Many of us live in areas where termites flourish. For Australians, they live just about everywhere
people live. For the USA, termites exist in most of the southern half of the nation. Much of
Europe, all of Africa and most of South America is also troubled termites. That means that a
lot of the world’s population need to protect their properties against termites.
And the best way to do that is with annual termite inspections.
Some Background On Costs Of Termite Damage
In Australia, the average cost to a home suffering termite damage is $10,000. Talking to a local
termite inspector, Gold Coast Pest Inspector, we found many real world examples much higher
than that. Richard regularly finds properties with damage coming close to the $100,000 mark.
Termites can cause this damage without being noticed. The move through the home in the
timbers and in roof cavities where you can’t see them. All the while they’re eating your timbers
into a fragile honeycomb, then moving onto the next part of your home. Before you realise you
have termites, you’ve already sustained a lot of damage.
These termites do leave telltale marks of their travels though. A good pest inspector knows to
look for signs of progress, like mud tubes, and knows where to inspect for termites. They will lift
carpets, tap walls, stalk roof cavities, and crawl under homes looking for signs of termites.
Why Annual Termite Inspections?
Perhaps you’ve got a termite solution in place. So you don’t need to do inspections, you think.
That’s incorrect. Even the best termite baiting solutions need regular inspections. Some require
six month inspections. We’re suggesting annual inspections here not as a definite time period
but as a minimum therefore. We’re also saying you need them regardless of whether you have a
termite solution in place or not.
Many termite baiting solutions will be sold with inspections included. Your pest inspector will
come back and inspect the bait stations for termite activity within a period of weeks or months.
Then annual inspections will ensure the bait stations are always topped up with yummy stuff to
attract termites. And kill them. It’s also a time for the inspector to recheck your property and
make sure you haven’t had a termite incursion.
We recently had Trelona ATBS installed on our property. It is a termite baiting system. As with
many bait systems, the pest control agent will return soon to inspect the baits he installed.
These bait stations are installed every three metres around the property. They’re close enough
together that the termites can’t wander past one without being attracted to its irresistible baits.
When termites feed, they lay a scent for other termites to follow to that feed source. In this way,
many termites feed on the baits. They then take the poison with them back to the colony,
poisoning that colony and thus causing colony collapse.
There are other methods of fighting termites. Some homeowners opt to have holes drilled
around their home into which poison is sprayed. We preferred to avoid this solution. It seems
like a lot of poison is introduced into the soil. We also live close to water catchments and the
beach. Our sandy soil would allow for dispersal of the termite poison. A baiting system like the
one we got contains the poison in small bait pellets that only the termite will access. I’m
confident that we’re limiting the environment to exposure.
Putting that aside, whichever solution you choose, make sure you get it inspected at least
annually. The Trelona ATBS system we used requires annual inspections. Please consult with a
certified termite solution expert for inspection intervals on your solution. Annual inspections
mean peace of mind. They also ensure your termite control solution is working. And that you’ll
be aware of any termite activity before it gets too expensive.
