Is Your Home Becoming Lunch?

Termites are the bane of Brisbane! Although these destructive pests live all over Australia, more of the really troublesome species of termites are found here in Brisbane than anywhere else. At Multipest, a leading Brisbane based pest control company, we are on a first-name basis with all ten or so of the worst types of local termites:

• Coptotermes acinaciformis (common and destructive), lacteus, and frenchi
• Mastotermes darwiniensis (very destructive)
• Heterotermes ferox
• Cryptotermes brevis (introduced species from the West Indies, extremely destructive)
• Cryptotermes primus (a native dry wood termite from the same genus)
• Nasutitermes exitiosus and walkeri
• Schedorhinotermes intermedius (extremely destructive)

 

To be fair, most of Australia’s 300 or so termite species are not a threat to homes (or, as the evocative industry phrase has it, “timber-in-service”). But you’re not a termitologist, and if you see something that looks like a tiny white ant anywhere near your home, you can be forgiven for having a nervous fit. That’s when you call us, the termite pest control experts in Brisbane and South Queensland Multipest…..

Termites are actually pretty fascinating insects with a complex social organization (kings and queens, royal offspring, workers who do most of the damage to homes and soldiers), with interesting behaviors, such as mound-building. The majority of termite species that keep to the woods do useful work in recycling nutrients within their ecosystems. Their digestive systems are specially equipped to break down woody cellulose – but that is also where the problems begin with termite damage in residential and commercial premises.

Like a few other cities and regions in the world (San Francisco comes to mind), Brisbane and South Queensland developed a distinctive and beautiful style of domestic architecture in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Queenslander houses are both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing. Being erected on stilts or stumps keeps the body of the house off the ground, away from the majority of termites and allows for an air flow that is cooling and helpful in our hot, humid climate. The verandas that are a key feature of Queenslanders permit us to enjoy the outdoors while protecting us from sudden drenching storms.

All good, but still – wood. Termites will find a way to munch. In Australia, termites do more damage to homes than fires and floods combined, and in Brisbane, we are in the highest-risk termite zone in the country. More than 1/3 of houses are attacked eventually making pest control a necessity you can’t do without.

Because of the craftiness of termites and their extreme reproductivity – watch out for those queens, they can lay 2,000 eggs a day! – any effective approach to termite control must be multi-pronged, combining inspection, assessment, prevention, and remediation.

Here at Multipest, we’re aces at the inspection and assessment, and we use a variety of proven products for pest control prevention and treatment:

Termidor – an excellent termiticide that kills the insects without having negative effects on garden plants, earthworms, or useful micro-organisms. It doesn’t smell and presents no danger to children and pets. A leading pest control solution.

Exterra – a first-rate interception, pest control and baiting system, generally set up around the perimeter of your property.

Altis – a reticulation system that attacks termites under built structures such as driveways and patios.

HomeGuard – the only physical/chemical termite barrier registered with the Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicine Authority  

Multiple pest control methods are crucial in Brisbane…… This is war!

The signs of termite infestation can be quite subtle. You should never ignore telltale markers such as blistered paint or tiny “mud” trails, but don’t rely on them, either. Even if everything seems perfectly fine, your house should be regularly inspected anyway. Consulting us prior to new construction or renovation work is also highly recommended.

Termites work silently and swiftly and can render a home virtually uninhabitable inside of three months; by the time you recognize the problem, it might be too late to do much about it. Worse, your home insurance almost certainly does not cover the damage.

Don’t believe any old wives’ tales about termites preferring some kinds of wood to others. Even if they did, any entomologist will tell you that all timber is vulnerable.

Many times, termites find their way into the structure of your home from the backyard, so be extremely wary of having trees, gardens, sheds, woodpiles, etc. that come right up to the edge of the house. Allow for a buffer of flagstones or other paving, which is charming to the eye and makes it harder on the termites. 

With some forethought on your part, and plenty of assistance from us, you can replace your termite nightmares with happier homeowner dreams.

Call your number one Brisbane based pest control termite specialists now! We service pest control clients as far as the Gold Coast through to Morayfield, Logan and Ipswich and everything in between!!