Termidor’s success is due to its unique transfer effect. Termites are quite social creatures and live in large colonies, when a single termite comes into contact with Termidor it transfers the chemical back to the colony on its body, infecting every termite it comes into contact with.

Termidor has been recognized as Australia’s best termite treatment since it was launched over 15 years ago. New Termidor HE makes it even simpler to create even more flexible and consistent protection against termites for your home.

What this means for home owners;

Termidor HE is an advanced formulation of the same extremely powerful active ingredient that has made the original Termidor products the most trusted and effective termite treatments.

Termidor HE spreads much further through the soil than older treatments to create a more even and effective protective zone termites cannot avoid. It binds strongly to organic matter in the soil and, a long as the soil isn’t disturbed, stays in place for years. So its not just superior protection at the start. It goes on providing the highest level of protection year after year.

The advanced technology in Temidor HE gives us, as Technicians more scope to provide a superior treatment without cutting corners or disturbing the structure and damaging the aesthetics of your home. The increased movement of Termidor HE through the soil means there is much less likely to be any need to drill through tiles and obstacles like underground pipes won’t compromise that treatment.

As Accredited Installers we are able to provide you with an insight into how Termidor HE works for you. For more information call 1300 664 971.

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1 in 3 homes have termites and they cause more structural damage per year than ALL natural disasters put together. The estimated cost of damage per year to Australian homes due to termites is $780 million.

Protect your biggest investment by following these 8 steps to controlling termites.

Step 1

Keep the perimeter of your home free from vegetation. Trees, shrubs, garden beds, any tree stumps or plants up against the external walls of your home create an easy concealed entry point for termites. Make sure you have a clear pathway between your home and any garden beds.

Clear vegetation away from the external walls of your home.

Step 2

Do not pile mulch high against the side of your home as it increases the risk of termites entering undetected. Subterranean (termites that live under ground) termites thrive in warm, moist environments and mulch provides the perfect food source. Cypress Pine is the best choice for mulch as it is a natural repellant for some species of termites, however they will eat through it to get to a timber they love so like your garden beds it is better to keep it at a reasonable distance.

Do not pile mulch too high against the external walls of your home. It creates the perfect

environment for foraging termites.

Step 3

Fix all external water leaks. Air conditioning units, hot water systems, taps, water tanks, broken downpipes; any pipes that release water alongside or near to the external walls of your home is an attractant for termites. Make sure any water tank overflow and pipes are connected to a drain or piped several meters away from the dwelling and repair any broken downpipes.

               
Make sure water tanks overflow & drainage pipes are connected to a drain or piped away from the dwelling & broken down-pipes are repaired.

Step 4

As with trees and shrubs, remove any obstructions eg sheds, timber debris, bricks, water tanks, stored goods, pool pumps etc that are against the external walls of your home as they inhibit a full view of your home and potential termite damage or entry paths may be missed.

Water tanks, hot water systems, air-conditioning units & stored goods can inhibit a full view of the external walls your home.

Step 5

Fix any drainage issues or low lying areas around your home. If after heavy rain you find there is a lot of mud or water pooling close to your home then discuss with a builder or plumber your options on how to have this have this fixed. Termites thrive in hot, moist conditions.

Poor drainage and low lying areas around your home increases the likelihood of termite attack.

Step 6

Termites are known for tracking into homes through an internal leak. If you know you have a leaking shower or toilet for example, have it fixed. Our Termite Inspectors have a moisture meter and will be able to detect any high moisture in these areas so it is worth having an inspection done every year to find out if there are any indicators of an internal leak.

Leaking Pipes create an area conducive to termites

Step 7

Annual Termite Inspections are a must. Book a thorough internal and external termite inspection with one of our licenced Termite Inspector to check for any signs of termites. If they have any concerns, get them to point them out on-site, they will also follow up with a fully insured pest inspection report. An annual termite inspection costs around $200.

Book in your annual Termite Inspection with one of our qualified technicians.

Step 8

Invest in a termite barrier. There are 2 types of termite barriers; a chemical barrier and the baiting and monitoring system. Neither one is a ‘one size fits all’ so it is worth discussing with one of our Termite Inspectors the type of barrier that will provide you with the best protection against termites and have it installed. Termite barriers are installed around the perimeter of your home to protect against the threat of termite attack. Our friendly technicians will be able to advise you on the system that best suits your home and will give you the protection you need.

Install a Chemical Barrier or the Baiting & Monitoring System to protect your home against the threat of termite attack.

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Coptotermes are one of the most aggressive termites in SE Queensland and can cause up to $1000 a week in damage. This is a sub colony that has come from the main colony in the subfloor of the home. There are multiple colonies in and around this home and they have already caused thousands of dollars worth of structural damage including cutting off electricity in areas. The termite system we uses guarantees colony elimination, once we have achieved this our builders can go in and asses the damage and carry out any rectification works.

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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry professor of animal physiology J. Scott Turner is considered one of the world’s leading experts on termite mounds. For the past 26 years he has scanned them with lasers, filled them with plaster and propane and even fed termites green water all in the hope to better understand the amazing structures that are termite mounds.

A single termite is quite small, approximately the size of standard black ants, but when combined in colonies of hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of individual termites they can build structures that can reach over 1.8 meters tall. In a typical termite mount the approximately 15kg of termites are able to transport a quarter of a ton of soil and several tons of water in a single year, all in the effort to build their home.

In addition to experiments on physical termite mounds, Turner designed computer simulations that allowed him to explore patterns in termite behaviour. Turner found that termites are constantly rebuilding in a race against the weather, specifically rain. Whilst mounds can take up to five years to build, a heavy downpour will cause approximately a third of all termite mounds in the affected area to collapse.

Turner was able to demonstrate the termites amazing ability to rebuild buy putting a hole in the side of a mound. Almost instantaneously termites spill out of the hole to collect soil to rebuild. Turner’s research has shown that in lab situations a similar reaction can be trigged by varying air pressure, humidity and concentrations of CO2 in the air.

When a termite first noticed a sign of disturbance in the mound, it communicates the message with other termites via touch and vibrations, the masses of termites are alerted by the increase in activity in a certain area and flock to the area to help repair the damage.

Turner says that the mounds are not high rise style residential structure like most people believe, but are instead accessory organs of gas exchange. As the majority of the colony lives underground, these mounds serve as an inlet/outlet systems for respiratory gasses for the colony.

Whilst experimenting on colonies Turner added green dye to the termites water supply to track the distribution of water throughout the mound. During this experiment he discovered that the termites transfer water from insect to insect via a mechanism he called the “Wet Kiss”. This allowed the termites to transfer the water much like a bucket brigade and get it to the spots in the mound that need it the most.

These highly social skilled workers could potentially teach us lots about thinking. Research out of Harvard’s Wyss institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering lead computer scientists and roboticists to turners site to observe termite behaviour using a series of high tech scanners and software. Harvard robots professor Radhika Nagpal draws similarities between termite colonies and the human brain. Stating that individual termites react rather than think. However at a group level they demonstrate a level of cognitive awareness of their surroundings not dissimilarly to the function of neurons in a brain.

Source.

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Find termites in your home or garden can be a terrifying experience, and there are hundreds of horror stories of people who didn’t find the infestation until it was too late and the home was too structurally damaged to be saved with massive repair bills involved. Prevention is always better than cure and a preventive baiting system such as the Exterra system can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

Especially at this time of year in South East Queensland it’s hot, wet and the perfect time for termites to make their move. With over 80% of homes in the region estimated to have termites in their backyards chances are when you’re out gardening or tidying up the yard you might find some active termites, BUT DON’T PANIC!

Termite infestations are often discovered by accident, and it is of vital importance that you act quickly to ensure you prevent any further damage from occurring. If you notice any of the signs of termite activity such as mud tubes, or bubbling paint or if you are outdoors and physically see the termite nest or ants that appear white in colour there are a few simple things you can do to minimise the risk of spread.

DO NOT SPRAY THEM! Your first instinct will be to spray the termites with a surface spray or insect spray, this will make a termite eradication specialist’s job much more difficult. All effective termite eradication methods work by finding live termites and tricking them to bringing poison back to their nest, killing the whole network of termites in one go. Termites are smart and when they detect a fast acting poison such as a bug spray they will never return to that area and plan another method of attack on your home.

DO NOT DISTURB THEM! You may have found them while digging in the garden, or maybe you have found there mud tubes in or around your home, and you will be tempted to clean up the mess. But it is of vital importance that you don’t, when termites feel threatened by thing such as part of the nest system being disturbed they block off all access to the next and go into hiding. This will prevent and delay the effective treatment of the termites and end up costing you more money in the long run.

BUT I HAVE ALREADY DISTURBED THEM! Keep calm and don’t panic, this is a common way that termites are discovered is when you accidentally disturb them. Make sure you don’t disturb them any further make sure everyone in your household knows not to go near them or touch them (including your pets). There are still a number of effective termite eradication methods available if you have already disturbed the termites, just make sure you call a qualified termite control company to assess the situation and implement the most effective eradication methods for your situation.

Finding termites in your property doesn’t need to be a panic situation, by remaining calm and calling a qualified termite specialist as quickly as possible, you substantially reduce the risk of termite long term damage to your home.

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There are many things that can be done to minimise the risk of termites in your house but perhaps the single most important thing you can do to prevent an infestation is to call a plumber. Termite species such as Subterranean Termites rely on the ground moisture to survive, and a leaky pipe can be just what they need to start a colony.

In approximately 90% of all Subterranean Termite infestations we come across major contributing factors have been issues such as poor drainage, leaking pipes or joins and pooling water around or under the house. This creates perfect conditions for termites to set up a colony, all that’s missing is the food which is where your wooden support beams and floor boards come in.

Subterranean Termites account for a majority of termite damage in Australia and are the most common species nationwide with some claims that up to 80% of yards in South- East Queensland containing active colonies. Home insurance policies do not cover damage from Subterranean Termites and it is up to the home owner to protect their house against termites.

Investing in a plumber to do a check of your houses plumbing to investigate leaks pooling bodies of water and poor drainage can hugely minimise the risk of termite infestation when combined with a licensed termite expert.

With the moisture from a leaky pipe or pool of water, the dark poorly ventilated sub-floor and the time frame of your house, you are unknowingly giving termites the perfect environment to flourish.

Subterranean Termites will seek out any wood touching the moist soil they live, to ensuring that all wood is raised off the ground and away from the house, and stored in a manner that it remains dry is vital to the effort of keeping termites away from your home.

More information.

If you require a plumber to check your property for water leaks. Speak to Jetset Plumbing, the most experienced plumbers Brisbane have to offer.

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Everyone knows termites can be expensive and can cause substantial amounts of damage to your house. But termites are also very interesting insects so we have dug up some of the most surprising and interesting facts we could find.

• Termites are like the vampires of nature, they never sleep working 24 hours a day 7 days a week and they can die if exposed to sunlight.
• Termite Queens lay in excess of 40,000 eggs per day
• In Zaire, termites are fried and sold as fast food in street stalls
• In some countries termites are made into cooking oils
• Termites pass more gas than humans and its some of the highest quality methane gas in the world. Due to the high amounts of gas they produce some scientist believe that termites collectively produce more greenhouse gasses each year that all of human industry combined
• Termite nests have been known to contain up to 2 million termites per nest
• Termites contain more protein per gram than beef
• Termite Queens can grow to the size of a pencil in length and live for around 15-25 years
• Fossilised termites show that they first appeared on earth 250 million years ago, approximately 30 million years before dinosaurs
• In Australia one Termite Nest was so large that it measured 10 Meters across and contained over 3 Million termites , it was built so well scientist needed a jackhammer to break it open
• It is estimate that for every human on earth there are over 1000 pounds of termites
• Termites travel about 250 feet from the colony in the hunt for food, that’s the equivalent of you traveling over 7km’s for lunch.
• Although termites are commonly called white ants, they are not ants, they are more closely related to cockroaches, which has led to some people calling them social cockroaches.

What did you find most interesting? Was there something on there you didn’t know? Pull these facts out at the office Christmas party and amazing your friends with the knowledge of termites.

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While you should always get regular termite inspections from a professional licensed termite inspector, there are thing you can check in between inspections to help you protect your home against termites and catch them early if there is a problem.

Checking for Points of Entry

Keep an eye out for areas in which soil comes into direct contact with wood especially if the wood is untreated or part of the physical structure of your home. Termites love moisture, so look for areas where surface water pools, or soil is perpetually wet, especially if the area is touching or very near the foundations of your home. Whilst inspecting your foundation look for cracks in concrete or wood, things like cracked concrete and expansion joints giver termites an easy point of entry.

You should also be looking for mud tunnels on all external wall, this is definite evidence of termite activity. If you have a wooden sub floor inspect the wooden members for evidence of termite damage or mud tunnels. If you have planter box, patio steps or wooden structures attached to the house inspect for termite activity on a regular basis.

Being Aware of Termite Critical Areas

Termites need two things to survive; a food source and moisture, an unfortunately man made structures provide both of those things beautifully. Things such as mulch beds, wood piles, tree stumps, wood fences, wooden decks and patios all provide perfect food sources for termites and should be either removed, or in the case of permanent structures should be inspected regularly.

You should also be aware of areas that supply moisture, such as leaky pipes, downpipes, air-conditioning drip lines and standing water.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible places that termite damage can be found, it is intended to help home owners be aware of what to look for and where to look be able to catch termite activity between professional inspections.

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