The CSIRO reports that termites cause more damage than fire and that more than one in five houses have termite damage with an estimated damage bill of more than $100 million every year.

Termites are often referred to as "White Ants" but they share very few characteristics with ants. There are a number of visual ways of distinguishing between Ants and Termites.

Many Termite species are important in relation to our environment and feed on fallen trees and bushland and in doing so replace the lost nutrients and minerals back into the soil. Of the more than 300 species approximately 30 are a significant menace to man.

Termites are social insects. This means that, like Bees as well as Ants, they have a well developed social order which is controlled by a Queen. The other members of a termite colony or castes are a king, workers, soldiers, reproductives and alates. All of these castes contribute in individual ways to growth of a colony. Each colony can contain up to 1 million termites.

The Queen can lay over 1000 eggs per day and can live for up to 25 years. She and the King initiate the colony and produce the eggs until the colony matures. When the Queen dies a replacement from the chosen reproductives takes her place.

A Soldier's function is to protect the colony from intruders as well as to guard workers when they are absent from the colony gathering food. They are males and females whose reproductive organs and sexual characteristics have not yet formed.

Worker castes do the work in the colony. They are the primary locators of the food source and feeders of the other members of the colony.

Reproductives are the future Kings and Queens of colonies yet to be developed or replacements of existing if they die. They are less susceptible to the outside environment than other castes. When fully developed they acquire wings and swarm in the warmer months leaving their parent colony. These new colonies are usually set up in the bases of trees or where moisture and food is evident.

Through the construction of tunnels both underground and over edges of concrete slabs, up subfloor walls and over or through items that appear in their way, they can travel a radius of at least 50 metres and to a depth of at least 300mm underneath the ground. Shelter Tubes are built if they need to travel above ground over items to get to food and also to protect them from the dry air outside and other insect predators.

The common needs of termites is a food source in the form of any cellulose based materials, a moisture source and high humidity. Living trees, grass, timber and timber byproducts including paper and cardboard are all cellulose rich materials. Moisture is a major factor as Termites have thin cuticles which they shed several times during their growth. If a Termite is unable to grow a new skin, it will dehydrate and die. Obviously timber and cellulose based materials also encourage their development. Both of these factors contribute to the continuing development of the several castes which depend on one another for the survival of the colony.

Wooden articles, wood piles and cardboard boxes stored in direct ground contact or underneath buildings provide termites with a food source and an easier way to the rest of your building. DO NOT store or place these materials in direct ground contact, i.e. either bare soil or concrete.

If the termites are located and disturbed then they may not return to the colony or the colony might prevent them from returning. If at all possible DO NOT disturb them. Any competent Termite Specialist will also avoid disturbing termites at the assessment stage.

DO NOT spray the area with insecticides. The termites that you spray are easily killed but this does not effect the source of the problem, the colony. In most situations other termites from the same colony will return and the damage continues, sometimes in the same place but at other times in other locations.

DO NOT have trees, plants, mulch, gardens or bark type materials too close to the residence. Any cellulose based materials should be removed to provide a 300mm wide strip between the garden and the structure and a more inert material such as stone or pebbles be substituted. In the case of plants, ensure that they are trimmed regularly. Trees should be removed from close proximity to any structure. A rule of thumb for trees or shrubs is: Distance = Twice the height.

DO NOT cover weep holes in brickwork or build soil up over slab edges. Ensure that you DO NOT place any plastic or newspaper on gardens any closer than 300mm to a building.

If there is a tap, shower, hot water system or anything else leaking around the premises DO NOT overlook it. Ring a plumber and get the problem fixed. Termites are attracted to moisture.

If you have a Subfloor area ensure that ventilation is adequate. DO NOT allow moisture and or dampness to build up.

DO NOT let poor Subfloor Drainage attract termites to your house. If there is excess water contact a plumber to help solve the problem.

DO NOT disturb any Chemical Barrier against a building. If you do you should arrange to have the barrier replaced as soon as possible.

Consult with us and seek our advice. We can provide you with a range of solutions some of which you could carry out yourself at little or no cost. Some of the solutions which we carry out might appear costly but when measured against the asset you are having protected then the cost is very low.

If purchasing:
It is important that the property is inspected prior to that purchase proceeding to the unconditional stage. Have the requirement for an inspection written into the contract. Liaise with us to arrange an inspection.

If you own:
You should have the property checked and it should be checked annually, at least.

If you have had any termite treatment carried out, either preventive or curative, you need to have the property checked out at least once per year.

The inspection: Inspections require a systematic approach and attention to detail. During each inspection we inspect the following areas:

• Grounds, landscaping, fences, exterior, interior and roof void.
• During that inspection we would carry out a visual check of all exposed timbers, including skirtings, architraves to doors and windows, ceiling timbers as well as to fences, gardens and landscaping.
• There is a special focus on areas close the structure/s to matters such as weep holes; closeness of gardens, plants, shrubs and trees; areas of excessive moisture; poor building practices (from a termite management point of view); bathrooms, toilets and kitchen areas, and ceiling spaces.
• As an added option, at a small additional cost, we would use our Termatrac termite tracking equipment or thermal imaging camera.

During the Inspection our technician takes notes of what he/she sights and our Office Staff produce a typewritten report. The Report is approximately 10 pages and contains a brief description on the property and the areas we inspected.

We also advise why we have not inspected certain areas and areas of high risk where access must be gained. The presence or absence of Termites (including the species if active) is also reported on as is the presence or absence of Borers and Wood Decay.

Finally we provide details of potential problems and remedial action which is necessary and costs associated with any work which we recommend that we perform. Some recommendations may need to be costed by other trades, e.g. plumbers, carpenters, etc.

All competent Termite Specialists use most of their Senses:

• Sight- Obvious areas (to the trained eye) where there is damage, mud oozing out of cracks, timber which is damaged, swollen or disturbed, doors which don't fit properly or paint or timber which is discoloured.
• Sound- Termites make a specific noise when agitated and once heard it is a case of never forgotten
• Smell- Termites generate methane gas. This is odourless, however because of the amount of moisture usually associated with reasonable quantities of termites there is usually odour generated by mould and rotting timber
• Feel- Damage can usually be felt. Either because of unevenness, weakness in timber or plaster or moisture from their workings

In addition we also use a range of equipment which includes:

• Pest probe
• Torch
• Knife
• Ladder
• Moisture Meter
• Borescope
• Termatrac
• Root Probe
• Measuring Wheel
• Overalls
• Knee Pads
• Compass
• Pad, Pen and Paper

The dusting process is usually Stage 1 of a Stage 2 treatment program. The second stage involves placement of a chemical barrier in the ground or use of some additional strategy. In some cases dusts can also be used in monitoring stations when significant activity is discovered. Dusting by itself is a very risky undertaking as termites can readily reinfest. Three products are available to perform dustings. These are Termidor® Dust, Intrigue® and Arsenic Trioxide.

Small holes are made in timber that has been attacked or into the termite trails, dust is then applied into the workings through the holes by means of a small puffer and the holes covered to re-seal the workings and to prevent dust escaping. Please refer to the information below on the different dust formulations.

Termidor Dust
Termidor® Dust is non repellent and is 95.5% food alpha cellulose – which is the same material used as the food source in most of the termite bait systems. The termites will go about their normal activities long enough to transfer the Termidor® Dust to numerous other unsuspecting termites, until it is spread throughout the colony. By the time they begin feeling the effects, it’s too late, the colony has received a lethal dose. Numerous dustings may be necessary to claim elimination.

Intrigue
A new approach to dusting using current technology. Intrigue contains an insect growth regulator, Triflumuron , which inhibits the production of chitin which is necessary to produce the hard outer skeleton of termites. Termites must shed their skin (moult) in order to grow. The Intrigue is introduced to active termite workings and is picked up by workers who pass on the triflumeron to all that they come into contact with in the colony either through feeding or by grooming. Termites that have been in contact with Intrigue will die at their next moult as they will be unable to produce chitin to form their outer skin. It is a slow acting material and at least 28 days must elapse before a second stage treatment is performed.

Only organisms which produce chitin can be affected. As Humans and other Mammals do not produce chitin it has no effect on people or animals and it can therefore be used with complete safety in all household, commercial and domestic situations.

Arsenic Trioxide
Arsenic Trioxide ( a slow acting stomach poison ) is used to eradicate undisturbed existing termite activity by introducing a fine coating of arsenic dust into the interior of active termite workings. The dust adheres to the bodies of the termites in the workings, but does not kill them immediately. As they return to the colony they will pass the dust on to other termites in the colony when grooming other termites. It takes between 10 - 20 days for this part of the treatment to take full effect. It is important that termite activity is not disturbed prior to or after this part of the treatment for it to have full effect. Some Termite species are not able to be dusted successfully with Arsenic Trioxide.

Foaming equipment uses air to expand a mixture of finished product, thus enabling the product being foamed to increase the contact surface area. This adds a lot of versatility to a liquid pesticide. We can now use known effective liquids to perform very thorough void treatments and active gallery/ nest injections.

The product expansion ratio of 30 to 1 fills gaps and crevices, delivering a lethal dose of imidacloprid directly to the termites and leaves a long lasting residual.

This technology has certain advantages even when compared to dusts:

1. The smaller the access holes, the better - Because foam forces itself through the entire space, you will get amazing horizontal or vertical coverage without needing a large access hole. As long as the hole is fairly "airtight," the foam will continue to force itself outward until it can't penetrate any further, giving complete and even coverage.
2. Both liquids and dusts have a tendency to get over applied. When we apply liquids, we are bound to have runoff. Dusts have a habit of finding holes that will end up contaminating a non target contact surface.

The greatest advantage of foams is their ability to get great penetration. It can be used doing pinpoint treatments to small insect breeding sites that are not accessible by other methods.

Foam treatments and other technologies will lead to more targeted treatments for termite control.

Dusting or Foaming Treatments are usually the 'First Stage' of a 'Two Stage' Treatment with the second stage being the placement of a Chemical Barrier into the ground to impede further attack.

If you elect to carry out a limited treatment involving Dusting or Foaming without the second stage barrier being installed then the dusting or foaming is likely to be ineffective.

Whilst the dust or the termiticide contained in the foam can eventually result in eliminating the particular termite colony which is infesting your premises at the time, the process is extremely slow and can take 6 months or possibly longer to achieve this result. Foaming is the better option because the foam penetrates further than dust and also fills all cracks and crevices for five hours or more. Dust on the other hand is only present in the spaces in galleries and workings a short time after the dust has been "pulled in". Therefore, dust has no chance of being as effective as foam.

The process is also dependent on treating 2,000 or more termites at the time of application of the dust or foam and will involve a number of dusting and foaming applications. For this reason, the cost can be nearly as expensive as having a full Two Stage Treatment.

The benefit of a Two Stage Treatment is that on completion of the work a chemical barrier is placed around the structure versus a Dusting or Foaming where only the activity is treated and there is no ongoing residual barrier to protect from attack by other termite colonies in the area.

Dusting or Foaming is also a limited process. At the time that our proposal is put forward to you we will nominate the number of visits we will make and the cost. Beyond that there is no ongoing free service provided. If you find evidence of further termite activity, even in the same area where we have previously dusted or foamed, there will be additional service costs to treat that activity.

There is no easy way to treat termites. Partial treatments are just that. They may work - but invariably termites will recur in the area where the original infestation was apparent.

This method of treatment is carried out after a dusting or foaming treatment has been completed or at other times when prior treatments are not possible or necessary. Subterranean termites make their galleries underground from the nest (possibly up to 50 metres) to reach timber or other cellulose based materials in a structure. They also construct leads (shelter tubes) over vertical surfaces or in wall cavities to retain humidity and protect them from predators. By placing a long life termiticide into the soil or fill, to the areas that are vulnerable to subterranean termite attack the structure is isolated from termite galleries. This forms a barrier which acts as a contact poison killing any termite that comes in contact with the treated area. When the colony realises that workers (the food gatherers) are being destroyed it ceases to send them to that location.

There are currently 4 types of Chemical Termiticides available. These are Chlorpyrifos, Bifenthrin, Imidacloprid and Fipronil.

Chlorpyrifos is the oldest Termiticide and is nearly 50 years old. It is an organophosphate and acts as a contact poison. Because it is formulated with solvents it has a high odour and a high airborne residue. There are many brands of this product but it has a very short life especially in alkaline soils. It is the most toxic to mammals and the least effective of all termiticides. It is not recommended by this company.

Bifenthrin is a Synthetic Pyrethroid which also contains solvents and emulsifiers. It has low odour and acts as a contact poison. It also has a repellency action. It spreads poorly in soil and because of this, drill holes in concrete must be spaced at 200mm or less. There are a number of generic formulations. A newer version uses different chemistry and has no odour.

Premise (Imidaclorprid) is manufactured by Bayer. It is a non repellent material which is highly successful. It has no odour or airborne residue and is completely safe to humans and other mammals. It is the safest termiticide by far and because of its unique actions it is exceptionally effective. In addition to acting as a contact poison it also lowers termite resistance to fungal attack when the termites pass through the barrier which has been formed. Recent research has shown that termites unknowingly pick up Premise and transfer the material to other termites resulting in elimination of the colony. Premise has been in use in Australia for nearly six years following a two year trial regime in actual residential sites. Because it has no odour, termites move freely through treated areas and it is consequently more effective than the other earlier termiticides. Premise spreads further in soil than other termiticides and for this reason, holes need only be drilled at 300mm intervals.

Termidor is the newest termiticide and like Premise it is a non repellent product. It is not as safe as Premise and because it does not spread in soil as well as Premise there is a need to drill holes in concrete at 200mm intervals, leading to higher costs and potentially more damage to concrete, tiled and paved finishes. Like Premise, termites do not realise that the product is there and consequently they can "pick up" the product and take it back to the colony. This can eliminate the colony over time.

All termiticides have a reasonable life expectancy, according to their manufacturers, however the life is not the most important point. The key to any treatment programme is continual monitoring. Inspections must be carried out at at least 12 monthly intervals. Following that inspection we would extend our service warranty for a further period on the proviso that any recommendations that we made are adopted.

While reinspections are the key the continued existence of the particular firm which carried out your work is equally important. Other firms will not warrant work carried out by someone else. Take care to select a Company which has been in existence for at least 5 years. Our track record, gained by our active involvement in the industry for more than 40 years (since 1966), is difficult to surpass. There are many imitators but most fail to deliver.

Altis is a patented Reticulation system which was invented fifteen or so years ago. It is designed to effectively treat the area under concrete slabs, for protection against infestation by subterranean termites and around the external perimeter of structures to prevent termites entering from the outside of a building. Unlike handsprayed treatments, Altis is replenishable (see retreatments below).

When it is installed
Altis is installed prior to laying of the concrete slab for the internal system and after external work has been completed but prior to any concreting, paving etc. for the external system.

What is different about Altis
Unlike any other system which uses pipes which have been perforated, the Altis system uses flexible unperforated pipes, which have emitters fabricated into the pipe. These emitters distribute chemical at a measured rate, and is of particular advantage in difficult areas such as clay sites, uneven sand pads, and step-downs. The termiticide is induced at low pressure, which combined with controlled rate emitters maintains an even distribution at all points along a pipe. Because of this "even flow" it is not necessary to balance each line in the system against other lines. Lines do not need to be of similar length. A requirement of other systems. A further benefit is that each line can be run for up to 45 metres, making it possible to treat the entire circumference of most residences from one pump up point.

The use of emitters ensures no grit, roots from vegetation, or other form of intrusion will clog the pipe and render it ineffective.

Another unique, patented difference in the Altis system is that the pipes are laid over a perforated plastic membrane, beneath the builder's membrane. In this way chemical is distributed evenly and reduces the risk of any area being untreated.

Retreatments
An Altis system avoids the cost of expensive retreatment caused by hand spraying methods when the limit of the chemical life is reached, a process that may be repeated several times. This adds up to a substantial nett saving in the long term and makes Altis a true investment, not a cost.

Re-treatment of properties, which were originally treated by the hand spray method usually involve drilling the internal floor area, external trenches may also be needed and paving bricks lifted. This may cause costly damage to floor coverings and inconvenience to tenants or homeowner. A preinstalled ALTIS system means that this intrusion would be unnecessary. A substantial saving in costs and no intrusion or damage by drilling or trenching.

Annual inspections
A condition of the ALTIS warranty is annual inspections with retreatment if required. The Australian standard 3660.1-2000 recommends that maintenance be carried out within 3 months of completion of the building and then not less than every twelve months thereafter. The primary purpose of the yearly inspection is to ensure breaches of the chemical barrier have not occurred. Altis systems are installed by our Altis trained and accredited persons.

Compliance
The low-pressure system with flexible pipes, controlled rate emitters and plastic membrane uses the most recent technology which is far superior to other reticulation systems. Altis materials are made in Australia.

Altis complies with the requirements of the Australian Standard 3660.1-2000 and the requirements of the building code of Australia, BCA 96. Laboratory work, field trails, engineering reports and computer simulations support these opinions. Altis are constantly re-appraising their system, CSIRO opinions are updated frequently and the Altis system has National accreditation.

Altis is now certified to the Building Code of Australia under the CodeMark scheme which replaces the Australian Building Products and Certification System (Certificates of Conformity), previously administered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).

Altis premium slab system
With a premium full under slab system and an external perimeter system every corner is protected. Even a slab built to Australian Standard 2870 can crack enough to produce a 1.3mm opening. This is sufficient for subterranean termites to enter and disperse undetected. There is a misconception that most attacks start on the outside of a construction. In fact many attacks are under the slab, and full protection is the best insurance. Spread over the 50 year life of a system the cost is less than $2.00 per week for a typical home. An Altis system is cheap insurance. Pipes are spread 300mm intervals and emitters are located every 175mm along the length of the ribbon, tape or pipe which is at least double the recommended minimum material needed to deliver and spread the chemicals. The Altis Premium system incorporates an Altis External perimeter treatment to provide the best possible protection. No other system contains this huge safety margin.

Altis standard system
A lower cost but a extremely effective alternative to the Premium Altis System. The Altis Standard System is installed to the common entry points for termites into a building. The Altis Standard system covers both the internal and external perimeters of the building as well as service penetrations through the concrete slab. This results in a lower installation cost. A Standard System must only be used when the concrete slab is constructed in accordance with Australian Standard 2870.

Details may be varied at any time without notice.

Exterra- A sure fire way of eliminating termite colonies
EXTERRA is a technically advanced system which uses a bait material, Requiem, which is non-toxic to humans and mammals. It is mixed with water and only put in place when there are active termites. Requiem is an Insect Growth Regulator which inhibits the production of chitin which is necessary to produce the hard outer skin of termites. Termites must shed their skin (moult) in order to grow. Requiem is consumed by the worker termites who pass it on to each termite that they feed. As a result the termites die at their next moult as they are unable to produce chitin to form their outer skin.

It is a complete system that involves:

• Placement of monitoring stations into the ground around the entire external perimeter of the structure being protected.
• Installation of special stations inside the structure if there are any active termites.
• Eight monitoring visits per annum.
• Two complete inspections of the property.
• Provision of all bait and monitoring material.
• We must monitor.

DIY termite nester

The "DIY TERMITE NESTER" has been developed using that latest knowledge about Termite foraging behaviour and good old field knowledge, the things we have learnt by trial and error. Give Termites only the "BEST".

There is 'NO' argument if we are to get the termites to work for us we have to make all conditions as termite friendly as possible:

Soil:
If the soil is not the best, then replace it. Make the hole 2 or 3 times the size you need and you can even link DIY Termite Nesters with a trench of Quality soil.

Moisture:
As you install your DIY Termite Nester add water to the soil, 4 or 5 litres around each station as you back fill the soil around the station. Ask your customer to keep the moisture level up. Having firm,moist soil around the DIY Termite Nester assists to keep the black or garden ants out.

Harbourage:
Your DIY Termite Nester outer body is a sealed container with a firm fitting inspection lid and NO side access! The only way in is the work through the moist soil and in the base. Once inside, 'Termites' find the air chamber around the DIY TERMITE NESTER "BLOCK" to be in balance with the surrounding soil: Moisture level and temperature "a Conducive eco system"

1. Ensure that you have all 3 parts of the DIY Termite Nester.
2. The DIY Nester Block.
3. Dig a hole 2-3 times the size of the station.
4. Place the DIY Nester Block inside the plastic station.
5. Place the lid on the Station. Back Fill hole and fill with water.

Check your DIY Termite Nester each month and when active call us to take action. We will visit and add an insect growth regulator bait to the area/s of activity, continuing this process until activity has ceased. Using this approach we can eliminate that particular termite colony.

Kordon is effectively two plastic sheets with a chemically treated membrane between. The chemical type is a synthetic pyrethroid which acts as both a contact poison and a repellent.

Kordon can be used under concrete slabs at the time of construction and it can be used in a variety of ways ranging from full underslab, around any penetrations in the slab and around the perimeter cavity.

In older construction it is especially useful particularly to protect Retaining Walls, Timber Piers and areas of construction where a chemical barrier combined with moisture protection is required. Areas where liquid termiticide cannot be effectively used.

Homeguard
HomeGuard is an innovative-patented Precision Termite Management System that has been developed by FMC Australasia Pty Ltd – a company with a proud reputation for providing reliable Termite Management Solutions to the Australian Pest Management industry, for over 10 years.

Under the Australian Standard AS3660.1 Termite Management Part 1: New building work HomeGuard is classified as a termite barrier in a non-soil matrix and can be utilized as a chemical and/or a physical Termite Management System meeting the ‘Performance Appraisal’ requirements of the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

HomeGuard provides a unique 3-way action to ensure protection of the structure.

• Repelling termites away from the barrier
• Killing termites upon contact
• Acting as a physical vapour barrier and damp proofing membrane.

HomeGuard is manufactured using the same active ingredient used in FMC's core bifenthrin termiticide product - Biflex®. Incorporated uniformly throughout a polymer matrix the termiticide acts exactly the same way it does in any soil matrix, effectively killing any termites that challenge the barrier and repelling attacking termites from the protected structure.

Unlike chemical sprays, however, HomeGuard is installed in specifically targeted areas, under the slab and in the perimeter cavity during the construction of the structure. This means that the homeowner has no access or exposure to the termite barrier as it is incorporated and locked into the structure as an effective long-term termite management system.

One of the most common causes of failures in soil applied termite treatments is homeowner gardening practice. The addition of garden beds, paving and paths in the treated area effectively removes or disturbs chemically treated soil, allowing termites to breach and gain entry into the structure. HomeGuard does not use soil as the carrier matrix meaning there is less chance that homeowner activities can affect or alter the HomeGuard Termite Management System.

Common physical barrier systems like Stainless Steel Mesh and Granite chips, are passive barrier systems, designed to only impede concealed termite entry to the structure by forcing attacking termites into exposed areas, where they can be treated with a soil applied chemical treatment.

HomeGuard is a pro-active physical barrier system. It actively stops termites entering the structure via concealed access, by repelling them away from the site or by killing them if they come in contact the barrier. HomeGuard does more than a normal physical termite barrier.