Termidor — Conquer Termites

Shailer Park Pest Inspection – Just in the nick of time.

November 14, 2011 By Melissa Mitchell Leave a Comment

Another quick post about Conquer Termites South Central. Nick was doing a termite inspection recently on a property at Shailer Park and very quickly confirmed the presence of active termites in one of the bedrooms. As he made his way around the home, speaking to the homeowner he discovered that the entire family was just weeks away from an extended trip to Malaysia. Obviously, weeks before an overseas trip is a less than ideal time to have to worry about the added expense of a Termite Management System, though obviously, it is not something that can be left.

Outside the home he came across a beautiful old Redgum that clearly had a lot of termite damage. It was apparent that this was the source of the initial termite nest. 100 metres away, at the garage he found extensive damage to the external weatherboard. The termites (schedorhinotermes, the most prolific termites in South East Queensland) had managed to travel the 100 metres to the garage and then further into the home to do their damage. Clearly, the nest had been in place for quite some time.

There was really very little choice but for the Home Owner to agree to an immediate Termite Management Treatment Plan. As soon as they understood the extent of the damage already done to the home, and more importantly, the potential for much, much more they agreed. We straight away treated the home and the detached garage with Termidor. In addition, Nick drilled 5 holes deep into the redgum (each one of these meeting giant cavities in the tree, more evidence that this was the source of the trouble) and injected 2L of Termidor into each of them. This should take care of the original colony and the nest, adding further protection to this home.

Shailer Park, while being a lovely area, is very leafy and most properties are surrounded by wonderful huge trees – perfect places for subterranean termites to nest and start making thier way to your homes. In areas such as this, regular checks are absolutely vital to the safety of your home. Had the Shailer Park home owner been having regular checks done, this tree would have been noticed by a qualified pest inspector long ago, probably before the termites made it any where near the home.

Remember, if you have ANY concerns at all, give Conquer Termites a call for a free termite check.

Find us here on our booking page, on Facebook or on Twitter (@ConquerTermites). Or call us direct –Southside – Rowan : 3399 1226/0408 016 090; North Side – Alan: 3356 8801/0437 655 801 or South Central – Nick: 3343 3934/0432 721 715

Pest Inspection Shailer Park

Termite Inspection Shailer Park

Termite Treatment Shailer Park

Termidor Shailer Park

Termites Shailer Park

Filed Under: South Central Brisbane, Termite Detection, Termite Inspection, Termite treatment Tagged With: Shailer Park, Termidor, Termite Detection, Termite Inspection

Parkinson Termite Treatment – NO job too hard for Conquer Termites

October 14, 2011 By Melissa Mitchell Leave a Comment

Recently we were contacted by a home-owner in Parkinson. He had previously had a treatment done on his property by a well known local franchised Pest Control company. In their yearly inspection, they had discovered that the termites had returned and had an active nest in the front yard (remember – old sleepers used as garden barriers are a very inviting meal for uninvited house guests).

The Pest Controller gave our customer a very vague ‘plan of action’, with little information, using an inferior generic baiting system, no reassurance to the homeowner that the treatment would be successful (obviously the technician didn’t have a lot of faith in his own system, so how can he expect his customers to?) and a whopping quote!

Smart man that he is, our homeowner immediately set to work doing his own research. He investigated local Brisbane Termite Management Companies and found our website. He familiarized himself with our preferred Termidor treatment (this is the termiticide we prefer to use, it has at this point proved to be far superior to anything else on the market) and then looked for reviews on both the company and the termidor termite treatment system. (This is a good tip for anyone looking for a termite inspection or termite treatment. Ask around. Look online for recommendations and testimonials. Nothing speaks louder than a satisfied {or dissatisfied} customer).

He called us the next day and Nick from Conquer Termites South Central came out to look at the property. Nick is a termite specialist and offered (as all Conquer Termite Technicians do) a free assessment of the property and consultation with the homeowner on the best course of action for their home. (No two homes are exactly the same, so treatment recommendations will vary).

Nick spent time with the homeowner, answering his questions and addressing his concerns honestly, and straightforwardly (no fear tactics or pressure sales from a Conquer Termites technician – our promise to you). Nick detailed a Termite Management Plan, left the customer and his wife with a DVD about Termidor and how it works, and then left them to make an informed decision on their own.

It didn’t take them long. Impressed by Nick’s obvious expertise in both termites and Termidor, the thoroughness of his assessment and his professionalism, as well as his very reasonable quote; the homeowner was confident enough to call Nick back the very next day.

We were fortunate to be able to get started on the job just 3 days later (always a welcome relief to an anxious homeowner who has termites taking up residence in his property).

Nick started with a full, thorough inspection. Using his thermal imagine camera, as well as his other tools, he conducted a comprehensive search for termite workings. Fortunately there were none yet in the customer’s home. A full Termite Management Treatment was still the recommended course of action (to prevent an infestation) and the team got started right away.

It was, admittedly, a large, slightly complicated job. There were hot water systems and air conditioning units to work around. And then – there was the deck.

Nick had to remove about 20m of pavers to install the termiticide

To install the Termidor treatment he had to carefully lift up about 20 metres of pavers, dig a trench to remove the crusher dust. Then he applied termiticide to the soil at the bottom of the trench. He added screened soil (it’s best to use a sandy loam), and then applied more termiticide to the soil.

Then we cut a small line in the deck to pull up the existing floorboards, adding soil under the deck. We soaked the area in Termidor, saturating the soil and providing plenty of protection in that area (always be aware of areas like this, that are harder to get access to for inspections. You want to be very thorough with them).

We screwed a new bearer onto the existing one, predrilled the floorboards and nailed them back down. Certainly this was a reasonably labour intensive job but we’re proud to say that Nick and his team left that property as they had found it, you could barely tell that they had been there at all!

The end result - cleaned up, hosed down, you can barely tell there's been major work done on this deck!

Which led to one very satisfied customer, who was moved to email us this glowing testimonial (emails like this make our day, boosting all Conquer Termite Technicians. It is wonderful to feel appreciated when we work so hard to meet an exacting standard of work).

Be assured, all of Conquer Termites technicians are trained, qualified experts in our field. We take a huge amount of pride in both our customer relations and our promise that we will leave your property in the state we found it – just without the unwelcome pests.

So, if you are looking for a pest control, termite inspection or termite treatment, give Conquer Termites Brisbane a call. We are proud to offer a free half hour consultation to assess your property and give you our recommendations for the treatment that will best suit you.

Find us here on our booking page, on Facebook or on Twitter (@ConquerTermites). Or call us direct – Southside – Rowan : 3399 1226; North Side – Alan: 3356 8801 or South Central – Nick: 3343 3934

Filed Under: South Central Brisbane, Termite Detection, Termite Inspection, Termite treatment, Uncategorized Tagged With: Conquer Termite South Central, Termidor, Termite Inspection, Termite treatment, Testimonials

Why you should consider an Altis Reticulation system for your Termite Treatment

September 18, 2011 By Melissa Mitchell Leave a Comment

Altis Reticulation Fill Point

Recently, on a job in one of Brisbane’s Northern Suburbs, Enoggera, I was able to discuss the benefits of installing a reticulation system before he laid a new slab on his property. The homeowner believed, as do so many, that simply spraying a termiticide before pouring the slab would be sufficient. And certainly, if you only want to think short term, then it can be a solution.

But if you’re spending your hard earned money on protecting one of your most valuable assets, then it’s worth thinking long term and finding a treatment plan that is going to be best for you and your property in the years to come.

There are very definite benefits to installing a reticulation system, especially if you’re about to lay down a concrete slab or pavers. Spraying chemical termiticides will certainly prevent termite infestations, but they have a somewhat limited life span, meaning that every few years, your property will need to be retreated. This is an expensive (though necessary) and sometimes messy, complicated procedure that can involve drilling through your concrete at intervals and filling with chemical.

The difference with a reticulation system like Altis is that when it needs to be refreshed, rather than the hassle and expense involved in having to dig trenches, remove pavers, and drill through concrete (as much as we make an effort to leave things as exactly as we found them); the Reticulation system can simply be refilled from one or two fill points. All we need to do is hook up our hoses and fill away! We can continue in this manner for basically the life of your home.

Altis’ patented (in fact, an Australian invention) specially designed delivery points (or emitters) ensure an even, continuous flow of chemical. While spraying termites is generally effective, it can be a little haphazard, and a termite really only needs a gap of a couple of mms of untreated soil to gain entry into your structure. Having an even, controlled amount of chemical delivered to all areas of your property can help prevent gaps and a breach.

This Altis emitter system’s membrane makes sure that no soil (or termites) gets back into the pipes, so it can’t be clogged up. And studies show that over a 50m distance there is an even distribution of termiticide over the entire area. So from that one fill point (if you go in both directions and wrap around the property) an entire home can be protected. No other reticulation system has been able to make this claim, which is why we choose to work with Altis.

Of course, like any other termite treatment, a condition of the Altis reticulation system warranty is yearly inspections (as well as one no more than 3 months after installation) and then retreatment if there has been a breach. Make sure that your Altis reticulation system has been installed by a trained and accredited technician.

Be assured that all technicians at Conquer Termites Brisbane are fully accredited in the installation of Altis reticulations systems. If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to call the Conquer Termites office in your area.

Conquer Termites Northside – 3356 8801

Conquer Termites Southside – 3399 1226

Conquer Termites South Central – 3343 3934

The distinctive purple piping of an Altis Reticulation System

Filed Under: Termite treatment Tagged With: Altis, Reticulation System, Termidor, Termite treatment

How Termatrac can be a useful tool in detecting termites – West Chermside Termite Treatment

July 18, 2011 By Conquer Termites Leave a Comment

Termatrac uses microwave signals to detect movement

Earlier this month, we were called to a house in the Northern Brisbane suburb of Chermside West, where the homeowners suspected that they had termites inside their home.

When we arrived at the job, we did, indeed find evidence of Schedorhinotermes – a very common termite found in South East Queensland.

We do a lot of work in West Chermside and surrounding suburbs such as Chermside, Stafford, Bridgeman Downs, Stafford Heights and McDowall, and come across this timid species of termite frequently.

While they are known generally to create their nests outside of the home, they often make small sub-nests (called bivouacs) inside walls, sub-floors and roof voids.

We found evidence that the termites were coming up the bathroom wall and eating into the window frame. Even when we can initially only see evidence of termites in one wall, it is vitally important in a good termite inspection, to know just how many areas have termite involvement. The last thing you as a homeowner want from any Termite Inspection is for the termite technician to miss areas of infestation. So we turned to one of a Termite technician’s most valuable tools – a Termatrac.

Termatrac uses microwave signals to detect movement

Termatrac is a small yellow monitoring device that sends microwave signals into walls to detect movement. Tempting as it can be when you first suspect termites, it’s not always the best idea to go in all guns-blazing and start tearing apart walls, trying to catch them out. A termatrac is a reliable way to quickly and accurately detect movement without making them more skittish before we can treat them.

When we used the Termatrac in this West Chermside bathroom, we found that the termites were also inside the adjoining, internal walls of the structure. Using Termatrac as we continued on with the termite inspection, we later also detected termites entering the house in the entertainment room, on the other side of the house! Once again, the Termatrac had done its job and helped us locate all of the termites in the property.

Termite Damage in Window Frame

All areas of activity were immediately treated with a foaming treatment using Termidor and our follow up inspection showed that all termite activity had ceased. The termites were gone.

We then installed a full chemical treatment using Termidor to prevent any further termite infestations and were able to also offer the homeowner a Timbersure warranty to the value of $100 000. (Read more here to learn more about the absolute peace of mind that a Timbersure Warranty can offer you).

Overall, we left this Chermside West homeowner with an excellent result – a neat and tidy finish to the treated areas, and more importantly – no termites in their home. And with the Timbersure Warranty, he can follow up with our yearly inspections to make sure his home remains termite free.

If you have a home in any of Brisbane’s northern suburbs, from Chermside or North Lakes to Redcliffe, Chapel Hill and The Gap, be sure to call Al, Andy or Joel from Conquer Termites North Side on 3356 8801. There’s a good chance that the Termatrac will form a part of your Termite Inspection.