 an initial thorough inspection of the buildings and surrounds,
the installation of a chemical soil barrier at the base of the building,
drilling of trees and stumps to eradicate any termite nest found therein,
the installation and monitoring of a termite colony elimination system,
application of borate chemical to accessible structural timbers,
various non-chemical building site modifications,
regular follow-up inspections and maintenance of the control methods,
installation of physical barriers and other devices during construction.
| Initial Inspection of Buildings & Surrounds |
Firstly, it is essential for the termite controller to complete a thorough inspection of the buildings and surrounds, in accordance with the Australian Standard 3660.
AS 3660 requires the property owner to be supplied with a written inspection report and detailed specifications for an integrated termite control program. It is a legal requirement that (1) such an inspection and report be carried out prior to a chemical soil treatment, and (2) only a NSW Govt WorkCover licensed pest controller may supply the chemical soil treatment.
Copies of the Australian Standard 3660 are available from Standards Australia - telephone 1300 654 646 or order on the web at www.standards.com.au.
The cost of a termite inspection report and quotation / treatment recommendations is usually around $150 to $250, depending on the size of the premises. Some companies offer a "free inspection" but inevitably meet the cost from subsequent services to property owners who accept the quotation / treatment proposal.
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A professional termite inspection and report could save you thousands of dollars - specific areas inspected include accessible timbers within the sub-floor, roof void, exterior and interior of the building and other timber structures, fences and trees within a 50 metre radius of the buildings but within the property boundary. |
CONSUMER NOTE: If you find active 'live" termites on your property, you should contact the owners of neighbouring properties to alert them of the termite risk in the area and the need to arrange for an inspection and a termite control program at their premises. Termites can travel in about a 100 metre radius from their central colony nest. A termite control program in neighbouring properties will increase the prospects of a successful termite colony elimination program, for the benefit of all concerned.
An inspection of a building for signs of termite activity often has physical limitations. Termite entry into the building may be through areas inaccessible to inspection, such as, via expansion joints or cracks in concrete (on-ground flooring), in-fill patios or enclosed wall cavities. Termites often enter a building via external weep holes in wall cavities, particularly where lawns, garden beds, concrete pathways or paving obscure such weep holes.
Termites often build their colony nest inside an in-fill patio - a prime feeding site as builders traditionally dispose of the timber off-cuts inside the patio with soil placed therein and the concrete floor thereon. This also creates a perfect humi-crib breeding site for termites. From this location the termites can gain undetected access to the wall and roofing timbers. Termites are extremely secretive - readily trailing under floor tiling, carpets, parquetry to get into the wall and roofing timbers.
AS 3660 requires the termite inspection report to note any visible evidence found of termite activity, including possible termite entry points that are inaccessible to inspection and the inspector's recommendations for termite control treatments.
| Chemical Soil Barrier Treatments |
CONSUMER NOTE: Most home-owners are unaware that their general home insurance policy does NOT cover termite damage to structural timbers. However, we carry professional indemnity insurance to cover termite damage to structural timbers in a building caused by termite gaining entry into a building through treated soil areas.
The chemical soil treatment involves treating the soil at the base of a building with a registered chemical that will prevent termites travelling through that soil to get to the timbers in the building above.
If there are termites in the building, at the time of chemical soil treatment, they cannot safely return to their central colony nest via chemically treated soil. Termites are compelled to regularly return to their nest in the ground to obtain moisture essential for their survival and to feed and groom the nymphs (young termites), the king, queen and other termites.
The installation of a chemical soil barrier requires expert knowledge and specialised equipment to form a complete and continuous barrier to protect the building from a termite entry and infestation - as illustrated below:
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| Trench and treat soil around the external concrete slab edge -
a common termite entry point. |
Trench and treat soil around walls and piers in the sub-floor area. |
Use rod injection to treat soil along and around the external perimeter area of the building. |
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| Drill concrete floor along all expansion joints and cracks, and treat soil thereunder. |
Drill concrete floor around pipes and treat soil thereunder.. |
Drill concrete patio areas and along concrete pathways, and treat soil therein. |
Special care needs to be taken to ensure a subsidiary termite nest is NOT contained within the building, such as in wall cavities. This may occur where there is an independent moisture source within the wall cavities, for example, from to a leaking shower recess, broken roof tiles or faulty guttering.
Recent industry surveys suggest that about one third of all unprotected properties are subject to attack by termites. Severe termite damage to Australian homes is on the increase due to recent changes in the type of chemicals allowed to be used and building construction materials and design that encourage hidden termite entry and infestation.
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DON'T RISK IT - in most cases the best termite control protection available will include a complete chemical soil barrier treatment to AS 3660 using Termidor or Premise soil treatment chemical, together with the installation and regular monitoring of a termite colony elimination system - discussed in detail later on. |
| PESTICIDE SAFETY ISSUES - Soil Treatment Chemicals |
There are FOUR chemicals registered by the relevant Federal Government - National Registration Authority for use in termite control as a soil treatment chemical, namely;
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chlorpyrifos........trade names of Dursban and Deter,
bifenthrin............trade name of Biflex and,
imidacloprid......trade name Premise
and a NEW PRODUCT - Termidor - a product with high praise from the USA where it has been used for several years with excellent results has recently been approved in November 2002 for use in the Australian market.
For details on Termidor...Click Here.
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WARNING: Both Dursban (chlorpyrifos) and Biflex (bifenthrin) are solvent based pesticides which can cause health problems to asthmatics during the drying process. Both Dursban and Biflex are Schedule 6 Pesticides with a "POISON" label rating.
About Premise Soil Treatment Chemical.
Premise is water based, non-odorous and of very low toxicity to humans, dogs, cats and other mammals. It is classified as a low hazard Schedule 5 chemical with a "CAUTION" notation on the registered label.
Premise does NOT have an obnoxious odor or emit airborne residues or fumes, unlike Dursban and Biflex.
Premise has been used by the termite control service industry, as soil treatment barrier against termites for more than five years in Australia (more than seven years in the USA) with effective results for long term effective termite control.
Premise represents modern technology (1) it is NOT an organo-chlorine or organo-phosphate pesticide, and (2) termites cannot detect the chemical.
Premise is non-repellant to the termites. Termites can enter the Premise treated soil zone without detecting the chemical ....it's like a minefield, but once they enter this zone, they are killed by the chemical. The repellant nature of the alternative product means the termites can readily move along such a chemical barrier seeking a gap to gain entry into the building.
Premise kills the termites fast and even in soil areas of lower dose rates the research studies show, the termites will become disorientated, stop feeding, and are fatally diseased by natural fungi and micro-organisms in the soil. We have experienced no significant problems with Premise in the five years of it's extensive use in Australia.
Premise was developed, tested and is manufactured by Bayer one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and scientific research companies.
| Termite Colony Nest Location in Trees |
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Subterranean termites commonly build their nests at the base of a well established eucalyptus or other susceptible trees.
We recommend the test drilling of all susceptible trees, located within a 50m radius and within the property boundary. If termites are located therein, a long thermometer is inserted into the tree trunk to determine if the central colony nest has been penetrated. |
Intrigue termite dust, discussed in detail below, or Premise liquid termiticide can be injected through the drill holes to eradicate any termite nest located therein. A tree sealant is then inserted into the drill holes to ensure the tree remains healthy. Rest assured, these chemicals will not harm the tree.
CONSUMER NOTE: With termite nest location and colony elimination, there can be no guarantee of certain protection of nearby buildings, as there may be other unlocated hidden termite nests near your property, for example, in trees on neighboring properties that cannot be accessed. There also maybe a termite nest located under concrete slab flooring or within enclosed patios of your property or your neighbouring property.
| Termite Colony Baiting & Elimination Systems |
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Termite Colony
Elimination System |
The Eco-Safe Termite Colony Elimination System uses specially configured termite monitoring stations to accumulate large numbers of termites that can then be treated with Intrigue termite dust. Although deadly to termites, it is slow acting (several weeks) and is therefore spread to other termites in the colony by their mutual feeding and grooming. Bait ingestion by sufficient termites will lead to the eventual elimination of the entire colony.
Intrigue termite dust is manufactured by Bayer as an Australian product tested against Australian termites. Intrigue works to prevent the termites from moulting and growing a new exoskeleton, essential for their survival. The queen and the destructive workers are the first to die and without them the colony is doomed.
The Eco-Safe Termite Colony Elimination System involves:
Regular inspections of the property, buildings and accessible timbers, therein.
Application of Intrigue termite dust to termite galleries and any live termites found at each inspection, at intervals as recommended. Termites return to the nest and pass the dust to other termites through mutual grooming and feeding. The larger the number of termites that are dusted, the quicker and more certain is the termite colony elimination process. It is usual to reinspect the area in about four weeks, to observe the result and reapply the Intrigue dust, if neccessary.
Drilling susceptible trees, and the application of Intrigue termite dust to any termite nest or live termites located therein.
Follow-up application of a chemical soil barrier to Australian Standard 3660 using Premise soil treatment chemical at the base of a building or other structures.
Installation of EcoSafe termite stations to monitor future termite activity. Any live termites subsequently found in the stations are dusted with the Intrigue termite dust.
The EcoSafe termite stations contain an attractive timber food source for foraging termites, and are positioned in areas judged by the termite specialist to be an area conducive to termite activity. This requires expert skill and judgement, based upon years of field-work experience in termite control.
The installation and monitoring of the EcoSafe termite stations is essential to guard against other termite nests within the area that may pose a serious threat to the building or other timber structures.
| A Comparative Analysis of the Alternative Termite Baits |
There are several alternative termite colony elimination products available in the market-place, including (1) application of Arsenic dust to live termites (2) the use of Intrigue dust in bait stations, such as the EcoSafe bait stations (3) the Sentricon termite bait in their bait stations (4) and a new system using Exterra termite bait in their bait stations.
We recommend the use of the Intrigue or the Exterra products due to the following circumstances.
Intrigue and Exterra termite baits non-repellant to the termites and is of very low toxicity to humans. Intrigue termite dust is exempt from the "POISON" labeling requirements of the pesticide regulations and is classified as a schedule 5 pesticide with a CAUTION notation only on the pesticide label.
Arsenic dust is a highly toxic compound that termites can detect and therefore avoid; arsenic is a stomach poison able to quickly kill termites on contact. As the termites can detect where the arsenic dust is coming from they can easily seal off that area from the termite colony nest, giving the property owner a false sense of security. The termites can enter the building through other locations.
Intrigue and Exterra are insect growth regulators which are slow acting on the termite (several weeks) during which time the termites readily transfer the Intrigue or Exterra termite bait back to the other termites in the colony. The affected queen termite stops producing viable eggs and is assassinated by the workers. As these products are spread to other termites in the colony during their feeding and grooming process....the eventual elimination of the termite colony is expected in most cases where a large amount of termites are feeding on the bait.
Intrigue termite dust can be applied directly to live termites in their mud tube galleries or infested timbers, whereas the Sentricon baits are placed in their in-ground bait stations after removal of the termite infested timber therein. This can involve major disruption of the termites which can cause them to avoid the in-ground Sentricon bait station, entirely. This serious short-coming is overcome by the patented Exterra Termite Stations where the timber is aligned around the cylinder such that the bait can be inserted without such disturbance of the termites present. For detailed information on Exterra Termite Colony Elimination System ... Click Here
With the application of the Intrigue termite dust there is no time delay from the time of the initial application to the worker termites taking the Intrigue termite dust back to the termite colony. This means, in terms of treatment application time, the Intrigue termite dust has a faster effect on the termite colony.
Another significant difference, is that Intrigue termite dust is 80% active anti-termite chemical, whereas only 0.5% of Sentricon bait is active anti-termite chemical, due to repellency problems with the Sentricon bait at significantly higher dosage rates.
Consumer Protection Advice: Be wary of any advertising or promise that a timber replacement warranty applies as regards subsequent termite damage to a building using a termite colony elimination system.
For example, some pest control companies promote a $100,000 Timber Replacement Warranty as regards the use of the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System - BUT BE CAREFUL to read any proposed Service Contract carefully! Does this contract then specify that any such warranty may (or may not) apply at some future point in time as then determined by the company?
As with all termite colony elimination systems there can be no absolute guarantee of protection of nearby buildings. There may be other termite nests nearby the building that do not find the bait stations. Your home is a much bigger bait station. Other termite nests may exist in trees, under concrete on-ground flooring and in-fill patios of your home or neighbouring properties.
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Intrigue and the Exterra products are highly recommended as part of a termite colony elimination program where a complete chemical soil treatment is not practicable or desired and where a sufficiently large number of live termites feed on the bait.
The Australian termite control industry has used Premise as soil treatment chemical for more than five years and Intrigue termite dust, for several years, with excellent results reported in the vast majority of circumstances.
Intrigue termite dust is an Australian product designed for use against Australian termites. Sentricon was developed for use against American termites, a different species that are not as disturbance wary as the destructive Australian termite species.
| Application of Borate Chemical Treatment to Accessible Timbers |
The direct application of Boracol, a borate chemical formulation to accessible timbers can prevent termite attack to the treated timbers. Boracol is non-toxic to humans (mammals) and is designed upon contact to penetrate inside most building timbers. Life expectancy can be in excess of 20 years. Boracol also prevents fungal wood decay, borer attack and has some fire retardant properties.
This application of Boracol is highly recommended (1) to timbers during construction, and (2) to existing buildings in situations where a complete chemical barrier cannot be installed, such as, the sub-floor and void timbers of attached terraces or duplexes. In addition, the product is ideally suited to environmentally sensitive locations.
| Non-Chemical Recommendations |
Rapid termite colony development and building infestation is usually associated with a readily available food and moisture source near by the central nest. Buildings are often constructed in a way that encourages termite infestation and colony development, and allows termites to gain undetectable entry from the soil to the structural timbers of the building.
Therefore, it is essential for the home owner to carry out the following "non-chemical" recommendations.
Moisture reduction underneath suspended floors and around the base of the building. This may include improving cross flow ventilation to the sub-floor, fixing any leaks from bathroom, kitchen, down pipes, guttering, air conditioning unit overflow etc, installation of age-drains in the sub-floor and at the base of the building.
Removal of any timber in contact with the soil. Timbers should be stored above the ground so you can inspect underneath.
Inspection access - Make sure with concrete slab on ground flooring that you can inspect the entire external slab edge for evidence of termite mud-shelter tubes; also ensure where ever practicable that unimpeded inspection of sub-floor (suspended floors) can be undertaken to look for evidence of termite activity.
PLEASE NOTE: If you find live termites or termite affected workings DO NOT disturb the area as the termite controller can introduce Intrigue or Exterra termite bait to the live termites present in an attempt to eliminate the termite colony. If disturbed the termites are likely to move elsewhere, and not be rediscovered until further obvious damage has been done.
| Regular Professional Inspections are essential ! |
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Australian Standard 3660 states "the installation of a chemical soil barrier does not negate the need for regular competent inspections - at intervals of 3 to 6 months where the termite risk is high".
We usually recommend 3 monthly inspections be carried for the first 12 months following a chemical soil treatment. |
A professional termite inspection and report could save you thousands of dollars - specific areas inspected include accessible timbers within the sub-floor, roof void, exterior and interior of the building, other timber structures, fences and trees within a 50 metre radius of the buildings but within the property boundary.
| Home Builders - Termite Control Products |
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