Termite Detection — 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

Termites and Ant Capping – Detecting Termites in an Albany Creek Home

August 26, 2011 By Joel Leave a Comment

One of the most common misconceptions we face in the Termite industry is regarding physical barriers, especially Ant Capping. A lot of new homes are built with phyical barriers in place to help ward off termites. And while in many cases physical termite shielding can deter termites; this is definitely not the case (or even the reason for using) Ant capping.

Ant capping is where a sheet of metal would be placed along the top of a brick wall or on the top of timber or concrete piers. Usually houses with subfloors would be the most likely to have ant capping installed.

It’s interesting to note that the most useful application for ant capping is on top of timber piers. These can often be completely hollowed out by termites, with little or no evidence on the outside for homeowners to detect. But with the ant capping, the termites are forced to get around it, making their workings visible (provided the builder didn’t nail the ant cap to the pier. This can create a hole that over time rusts and allows hidden termite access).

The most useful thing about ant capping is that it provides a visual inspection zone. It is absolutely imperative that they are checked, because as mentioned in an earlier post; ant capping won’t actually STOP termites. It will just make their workings obvious if they are active.

Subfloors are particularly susceptible because people rarely like to enter them, so this allows termite activity to go unnoticed for far longer than perhaps it would elsewhere in the property. Unfortunately, this was the case in this Albany Creek home we did recently. The photo below shows the termite workings that had been treated several years earlier, but that ant capping hadn’t stopped the termites infestation.

So, especially if you have subfloors (but for any home really with a physical barrier in place), make sure you maintain regular visual inspections of your home wherever ant capping is in place.

It is also important that a professional termite inspection is carried out at least once a year. You want a trained eye looking over your biggest possession and keeping it safe from timber pests.

For a free half hour termite check, if you live in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, call Conquer Termites North Side on 3356 8801. For those on Brisbane’s south, call Rowan on 3399 1226 and our newest franchise (more about this on Monday!), in Brisbane’s South Central suburbs, call Nick on 3343 3934.

You can be assured that all of Conquer Termite Brisbane’s technicians know just what they’re looking for and can help you keep your home safe.

Filed Under: Termite Detection, Termite treatment Tagged With: Albany Creek, Ant Capping, Brisbane North, Free Half Hour Check, Pest Inspection, Physical Barriers, Subfloors, Termite Detection, Termites, Timber Pests

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.