Termites don`t play fair...
...neither should you!
Termites
You can stop worrying about termites... If you'll simply take a few simple precautions.
Termites are constantly making the news and the mere mention of the word sends fear into most home owners.
The facts are:
- 1 in 3 homes nationally will have a brush with termites during the life of the home.
- Termites cause more than 1 billion dollars worth of damage every year in the USA.
- In Los Angeles, 1 in 5 homes has a termite problem. 1 in 8 in Miami; 1 in 9 in Tucson, Ariz.; 1 in 10 in Houston; 1 in 20 in Evansville, Ill.; and 1 in 22 in New York City.
- The further south you go the higher the risk of termites.
But should you be overly worried?
The answer is 'No', so long as you heed some good advice. You service your car regularly to prevent problems, but do you service your home? Are you taking sufficient preventative measures to reduce the risk in an affordable manner? Do you have a termite inspection at least once a year?
Here are some simple steps you should take to reduce your risk.
- Have your home inspected professionally, and seek advice how to reduce risk around the yard or check your home and yard yourself on a regular basis.
- Be vigilant and learn how to check for early signs of termite activity. (If you don't know, then ask us and we'll show you.)
- Consider renewing your termite perimeter treated zone ... discuss the pros and cons with a qualified pest controller. (Avoid pest control firms that are only interested in pressuring you into implementing an expensive perimeter barrier spray.)
- Use an effective termite bait system.... a valuable first line of defence.
- Do not leave untreated timber around your yard or against the walls of your house.
- Do not build garden beds beside the walls of your house, and be extra careful not to have weep holes (small holes between the bricks near the ground) below soil level.
- After the initial inspection, remember to have a professional pest inspection at least once a year, or twice a year if you can afford it. Remember, just because the house was free of termites last year doesn't mean it still is now. Don't rely on an old report.
- Don't buy a new home without a termite report from an experienced pest controller. Builders are not qualified to give termite reports or advice unless they have worked substantially in the pest industry.
- Don't rely on luck to protect your home. If your home is built on a concrete slab it always has a 'high' risk of termite attack. Don't assume your home was correctly termite proofed when it was built. It probably wasn't.
Why not learn to check your home yourself between professional inspections?
Termite Treatments
It is impossible to give a price for a termite treatment, as every home is so very different.
However the average price to create a perimeter treated zone for a house on a concrete slab varies from $1,500 - $4,000.
We use and recommend Termidor® and Premise 2® for perimeter barrier protection.
This will last between 5 years and 10 years depending on who you listen to. Chemical manufacturers make big claims on the life of the chemical under ideal conditions. But there are many factors that affect the life of chemical soil barriers. Such as: soil types, soil acidity, plant activity, animal and insect activity, microbiological organisms, general gardening, rain, sunlight, underground run-off and general leaching.
Soil barriers and treated zones are an imperfect solution, but in most cases they do work and they do reduce the risk of termites gaining entry to your home. It can often take two men about 1 - 2 days to correctly complete a perimeter treated zone. You can expect some minor disruption.
Ideally, concrete pathways against the wall of the house should be cut about 30 to 40cm wide and removed to enable thorough trenching. This is rarely done and in most cases people are never told they have this option! Otherwise the second best option is that the paths are drilled and injected.
Warranties
Most pest control companies offer a 12 month free service period with their termite treatments. No other warranty is implied or given. Some not so ethical companies will tell you that the chemical treated zone will last you for 8 or 10 years. It is said in such a way that is sounds like they are giving you an 8 or 10 year warranty, when in fact they are not.
Hint: If someone implies an long warranty as part of their treatment, make sure you ask to see it in writing and if you do get it in writing make sure you (or your solicitor) reads the fine print.
The Green Termite Bait System comes with a 12 month manufacturing warranty.
Did you know?
- The mature African Macrotermes queen lays 43,000 eggs a day and lives for up to 30 years. That's 15 million termite children per year!
- Believe it or not, the humble termite has the highest worldwide output of flatulence due in large to their diet and digestive processes. Termite farts are believed to be a major contributor towards global warming.
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