TERMITE INSPECTION REVEALS TERMITES BY THE THOUSANDS IN BRISBANE HOME

The following is an actual case study taken from the field. A concerned homeowner called us to say that he found termites in the garden and hasn’t had a termite inspection for 4 years., Termites in the garden was the least of his worries after what was found during out termite inspection.

The termite inspection process begins.

Customer name – Mike.W

Suburb – Red Hill Brisbane Queensland

Property Type – Residential home

Property Description – Single level home- Brick/weatherboard about 18 years old

Reason for Call out – Customer found Termites in gardens and stump requested a termite inspection

Initial assessment – Mike called our office and advised what he believes to be termites in his garden approximately 1-2 meters away from the home. Mike said it’s been about 4 years since he has had a termite inspection so we booked in a termite inspection for the following day. Our technician arrived and confirmed the termites in the gardens to be Schedorhinotermes-spp. These termites are common across Brisbane and can consume hard wood and soft wood timbers very quickly.

We began the inspection on the exterior of the home and found some areas conducive to termite attack.

We also found a termite risk area where the garden levels are level with exterior brickwork, this can allow termites to enter the house from the gardens straight through the weep holes undetected! So, our technician was eager to get started on the inside of the home to inspect. As we begun the termite inspection on the inside of the home we detected several areas of moisture around the area where the gardens have been built up against the wall edge. (This isn’t a good sign) The home has been partially renovated 5 years ago and some walls are weatherboard sheeting we recommended that one of the weatherboard sheets were (Pulled back) for visual inspection into the wall cavity.

We discovered termites by the thousands!

Termites were behind the wall sheeting of the renovated area of the home. These timber beams had been constructed about 5 years ago during renovation.

Possible reason for infestation – Its expected a termite colony has been on the property for some time feeding on garden debris and stumps in the yard. Over time the termites have found an entry point through the weep hole as the gardens were covering this area. This area would have been detected earlier if the homeowner got regular inspections done. The area could have been rectified in about 5 minutes with a rake by lowering the garden bed 75mm.

Description of work performed – Termite Inspection and invasive inspection

Areas of property inspected – Gardens/interior/roof void

Considerations – No pesticides used during inspection

Preventative recommendations – We recommended immediate termite treatment to the live areas using termidor. This product is designed to work over 10-21 days allowing the product to spread to other termites and hopefully to the queen if the nest is close enough. (A nest of schedorhinotermes termites can live up to 50 meters from the house!)

A Termite dusting treatment and foaming to lower wall cavities was done using termidor on the following day.

21 days we revisited the home and confirmed the termites inside the home had been successfully eradicated.

We gave Mike 2 options for future termite advice.

• He can get regular termite inspections 6-12 monthly at a cost of $220 per inspection and report. As the home doesn’t have and termite protection these inspections won’t keep termites out of the home but will give early detection and hopefully save $$ in repairs if termites strike again.
• The second option is a complete termite barrier using termidor. This will protect the home for up to 8 years against future termite attack. As termites approach the house again at any time over the next 8 years the termidor will be spread through the termite colony before it enters the home.

Mike took no chances and gave us the go ahead to do a full termite barrier around the home, this was completed over 2 days and our technicians lowered the garden levels also to the correct level below the weep holes.

The job was completed neat and tidy with sealed plugs in concrete areas.

Customer feedback/thoughts – This customer is happy he called to book an inspection upon finding termites in the garden and stumps. The customer wasn’t too happy about the $4000 in termite repairs but luckily the termite damage was minimal.

Termite inspection cost $220

Termite barrier and treatment cost $3600

Duration Total 11 hours with 2 technicians

Summary – Termite inspections are an absolute must ! If your in Brisbane its recommended homes are inspected annually. In more high risk areas some home owners are booking more frequent inspections.

READY TO WORK WITH PEST EX?

Choose Pest Ex for your pest control and termite treatment needs because:

• We offer unbeatable same day on site service and communication
• We ensure all of our work adheres to Australian Standards and our products are environmentally friendly
• Our pest controllers are qualified timber pest inspectors (Cert 3 – Pest management technical)
• We have worked in the local area for over a decade, and have serviced over 7,000 satisfied customers
• We work with home and business owners, and have experience with a wide range of different types of properties including retail centers, schools, hotels and cafes

If you have any termite concerns please get in touch.