab edge exposure is to provide an inspection zone for detection of termite ingress”
7. Mulches and Bark
Termites will forage on any product that has cellulose content, this means products from trees or products made from trees. You can retain moisture just as effectively in your gardens by using non-conducive products such as pebbles or river rock
8. Watering Systems and Moisture
Experts agree that all other conditions conducive to Termite activity put aside, it is moisture that is the most contributing factor when a house has been attacked by Termites. You must be aware that even little drips of water are enough to sustain the termites. Moist areas are most commonly attributed to hot water system overflows, faulty plumbing, watering systems, guttering, moist subfloor areas, or greenhouse areas where moss has appeared. These moist areas must be monitored and investigated further.
“The building owner should ensure that the ground levels around the building are maintained in such a way to minimize water entering under the building. Where necessary, sub-surface drains should be installed and maintained to assist with drainage around the building”
By incorporating these ideas into your plans for your garden you will help make your house and yard less attractive to termites.
Home Termite Protection
In addition, it is highly recommended that you have regular Professional Timber Pest Inspections carried out to your house and garden areas. Termites are very secretive in nature and it takes a trained eye to spot damage or a potential problem.
We have many different options for both Business and Home Termite Protection to prevent Termites. See our Termite Treatment and Termite Baiting Systems.
Termite Prevention cost
Preventing Termites is a far better option than leaving it to chance, it is also cheaper too with repairs going into thousands. See our Termite Prevention Cost to protect your property.
Please contact us or our office for further information on Termite Prevention at1300 725 758.
7 Signs you have Termites
What are 7 Signs you have Termites in your Home? Early detection of Termites is important to reduce the severity of both damage and cost from the destruction they can cause. These are some to look out for in your home.
Paint rippling on skirting boards/window architraves.
If you have notice any paint rippling it may be because of Termites. Termites eat timber from the inside out and they can leave a thin veneer of paint.
Soft or hollow sounding timber.
As mentioned above, the Termites eat from the inside out and from this it leaves a very thin layer of timber that sounds hollow when you tap or soft when you touch.
Stains on walls or bulging of walls.
Moisture from Termites eating or tunneling through can cause stains on the walls to bulge out. You may also notice the walls warping or doors hard to open from the termite infestation.
Mudding that appears through walls.
As Termites are sensitive to atmospheric temperatures they create galleries to protect themselves. In doing this there ‘mudding’ may become visible through the wall. Termite Inspectors are able to see the mudding inside the walls when doing an invasive inspection using a boroscope.
Mud termite tubes on surfaces.
Termites use mud tubes to protect them from the elements. As they are soft body insects they need to protect themselves and they create the galleries or mud termite tubes to create the right climate environment for their survival.
Termite Sounds
Another sign of termites in your house, is if you hear soft clicking sounds coming from the walls this could be Soldier Termites alerting their colony of danger. Learn more about Termite Sounds
Flying Termites
Flying Termites or Alates are the male and female reproductives of the Termite Colony. These Termites have an equal pair of wings and fly from the nest when the conditions are right. If you see them it means there is a nest close by.
With Termites being discreet and the damage they can do, it is best to make sure your house is inspected by a licenced Termite Inspector annually and have protection. The cost to have a termite treatment done is minimal to the several thousands of damage it cost to repair.
If you have any concerns you have signs of Termites, we offer an immediate 24-hour Termite response to any live Termites plus offer free Termite Quotes and Consultations. D-Tec also offers Termite solutions to suit your budget. Contact us on 1300 725 758 or 0433420011.
What do Termites sound like?
What Termites Sound Like
You may be wondering what do Termites sound like? Before we go into the details, we will explain who makes the sounds.
In the termite caste, you have the termite queen, termite king, supplementary queens, termite soldiers, termite workers, termite reproductives and nymphs. It is the soldier termite that actually makes the sound.
You can tell a soldier termite as they have larger darker heads than the other and long mandibles too. They are also wingless, blind and sterile.
It is the Soldiers job to defend and alert the colony against any danger. They do this by banging their head against the wood to send out vibration warnings to the Colony.
If you listen to the audible Termite sounds on our Video above it is done by the T3i Termite detection device and you can hear the soldier termite alerting the colony.
Unfortunately, if you think you can hear termites in your walls than we suggest you contact us immediately to see if you have an infestation. The only way to confirm is to have a Professional Termite Technician to do an inspection.
D-Tec Pest Solutions can carry out a Termite Inspection using special Technology called a T3i Termatrac device. It detects moisture, has radar technology for movement and can scan the wall for thermal temperature changes.
If you have live Termites we have an immediate response to live Termites plus offer free Termite Quotations. We have different options to treat your property such as a Termite Bait System or Termite Treatment. We use quality products that suit your budget and offer a payment plan to help.
If you think you can hear Termite Sounds, contact us for a free quote or to book in your Termite Inspection call 1300 725 758 or 0433420011.
[/av_textblock]
Flying Termites
Termites with Wings
Flying Termites in Brisbane usually swarm between November and April. They usually have their colonizing flight when we have ideal conditions such as moderate temperatures and high humidity.
Around this time we often receive calls from worried homeowners about Flying Termites.
Flying Ants
Termites with wings are known as ‘Alates’ which some refer to as Flying Ants or confused as Moths. These flying Termites are the winged male and female reproductives of termites. They are the potential kings and queens of new colonies. They have reproductive systems and wings and usually fly away from their colony due to lack of food or overcrowding.
Flying termites have an equal pair of wings. The difference between flying termites and flying ants is the ant’s wings are larger at the front and smaller at the back.
When do Termites Fly?
Termites fly or swarm at dusk and following swarming they usually shed their wings and the mated pair finds a suitable place to establish a new colony.
Around your home they can sometimes be mistaken for moths or flying ants as they fly around the light. You may even see signed of their ‘dropped’ wings outside your front door or near a window sill.
Why should I be concerned about Flying Termites?
Firstly if you are seeing Alates it means there is a nest very close by. Secondly, it can mean that you could have a potential problem especially if a new Colony does evolve.
With a mature Termite Queen living for as long as 50 years and being able to produce 2000 eggs a day, it is highly recommended that you have your place inspected and/or have a termite treatment.
What to do if you find them around your home?
If you find Alates around your home contact don’t panic. These reproductives have no chewing mouth parts but as the colonising flight originates from the main nest close by we recommend in the least having a termite inspection.
You can collect a few samples for the Technician to see an analyse the type of termite colony when he arrives. You can also contact our Termite Expert directly on 0433420011.
We offer an immediate 24-hour Termite response to any live Termites plus offer free Termite Quotes and Consultations. D-Tec also offers Termite solutions to suit your budget. Contact us on 1300 725 758 or 0433420011.
