Every day we hear from our clients, “I don’t have termites – I haven’t seen any!”
It is therefore easy to feel safe from termites, but the fact is, even if you can’t see them, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Signs of a termite colony can be hard to see or not visible at all. Once you do see the signs, the damage has already been done. Subterranean termites are mother natures’ way of breaking down things like dead trees, yet they also commonly invade homes. Termites can’t tell the difference between the wood in your home from that of a dead tree. Your home might be your largest investment but to a termite, its food.
Understanding the roles of termites
Termites live in colonies, with the king and queen producing a steady stream of workers, soldiers and swarmers – often a single queen can lay millions of eggs. Every termite has a role; workers relentlessly search for food to feed the growing colony, soldiers defend it, and swarmers leave it to create new colonies. Workers can forage for food, nearly the length of a football field from the colony. Once the food is found, they lay down a chemical trail of pheromones for others to follow. But even when a source is found their instinct is to continue to search.
What are the options when protecting your home from termites?
Fortunately, there are ways to protect your home from these relentlessly foraging enemies. There are two options – chemical versus bait. Both options can have high success rates when installed correctly, however, a good pest control inspector will always assess the individual property, and recommend the most suitable solution for your home.
Chemical soil termite treatment
The objective of a chemical soil termite treatment is to create a continuous chemical barrier around the foundation of your home. When an individual termite comes into contact with a barrier, the termite dies. In order to apply an effective chemical barrier, it is necessary to dig around your home’s foundation and in many cases drill through concrete and brick to make the barrier continuous. When applied correctly, liquid treatments are designed to create a complete treated zone around and under your home (if sub-floor present). The slow-acting formula allows time for a termite to spread the chemical to other termites so the entire colony is eradicated.
Baiting system
The objective of a baiting system is to outsmart the foraging termite. These baiting systems use the termite’s natural foraging instinct against them, to eliminate their entire colony. Bait stations are professionally installed by a pest control professional and are strategically placed to be found easily and quickly by foraging termites. Even when a food source has been found, the workers are constantly searching and that constant search ensures that they will find a station, and when they do the workers distribute the bait which has been scientifically proven to be preferable to wood and the hungry colony’s food supply. The bait is unknowingly passed from termite to termite. The workers die first and without workers, the rest of the colony cannot sustain itself and the entire colony is eliminated, including the queen.
What type of protection will suit your home
Deciding on what type of protection will suit your home, there are many factors to consider, especially as what may work for your home might not be the best treatment for your neighbour. The various factors that our professional pest control technicians consider when recommending suitable termite protection for your home are:
- The construction of your house,
- soil type around your property,
- slope of your property block,
- and the species of termite.
If you are considering installing a termite barrier or termite baiting system, please call us for an obligation-free quote. One of our expert technicians will survey your property and discuss management options for your home. Call us on 1800 737 836 or email info@topdogpestcontrol.com.au
