Subterranean termites are commonly referred to as “white ants’ and although ants also live underground, they share no other real similarities in either lifestyle or appearance.

In nature, termite have a very important role to play in recycling rotting timber in the forests, and returning nutrients back into the soil. It is only when they attack our homes that they are declared pests. The damage they are capable of causing can be immense!

Termites are social insects that live in colonies and have a caste structure that differentiates soldiers from reproductives and workers.

The reproductives, or alates as they are more commonly known, when sexually mature are fully winged, and in the warmer and more humid months can often be seen swarming in the late afternoon and early evening, flying out of the bush land in an attempt to colonise new areas. Occasionally that new area may be a dwelling or other man made structure. The queen lays a few eggs, and along with the king they raise and take care of the initial brood until they are capable of taking over. Once the nest is fully established, the queen does nothing else but produce eggs. She can lay up to 2000 eggs per day, and in some species the queen can live for forty years or more. These eggs develop into more workers and soldiers, and in around five years when the colony is thriving, more reproductives. Termites have the longest lifespan of any household pest.

Workers cause all the damage! They are wingless, blind and sterile, and are solely responsible for foraging for food, constructing tunnels, building the nest and nursery and feeding the colony. They feed on timber and other cellulose based materials. They have strong preferences for some timbers over others. They particularly enjoy exotic timbers such as Oregon and Radiata Pine, although they will just as happily devour hardwood. Their gut contains protozoa or bacteria that assists in converting cellulose into sugars that are more readily digested. As they feed, they hollow out the timber and move from one area to another through small galleries and mud like tunnels made from saliva, faecal material and mud. These mud-like tunnels are known as ‘leads’.

The tunnels are created to protect themselves from predators, heat and light and the outside environment. Colony temperatures are high, somewhere around the 37 deg C area and humidity is almost 100%. In fact the high humidity enables the termites to cultivate fungi, which is harvested as an additional food source.
Soldiers are responsible for protection of the nest and in some species have a pair of highly developed mandibles or pincers designed purely to attack predators such as ants. The highly refined mandibles prevent the soldiers feeding themselves, and they rely solely on the worker to regurgitate food and feed them.

Termites will travel long distances to find food. Their nest may be 50 to 100 metres (or more) away from where the workers are foraging. They are attracted to carbon dioxide that is given off by decaying timber.
They can find their way into a structure by creating ‘leads’ up the foundations of timber-floored homes. Concrete floor homes are no safer as they are capable of traveling through concrete cracks no larger than 1.5 mm wide.
The damage caused by termites to houses and buildings is well known and researched. According to State Forestry research, one in four homes in mainland Australia will encounter termite activity and damage. In fact, termites cause around $700 million worth of damage each year to properties in Australia.

The first stage of any pest management strategy is a thorough inspection. An experienced technician should carry this out. The inspection will determine the extent of the infestation, if the termites are currently active, identification of termite species. The inspection will further determine where the termites are entering the building and what steps will be required to eradicate the termites that are present, and a strategy to protect the building from further attack.

Eradication of any existing termite infestation is vital in preventing the damage from spreading. Initially, this is usually done by gently applying an insecticidal dust such as Intrigue or arsenic trioxide to the workings. The termites then take the dust back to the nest, and as they groom themselves and each other, they pass the dust throughout the entire colony. Once the queen has been destroyed, the remainder of the colony will quickly die off.

It is extremely irresponsible to ignore an active termite infestation. It matters not if the infestation is in the home, shed or fence. The termites must be destroyed to prevent foragers locating and entering neighbouring assets.

If the technician can locate the nest, an insecticide can be applied to directly destroy the nest. Once the nest has been destroyed, the infestation should very quickly die out, however the home is not protected against re-infestation, especially if other nests are located nearby.

Since 1995, it has become compulsory to provide termite barriers to all new domestic buildings. There is a host of both chemical and non-chemical options available, including non-repellant termiticides, reticulation systems installed either under the slab or as a perimeter protection. Physical systems such as graded stone; stainless steel mesh and aluminium strip shielding are also widely used. Newer options are frequently being developed, and without question, Australia leads the world in this technology.

A popular choice made by builders is to utilize the concrete slab as the primary termite barrier. This is offered simply because it is cheap. Utilising this method is a poor choice as termites can enter the structure far too easily by traveling around the slab edge. A perimeter reticulation system should be installed once construction has been completed, and before gardens, landscaping and paving has been installed. Re-treatment should be carried out at the required intervals.

Homeowners and builders can do many things to reduce the risk of termite attack. This should begin with carrying out a pre-construction inspection on all trees within the building block prior to site preparation and removal. Regulations stipulate that any active termite infestations must be dealt with prior to felling and/or clearing of any trees. (Most builders simply ignore this regulation, potentially creating a termite time bomb for the homeowner).
All construction timber, off cuts, tree roots etc should be removed from the site. Gardens must not be piled against exterior walls covering weep holes, vents and physical termite barriers, Goods must never be stored on the ground in sub floor areas of timber floored homes. Do not stack firewood next to the house.
Ensure ventilation and drainage is adequate beneath suspended floors. If the soil is dry, termites will be less inclined to enter those areas.

Finally, a termite inspection should be carried out at least annually. These days, most builders stipulate as a condition of their warranty that professional termite inspections must be carried out at least on an annual basis. Failure to comply may result in voiding the builder’s warranty.

Click here for help distinguishing flying ants and flying termites

Bayer Premise & Termidor

This material is subject to copyright. No reproduction, copying, altering or transmission of the above information is permitted without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.