The Gold Coast is a great place to live and has a wonderful climate that many creatures like to share with us. There are three main types of termites that can infest your home. The most common is the subterranean termite which is often effectively controlled using a termite barrier on the Gold Coast. The other types are the dampwood and dry wood termites that arrive as swarmers, or a mass of flying termites.
It’s vital to get rid of flying termites before they have a chance to build nests, mate and multiply, forming a colony in your home and potentially causing thousands of dollars damage to your building and content.
There are several ways to control flying termites, but the best by far is getting the experts to eradicate them for you, before they become an expensive problem. If you want to have a go at doing it yourself, try these methods:
Make your home inhospitable to termites
Termites need food and moisture to survive, if you eliminate these then they will not build a destructive colony
- Repair all leaky taps, water pipes and air conditioners so they do not provide moisture for termites
- Divert all storm water away from your buildings and clean gutters and spouting so no water can accumulate there
- Keep mulch fire wood and dead vegetation well away from buildings
- Old tree stumps or dead branches that are near or touching your home will make it easy for termites to invade your home as they probably have a colony there already
- Insure your roof is water tight so no water can enter and lie in your ceiling areas
Seal all possible access points
Flying termites are mature and ready to mate so are looking for a place to live. They will enter through any small space they find. Check and secure:
- Around water pipes and utility lines where they enter and leave your home
- Cracks in walls, cladding and around doors and windows
- Make sure all air vents are secured with fine steel mesh
Attracted to the light
Like most insects flying termites are attracted to the light so having an electric bug catcher outside near where the termites are, will attract them there rather than allow them to enter your home. But don’t forget to turn off any outside lights, close and curtain you windows and doors.
You also need to deal with the colony, this can be done by installing a termite barrier on your Gold Coast property and placing bait stations around your property to trap and poison them. The problem is in knowing just where to place these bait stations to be totally effective
All wooden structures such as fences, decks and outbuildings need to be properly treated to ensure termites will not colonize there before moving into your home.
Having regular termite inspections for your home and the areas around your home so any colonies nearby and be eliminated using termite barriers and ground baits on the Gold Coast before they start to fly and look for new places to live and breed is one of the most effective ways to treat and control flying termites. Removing all food and water sources will prevent termites from wanting to build a colony in your home, but if your home is made of untreated timber this can be difficult, so is best left to the experts.
