How to be sure I don’t have termites?

Termites are destructive pests, so it’s crucial to have frequent, thorough home inspections to detect termite activity. An infestation may cause thousands of dollars to be cleaned .

Finding a dependable and competent professional pest management company with termites treatment is difficult, and qualifications don’t necessarily ensure trustworthiness.

We tell you what to enquire about termite control.

Termite appearance

Only a few of Australia’s 300 termite species pose difficulties. Subterranean termites (white ants) do most of the damage nationwide.

They eat cellulose-rich wood more than flying ants or flying termites.

Subterranean termites resemble black ants but are light in colour (hence the name “white ants”).

They eat cellulose-rich wood more than flying ants ir flying termites.

Subterranean termites resemble black ants but are light in colour (hence the name “white ants).

Alates (winged termites) might be mistaken for moths.

In fact, termites are often confused with several other insects, especially ants. Many homeowners see a flurry of small, winged bugs and assume they’re dealing with termites, when in reality, they may be looking at flying ants or even moths fluttering near the windows at night.

It’s important to note that ants—unlike termites—do not eat wood. While carpenter ants can excavate wood to build their nests, the level of destruction is minor compared to the relentless appetite of termites for moist, cellulose-rich wood. Termites will quietly and efficiently consume wood from the inside out, causing far more damage in a much shorter period.

Knowing the subtle differences between these insects helps prevent unnecessary panic (or, worse, ignoring a real problem until it’s too late).

These termites leave the colony to start new colonies.

How to tell termites from ants

At first glance, termites and ants can look similar, but a closer inspection reveals key differences:

• Colour: Termites tend to be lighter, almost creamy or pale brown, while ants are a deeper brownish or black shade.
• Waist: Termites have a thicker, straight waist, whereas ants have a pinched, narrow waist.
• Antennae: Ants feature elbowed antennae; termites’ antennae are straight.
• Wings (if present): Both may have wings, but termite wings are equal in size and longer than their body, while ants’ front wings are larger than the hind wings.

Another quick way to spot which pest you’re dealing with is by checking the frass (droppings) near the damage:

• Termite frass looks like tiny, uniform, oval pellets.
• Carpenter ant frass is more like irregular wood shavings or sawdust.

Spotting these subtle differences can help you figure out if you have a termite problem—or just a few ants wandering about.

What are termites?

Termites may inflict structural and economic damage to houses and commercial structures by devouring the interior, leaving just a thin shell costing thousands in repairs.

They can also consume furniture, paper, textiles, clothes, footwear, and non-cellulose materials including soft plastics, construction sealants, and stiff foam insulation.

You may also like to read: How to take care of wooden furniture during a monsoon?

Here are several symptoms that termite problems may be damaging your house.

• Protective mud tubes. Brick foundations or architraves may have these.
• Wood that sounds hollow is rotted.
• Door or floor sagging.
• Easy-to-damage skirting boards, door jams, and architraves.
• Paint and plaster cracks (as termites eat away at timber, affecting its structural integrity, it causes cracks in paint and plaster).

Other ways to check for termites

Besides keeping an eye out for the above symptoms, there are a few extra ways to catch these sneaky pests before they do serious harm:

• Inspection wood blocks: Place untreated wood blocks in the ground around your home. Termites are irresistibly drawn to moisture, so they’ll often gather around these blocks if they’re nearby.
• Metal detector checks: Some homeowners use a metal detector to scan the ground for termite activity, as changes in density or hidden wiring affected by termites can sometimes be picked up.
• Professional inspections: The most reliable approach is to have a licensed pest control professional inspect your property. They know exactly what evidence to look for and can spot early signs you might miss.

Blackouts 

• Termites are attracted to the warmth of electrical fittings behind walls.
• Temperature and rainfall affect termite activity the most, followed by home age. Don’t disrupt a termite colony on your property; the termites may leave, relocate, and go undiscovered.
• If you suspect termite activity in your house, have a professional inspection done as soon as possible.

Termite prevention

• Insufficient drainage, leaky plumbing, and poor ventilation cause moisture concerns.
• Your home’s surrounds should be clean of plants and weep holes (the small gaps left between bricks to let water drain out).
• Don’t store objects under your house that limit ventilation.
• Remove timber near the home that’s touching the ground.
• Certain construction approaches and materials can lessen termite danger.
• Follow pest inspectors’ instructions to lessen termite danger. At least once a year, or more often if you live in high-termite-risk areas, get a complete pest check.

Termite control

Termite management has three types:

• Chemical baits and stations
• All states require new houses and additions to include a termite management system for risk of termites (except Tasmania, where the termite risk is negligible).
• Homes built after July 1995 must have a ‘durable notice’ of treatment at the metre box or crawl space entry listing:

Termite control

Chemical barrier installation date, and suggested future termite inspections.

When building or renovating, instal physical or chemical barriers. Some can be retrofitted, but building is easier.

Obstacles

Physical barriers are durable, non-toxic, and need little upkeep. They won’t kill termites, but they’ll keep them out from termite infestation.

Physical impediments include:

Termite shields (sometimes called ant caps) don’t inhibit termite activity but bring it into the open, making their mud shelter tubes easier to spot.

You may also like to read: Why you need a professional pest inspection for your home?

Woven stainless steel mesh or finely graded stone particles can be put in a concrete slab and hollow walls surrounding pipe holes, etc.

Composite systems, such chemically treated plastic or fabric sheets, include chemicals that deteriorate over time.

Reticulation systems use pipes beneath slabs and around buildings to inject pesticide.

Chemical barriers are put around concrete slabs, piers, and footings. They need upkeep. They generate a zone of treated soil that may last several years.

Chemical barriers may necessitate trenching and concrete drilling following new home building.

Termiticides

Permethrin and bifenthrin are less harmful than several older pesticides banned in Australia in the mid-1990s for home termites.

Fipronil and imidacloprid are non-repellent termiticides and highly recommended. This implies termites will pass through the treated zone without sensing the poison, polluting other termites.

Arsenic trioxide dust is a human carcinogen for termite attacks. Triflumuron has supplanted it as a termite dusting agent in termite damage. This blue powder is effective, although it may take longer than arsenic dust to kill a colony.

Monitoring stations

This less harmful option requires frequent upkeep. Monitoring and bait stations employ low-toxic IGR to kill termites without affecting other animals or people with proper pest inspections and pest control.

What happens:

The exterminator sets one or more in-ground baiting stations around the residence where signs of termites.

When termites are detected, bait is fed to restock the station.

Termites bring the bait back to their nest and groom it until the colony dies.

It’s not a good idea to rely solely on monitoring and bait stations to control termites because there’s no assurance they’ll work.