Recently a firm in Tingalpa got caught out when they placed palettes of valuable processed timber directly over joins in the concrete floor, providing a good example of why you shouldn’t leave timber on the ground. There were many large native trees surrounding this storage shed, so there were always going to an abundance of foraging termites. It only takes a gap of a few millimeter for termites to squeeze through and build mud leads into the pile of timber they want to eat. Remember, termites don’t tunnel deep. They normally only operate 20cm under the ground, foraging in a fairly haphazard manner. Once they chance upon some desirable timber, they quickly bridge out of the ground, protected by their mud workings.

Treating storage shed at Boss Wrecking

Normally we would recommend to remove any timber off the ground - problem solved. In this case the company need to continue using this shed to store the timbers before they delivered them to customers. So we suggested a treatment proposal of drilling and injecting along the all the joins. That way we can guarantee no termites will venture out of the ground again.

If you have timber stored under your house sitting directly on the ground, you are asking for trouble. You have basically placed a meal right on top of an area the termites can freely forage.

Placing stacks of timber on pavers, concrete blocks or bricks does provide separation and better visual detection, but it doesn’t stop termites. If you don’t think you’ll use the timber in the near future, dispose it responsibly. Once gone, no longer a potential problem. Or build suspended racks that you fasten to the floor joists to store the timbers. That way no part of the structure is in contact with the ground.

If you have found termites in some stacked or loose timber, give us a call to arrange a time to assess the situation. Call now on 1300 417 007