Termite Inspection — 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

Conquer Termites asked to talk on Channel 7 News

October 5, 2011 By Rowan Bate Leave a Comment

As a leading company in the pest control industry, Channel 7 News approached Conquer Termites to offer an insight into the reported increase in termite infestations due to last year’s summer of rain.

It was a devastating time for the homeowners that were affected by the January flood waters. For many, however, it seems somehow even worse as repair work reveals home after home now infested with termites. Many homeowners were completely unaware that they had termites.

Most of these homeowners were completely unaware that they had termites in their homes. Many had even had prior Termite Management Systems installed on their properties, some as little as a year before. Needless to say, on top of spiraling costs of repairing their homes, having to live elsewhere in the meantime, and replacing what they’d lost, termite damage just seemed almost too cruel.

The sad fact is though, that in many of South East Queensland’s flood stricken areas, soil treated with termiticide would have simply been washed away by those once-in-a-generation floods. Given their utter dependence on moist soil and humidity, and really the only creatures enjoying that summer of rain were the termites.

Even as the flood waters receded and the floods themselves began to fade from the consciousness of most of us, the biggest problem is the residual moisture left in the soil. All of this extra moisture has enabled termites to forage even further from their colonies than they normally would, looking for any cellulose material to feed on (trees, wood, your home…).

The Queen Termite (who can actually lay easily over 1000 eggs a day!) knows that conditions for foraging are ideal and therefore starts laying still more eggs (up to 2ooo a day!), creating extra termites needing to be fed. If that colony of termites is near your home, and has grown so much larger, it is going to do far more damage to your property than a colony would in a ‘normal’ year.

And the floods along with the drawn out clean up have created the perfect storm for termite infestation. Moist soil, high humidity and debris or building materials left up against your home have created the ideal environment for subterranean termites to make their way into your home.

And certainly, due to the skyrocketing reports we are getting, this does seem to have been the case in Brisbane and South East Queensland this year.

Remember, as temperatures start to rise, humidity soars, and experts predicting a reasonably wet summer, NOW is the time to take control and beat the termites. Call a qualified Pest Control Technician out to your home now for a thorough termite inspection. Conquer Termites offers a free half hour check if you are concerned and just need some reassurance.

And of course, there are things that YOU can do to help protect your home. Remove any mulch, tree branches and building materials from up against your home (you ideally want at least a 30 or 40cm gap between your structure and any of these materials). Fix any leaking taps, air conditioning or hot water systems. Don’t make conditions any more appealing for the termites than they already are. Check downstairs and make sure that you don’t have any stored boxes or furniture up against the walls or frames, or blocking access that could be vital in a Pest Inspection.

If you have been affected by flood waters around your home, then we strongly recommend you get a professional inspector to check if your treatment has been disturbed.

If you want professional advice and a no obligation quote to treat your home, then Conquer Termites is your best bet.

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

Let’s use the coming weeks and months to get ready for a wet summer and make sure we make our properties as uninviting to termites as we possibly can!

Filed Under: General News Item, Pest Control News, Termite News Tagged With: Conquer Termites in the Media, Pest Inspection, Termite Inspection

Termite Inspections – meet some of the tools of our trade.

September 29, 2011 By Melissa Mitchell Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever wondered what to expect during your termite inspection, we thought now was a good time to introduce you to some of the tools we use on the job. A termite technician’s tools range from the hi-tech thermal imaging products all the way down to simple screwdrivers and tappers.

A termite tapper is one of the most simple, but valuable pieces of equipment we will use in your pest inspection. It is run along the skirting bards and any exposed timber and a technician is able to hear a change in tone that may alert him to possible signs of timber damage.

A Termite Tapper is one of the most useful tools in a pest & termite inspection

If a difference in tone is detected, a simple screwdriver can be used to examine the wood and see if it is compromised – i.e if the termites have eaten it.

Our Tramex Moisture Meter

Another tool often seen at a Pest Inspection is a Moisture Meter. As it’s name suggests, a moisture meter is used to detect levels of moisture in internal walls. A higher moisture level than normal can be a good indicator of termite activity, as they require moist, humid conditions for survival. They also leave a moist trail as they work and feed. The termite tapper and the moisture meter are used in every termite inspection conducted by Conquer Termites Brisbane.

Borescope

A borescope would be used if the moisture meter is not conclusive, we would drill a small hole in the wall and insert the borescope to get a better look at what is going on inside of your walls. It can be used to determine if there is current activity or to get a better picture of how much damage termites have done to your structure. It’s a great chance for you to get a look at the termites (should you be so inclined) without having to disturb them.

Termatrac

Next in our arsenal is something we blogged about recently – our Termatrac. A termatrac detects motion inside walls and can be a better first step than opening walls and disturbing active termites (thus encouraging them to move to an even less accessible spot in your home). Invented and developed in Australia it uses microwave technology to detect termites hidden below the surface of timber, plaster board, brick or masonry with no interference to the building material or termite activity.
A termatrac is comprised of two parts: a sensor unit that is applied to a surface to pick up any termite activity, and a main control unit which we use to assess the data fed back to us.

Thermal Imaging Camera

We recently used one of these in a job in Sunnybank Hills (Nick’s South Central Territory) just the other day. Thermal imaging is a technology that will detect differentials in heat energy. If termites have a concentration of activity in a certain area or a nesting inside your walls, the camera will pick up the heat caused by that activity. If there is a lot of activity, it will show up on a Thermal Imagine Camera as hot spots. In the Sunnybank Hills job last week we had suspected termite infestation in a window frame, but our moisture meter had failed to pick anything up. By using the thermal imaging camera, we were able to detect a few hot spots and by also teaming this up with the borescope, we were able to find a lot more termite activity in the wall cavity and in the timber frame.

It’s a useful tool, but it has it’s limits, particularly here in Brisbane, or in the rest of South East Queensland. If the ambient temperature of the wall is the same as the termite workings (for example over 23 degrees celcius), a thermal camera isn’t necessarily going to pick anything up. As well, just as in our Sunnybank job, if that particular spot only has a small amount of termites, then we are going to need to introduce other tools to get a better picture of what’s going on.

While we all are inclined to feel ‘safer’ and better looked after if we have the latest gadgetry at our disposal, it’s good to remember that sometimes time honoured, simpler methods can be more successful, or should at the very least be used in conjunction with newer methods. They do not replace the tools we have been using successfully for years.

Filed Under: Termite Detection, Termite Inspection, Uncategorized Tagged With: borescope, moisture meter, South Central Brisbane, Termatrac, Termite Inspection, termitetapper, tools

Termites – not a happy surprise for an Underwood Renovator

September 26, 2011 By Melissa Mitchell Leave a Comment

source: www.squidoo.com

I received a phone call from a new customer in Underwood last week, who had found probably the last thing that a renovator wants to find. He and his builders had been cutting a hole in his brickwork and found live termites! Obviously, we organised a thorough termite inspection to be done as soon as possible.

A lot of people with brick homes tend to think they are safe from termite infestation, when in fact they are just as susceptible as anyone else. A lot of homes are simply brick veneer, and these can be some of the worst, as the termites can crawl behind the veneer and remain undetected for a long time. Did you know that termites can actually be eating your house, undetected for up to 10 years? This alone seems a good reason to have regular inspections if there ever was one.

Even double brick homes with steel frames can come under attack from these determined little creatures. A CSIRO termite specialist says “They just get in and start eating the architraves or the paper on plasterboard, that sort of thing. Just because your house doesn’t have timber framing doesn’t mean they won’t get you.”

In fact, termites can squeeze through a crack as small as 2mms. There are very few homes that can claim that they wouldn’t have an entry that small somewhere in their home or foundation.

Obviously, this Underwood home had been under attack for quite some time. Not only did we confirm the live activity his builders had found, but with the help of a thorough inspection and our thermal imaging camera (more about that in another post) we were able to detect other areas of live activity that they may never have found. One of these was so extensive that the entire hardwood stud had been eaten through all the way to the roof. The damage to this stud was completely concealed! Termites by their very nature are sneaky. They prefer to eat their food (this Underwood home, in this case) from the inside out. They do this to protect the virtually blind colony from predators (and detection) and control the humidity and moisture that they need to survive.

We also found termite damage and live activity up in the roof void. Obviously, our Underwood customer booked in a chemical treatment on the spot. And since he booked in September, he was able to take advantage of our Spring/Summer deal and we deducted the price of his inspection and we threw in the foaming treatment (which is an excellent short term way of dealing with the live termites found. A complete chemical treatment is usually strongly recommended). So the only good piece of news our poor homeowner got that day was a handy $400 saving. He was very relieved, however at the thoroughness of the inspection and the areas we were able to detect that they may not otherwise have done.

Remember, if you are extending your home, it’s vital that you also extend any chemical treatments you have in place, to make sure that your entire home is still protected. Even if you haven’t detected any termite activity yourself, to be safe you should book a termite inspection at least every 6-12 months. And if you DO find any termites, be careful not to disturb them. This is only going to encourage them to move to an even harder to detect area.

For a free half hour check, or a termite inspection, please give Conquer Termites a call. You can find us covering just about all of Brisbane.

Conquer Termites North Side – 3356 8801

Conquer Termites South Side – 3399 1226

Conquer Termites South Central -0432 721 715

Filed Under: Case Studies, South Central Brisbane, Termite Detection Tagged With: Brick Home, Brisbane, termite, Termite Inspection, Termite treatment, Underwood

Good Timing with a Termidor Treatment in Morningside

September 4, 2011 By Rowan Bate Leave a Comment

We say to all of our customers that the best way to protect your home from a termite infestation is to have a current chemical treatment in place. This became strikingly apparent when we were installing a chemical treatment around a house on Thynne Rd, Morningside. The homeowners requested a treatment for peace of mind. They didn’t think they had termites but they knew that the previous chemical treatment had expired.

It turned out to be a very good decision. When conducting the free termite inspection before the treatment was installed, David, one of our technicians, found live termites in the front rooms of the house. It wasn’t long before the the team dug a trench along the front perimeter and found a concealed termite lead travelling into the structure. We treated the termites in the house and installed a chemical treatment using the transfer termiticide, Termidor.

Don’t leave it until the last minute with your home. Even though you might think you don’t have termites, they could be infesting and damaging your valuable home in a completely concealed manner.

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: Case Studies, Termite Detection, Termite Inspection, Termite treatment Tagged With: Brisbane South, Conquer Termites, Morningside, Pest Inspection, Termite Inspection, Termites in Morningside, White ant attack in Morningside

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.

Filed Under: Termite Detection, Termite Inspection, Termite News, Termite treatment Tagged With: Brisbane North, Chapel Hill, Chermside, Chermside West, McDowall, North Lakes, Redcliffe, Stafford, Stafford Heights, Termatrac, Termidor, Termite Detection, Termite Inspection, Termite Management System, Termite Nest, The Gap, Timbersure

Which Termite Treatment Is The Best? Case Study – McDowall

July 14, 2011 By Joel Leave a Comment

For anyone involved in the Pest Control and Termite Inspection industry, this is probably one of the questions we get asked most. What is the best product?

And while it is true that some termite management products hold advantages over others (and certainly we choose our products carefully here at Conquer Termites); there isn’t necessarily going to be just one product or chemical to answer that question.

The real answer is this: the best defense for your home against termites is one that is properly installed and that suits the construction style of your home.

While we are busy doing our thorough termite inspection of your home, we are doing far more than just locating the termites. We are also analyzing which system would best suit the needs of your home.

While carrying out a house inspection and termite treatment at a property at McDowall, in Brisbane’s north, we saw up close the damage that can be done when that important factor isn’t considered.

You can see in this photo taken at the McDowall home, 2 different termite management systems in place, a reticulation system, and a well known chemical and physical barrier. This in itself is not uncommon, and both of these products are relatively popular and found commonly in Brisbane.

But to the dismay of the owners, it has come down to something as basic as poor installation that has now allowed easy access for termites.

Incorrect Installation of Termite Management Systems

It can be difficult to see, as this photo was taken in the subfloor of the property, but the purple reticulation system is at soil level and should have been repacked in soil after installation. The other, more obvious termite management system, the orange physical barrier is only effective if it encircles the entire area, not just part of it as we saw in this home.

There is nothing at all wrong with either of the chemicals or products used here. Had they been installed correctly they absolutely should have been enough to keep this house safe from termites for years to come, as well as the kind of damage this McDowall homeowner is now faced with.

So remember, when talking to the person doing your property inspection; don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t just ask which treatment chemical they recommend, but also which treatment protocol they feel will best keep your home safe.

If you live in a suburb like McDowall, Bridgeman Downs or others with estates that may have been built in the last 15 years or so and may have been treated at the same time, give Conquer Termites North Side a call on 3356 8801