The best termite treatment for your building structure
There are so many termite control products and termite treatment methods nowadays that finding the one that is BEST FOR YOU can be bewildering. Many pest companies have one preferred method that they use for all their clients, and other companies shy away from termite treatments altogether since it can be difficult and failure can be costly for them.
Well, it may surprise you to know that the main factor in deciding which treatment is BEST FOR YOU depends not on the species of termite but on the building structure of your home.
Perhaps your home is built on a concrete ‘raft slab’ which would provide a barrier to termites trying to enter through most of your under floor area and makes the pest controllers job of preventing termite ingress via other areas (such as around the perimeter) much more reliable. Contrast this with a home that has had several slab extensions and therefore has joins between the slabs under the home. This cannot be relied on to stop termites and therefore termite management requires that all termites in the immediate area be eliminated on an on-going basis.
So, the key to getting the BEST FOR YOU termite treatment is to be advised by a termite specialist who can provide a full range of treatments, and will TAILOR A TREATMENT individually for your home in Melbourne.
Case studies: Termite treatment results
Heathmont Treatment
Situation
Brick home in Heathmont with timber floorboards. Live termites in bathroom floor and window architraves, damage to roof struts and verandah posts eaten out.
Key point
Good access under house and around walls. Good prospect to apply a “barrier” treatment to soil to 100 pct of potential termite entry areas.
Treatment
Apply a ‘ dust treatment ‘ locally to currently infested timbers. This is intended to reduce the number of live termites inside the building prior to the application of a residual termiticide soil treatment a week later.
Result
Termite free at the 8 weeks re-inspection. Client then had carpenter repair the damage followed by 12 monthly termite inspections.
Mornington Termite Treatment
Situation
Brick home in Mornington on a concrete slab with office and bathroom extensions both also on concrete slabs. Live termites in bathroom walls and door architraves. Pine wall frame badly damaged and two roof trusses damaged above the bathroom.
Key point
Joins between the concrete slabs mean that the concrete cannot stop termites coming in through the underfloor area. The home is therefore ‘unprotectable’ so needs a different plan from ‘Heathmont Treatment’ above.
Treatment
We provided a termite baiting and monitoring program, which was expected to kill the termite colony (and Queen ) currently attacking the building, but also any other colony in the near vicinity. Two bait stations were installed on the bathroom architraves and one in the roof above the bathroom. Also x 18 termite ‘monitors’ were installed in the garden around the house. A 12 month service program was agreed.
Result
x2 of the x3 bait stations had feeding termites after 4 weeks. By 8 weeks all x3 stations were active. By 12 weeks all activity had ceased. A re-inspection after 20 weeks found no termites in the buildings. The monitors in the garden have had no activity yet, but will be serviced into the future in case another colony becomes established in the area. Inspections every 12 months.
North Melbourne Termite Treatment
Situation
Older brick home in North Melbourne. Client’s family had just moved in. They found termite damage in the floor boards when they renovated the bathroom and heard from neighbours that the houses on both sides of them had been attacked by termites. An inspection revealed old bluestone footings with no sub-floor access. Significant termite damage was detected in the bathroom, but the inspection was severely limited by the lack of sub-floor access. No live termites were detected on the day of inspection but the termite specialist rated the risk as ‘extreme’.
Key point
The lack of sub-floor access combined with the gaps in the bluestone footings made this building ‘unprotectable’. Accordingly, it was resolved that a termite monitoring system would be installed in the garden around the building which was expected to detect and destroy any colony feeding in the immediate area. An on-going service program was agreed which included regular termite inspections of the building.
Treatment
x16 monitors were installed and 12 weekly servicing was agreed. After 8 months, x2 monitors became active and were baited with non-toxic insect growth hormone. More frequent servicing was provided while the monitors were active and extra bait was added to both monitors after 4 weeks. All activity had ceased by the 12 week service.
Result
No live termites have been detected within the home since we began servicing 18 months ago. On-going monitor servicing and home inspections will be required to manage the termite risk to this building.
For further info on detecting termite nests and termites, read our blog on how to prevent termites!
