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Article posted on December 18, 2019

Termite Inspection Saves Brisbane Home From Disaster (Camp Hill)

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A long overdue pest inspection has thankfully saved a Camp Hill resident’s home from potentially financially crippling damage to her house. A termites nest, the size of a bedroom door, was located behind her shower, in the bathroom. The older style property was built into a hill, and the homeowner reported to us that she had noticed paint bubbling and lifting in various parts of the house.

What concerned us most is that she hadn’t had a termite inspection carried out in more than five years.

Tracking down termites

tramex moisture detection termites image

When we visited the property, the homeowner pointed out an area behind the shower where she had noticed the paint bubbling, and a large brown stain forming on the wall. In this case, she’d simply assumed the issue might have been caused by a leak in the shower but thought she’d rule out termites as a precaution.

Thankfully, she listened to our advice during our initial phone call, and had us out to perform a termite inspection. In this case, there was a water leak, which had created an ideal water source for a species of termites called coptotermes, also known as the “subterranean termite”. When they find a reliable food or water source, they’ll build a sub-nest, or bivouac. As the mud nest grows, it starts to seep through the plasterboard and creates blistering of the paint. She reported that the stain had grown from the small patch on the wall to chest-high within a matter of weeks.

To determine the cause, we used specialised equipment in order to assess the scope of the infestation, including the following tools:

  • A Tramex moisture meter.
  • A thermal imaging camera, which defined the moisture pattern and showed the area where termites were located as a heat map.
  • A Termatrac motion detector to confirm live termite activity.

We didn’t need to open up the wall and disturb them because the thermal camera had shown us on the screen precisely the size of the nest inside the wall. Once we had confirmed the scope and location of the termite activity, we injected Termidor into the wall through small incisions in the wall. We explained to the client that it was important not to disturb the nest until the treatment had remained in the space for 21 days.

Termidor is not designed to kill the termites instantly, it’s also not a repellant. It’s designed to be undetectable, but once exposed, the termites will spread the product back down underground throughout their entry point to the other termites in the colony.

termite nest shower image

The importance of a thorough termite inspection

What we knew from the inspection in this case, was that the termites had built a huge sub-nest backing onto the shower because of the constant source of water. The moisture had gone through the slab into the soil, which is where the termites were coming from. The homeowner felt confident that the infestation was localised, but our experience told us otherwise. It took some convincing, but eventually, the client agreed to having us perform a full inspection of the property.

When we inspected the exterior of the home, we found five termite entry points. They were coming up the slab edge into the house in multiple areas. The internal inspection revealed six other areas where termites had access. The termites weren’t just backing onto the bathroom. They were in all different areas of the house, and they were starting to really do some serious damage.

The internal damage was luckily only about six months old, so they hadn’t done any structural damage to the hardwood framing, but if left untreated it could have been extremely costly. We confirmed damage in many of the homes fittings like the door frames, window frames, and skirting boards. We estimated that in another six to 12 months, the termites would have eaten nearly the whole house.

The client couldn’t believe the extent of the potential damage, and thanked us for ‘saving her house’.

Lessons learned

This is what we’d like homeowners to learn from this case:

  • Book an annual termite inspection. Once you notice the first signs of termite activity, the damage will already have been done.
  • A termite infestation is never localised. You will usually always need a full inspection to find all entry points. They could be anywhere and everywhere.
  • Once termites find a source of food or water, they will keep coming back until they have devoured your home. It’s important to fix leaks and remove sources of food where you can.

Once the active termites in the bathroom had been killed off, we returned to check the area behind the shower wall, which revealed the nest was about the size of an average bedroom door. The space behind the shower and the wall membrane was solid with termite mud. From there, we waited 25 days from the initial treatment before we installed the perimeter barrier. Some companies do the perimeter termite barrier straight away, which does nothing but trap the termites inside the home. Its always important to have remove the termites from inside the home first, then implement a barrier.

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Concerned about termites in your home?

Get in touch with us today and we’ll schedule a time to come out and perform an inspection. You never know, a few hundred dollars might be all it takes to prevent tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage. Don’t wait, call us today.

Prevent infestations & protect your property

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5 Star Google reviews from both Gold Coast & Brisbane locations

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Kent Bailey
11 months ago
Just had my home barrier treatment for termites by Pest Ex. In every way a brilliant job and fantastic friendly service unlike...read more anything else I have struck on the Gold Coast. This is a very professional company and every person involved was excellent in every way. Strongly recommend them to all who read this review because you won't do better.
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Christie McCabe
a year ago
On time. Efficient. Friendly. Informative. Well priced. Our experience with Pest-Ex was easy from the moment Reception answered our call. Our routine...read more pest inspection could be done the next day (a Saturday which is most convenient for full time workers). Karl arrived at 7am with a smile to complete the service and carried out the work efficiently informing us of the process where required. Thanks team.
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Chris Burt
2 years ago
Very professional and able to identify our pest problem on the spot. Was on time and great communication with admin girls via...read more phone. Very conscious of keeping our pet safe after the treatment which was a classy touch. Highly recommend!
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Phill
6 months ago
Great people and always helpful and providing a good service.
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Lorrie Cruickshanks
a year ago
Thank you to Garyn who first identified the issues, he was extremely thorough and prompt and then to John and Janine and...read more the team who treated and area and placed the baits. The process was fully explained and they were extremely courteous and very professional. Thank you to all the team. The office also kept us up to date with when their representatives would be visiting and this is very much appreciated. Great work.
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Donna Hamerton
a year ago
After reading reviews, I'm glad that I chose Pest-Ex. Maria in the office was more than understanding to accommodate me and times....read more I was able to get a booking the same day I made the enquiry. Garyn my technician was even able to come earlier. When he arrived he was happy to explain everything that was going to happen and how to work around my pets and children. Need pest control done - hire these guys.
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Phoebe Worth
2 years ago
Impressed with the service. The technician Steve was on time, friendly and thorough - you could tell he was not rushing the...read more job. Will be using Pest-Ex again. Thanks guys!
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Mickey Ketch
a year ago
This company actually investigates the problem instead of just spraying your place and leaving. Very HIGH knowledge and experience in what they...read more do. They took the time to investigate the cause, the source of the problem and elimnated it completely which included going through every cupboard, cracks hiding spots the lot. We had a cochroach problem in our apartment for 3 months and we had 4 different companies come out and NONE of them investigated they only sprayed. After we called PestEx, Mr. Phillips was very knowledgeable and experienced eliminating our problem entirely. We also use PestEx in our shop and both Mr Phillips and Marty are EXCELLENT in resolving and maintaining pest problems. HIGHLY RECOMMEND PEST EX. BEST I'VE SEEN IN QUEENSLAND.