The importance of preventative termite management

Fri 20 Feb 2015

While conducting a termite inspection on Brisbane's north side recently, we found something interesting in the roof void. If you look closely, you will see that there are two types of mudding in the photo. This actually is indicative of two separate infestations - by two different termite species.

What this highlights is the importance of having a long term protection system installed in your home. This home had previously had an infestation of Schedorhinotermes {this is the darker mudding you can see in the right of the picture}. Schedorhinotermes are a large, destructive species, with colony sizes that can be in excess of 500,000 termites!

When these were found some time ago, they colony was treated, but nothing further was done. Some homeowners may feel that once an infestation has been treated, they are safe and may choose not to get a long term protection system. Times are difficult and homeowners might feel that they'll worry about a barrier at a later date.

Unfortunately though, without a chemical barrier, homes that have been infested with termites are prime candidates for a second infestation. In the case of this home the second infestation here was by Coptotermes {the lighter coloured mudding}. These are another species found frequently here in SEQ, but tend to do far more damage, in part because of the sheer size of the colonies. Coptotermes can exceed 2 million termites in a single colony!

In this home, the damage done by the second infestation was far worse than the original. Getting an infestation treated on the spot is certainly necessary, but it is vital that this is followed up with long term protection.

Make sure you contact your fully qualified pest management team. Here at Conquer Termites, we have years and years of experience and take pride in our work. We can help you with first rate, thorough inspections and treatments. And then we are happy to sit with you and help you work out how best to protect your home.