Termites are possibly one of the greatest risks to homes across Brisbane and even Queensland as a whole. Each year, termites are responsible for millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and properties across Queensland and homeowners are often left out of pocket as a result. It is a common misconception that termites can only be found in areas where there are considerable reserves of bush or forest nearby. In reality, termites are prevalent in almost all areas of Queensland and their territory often ranges from rural and semi-rural, to urban and suburban.
In addition, termites can cause damage to a many of your home’s fittings, whether they are timber or not. In fact, termites have been known to cause significant damage to electrical wiring, rubber, plastic and even the mortar in brick homes. In some instances, termites are even capable of causing so much damage to a house that it becomes unliveable. In these cases, the only option for homeowners is demolition.
This highlights the seriousness with which termite activity should be taken. Termites might seem small and insignificant, but in large numbers they are a very serious issue. As a result, homeowners are often looking for ways to safeguard their homes against termite. Fortunately, there are many options available, although not all are as effective as each other. Termite treatment can generally be classified in two ways: preventative and reactive. Preventative treatment serves to address potential termite activity before it becomes an issue, while reactive treatment is designed to address termite activity that is already well established.
What are some types of treatment?
When you are looking at preventative or reactive termite treatments, you might notice that there is a lot to choose from. In the termite management industry there is chemical treatments, barrier treatments and even repellents. The most important termite treatment by far, however, is pest inspections. Pest inspections are a preventative termite treatment and they usually involve a professional pest control specialist looking over your property and assessing it for signs of termite activity.
As the saying goes ‘prevention is better than a cure’ and pest inspections are a paramount step in the prevention of termite damage to your home. When it comes to termites, early identification is key. If you leave it too late, then there is every chance that termites will cause potentially irreparable damage to your home without you even realising.
Perhaps one of the most advantageous features of a pest inspection is its not intrusive nature. Unlike other reactive treatments, pest inspections do not involve the use of chemicals straight away. While chemicals are often necessary in the treatment of termites, it is always useful to get a professional to inspect your property first. This ensures that any chemical treatments used in the future will be targeted and precise.
What do pest inspections involve?
Pest inspections are an incredibly important part of termite control and because of this, it is important to understand how they work. Although they might sound simple, pest inspections actually involve a number of quite complex tools and techniques, which means that they can only be conducted effectively by a professional pest control expert.
#1 Identifying termites
The primary aim of any pest inspection is to identify termites on your property. This might sound straightforward, but in reality it is much harder than it sounds. Termites generally congregate in subterranean areas and they tend to avoid the sun. As a result of this, you must look in some underground or enclosed spaces for evidence of termite activity. Termites can easily burrow into the walls and foundations of your home, making them virtually untraceable without the right equipment.
This is where a reliable pest control expert is incredibly important, as purpose built tools and equipment are necessary to identify termites in these concealed areas. As well as this, pest inspections are necessary to identify the variety of termite that is present in your home or property. Many people don’t know that there are actually many sub species of termite and not all of them present a considerable threat to your home. Because of this, you need a pest control expert to identify not only termite activity, but also the type of termite in question before you can effectively develop a targeted solution.
#2 Assessing the extent of any termite damage in your home
If a pest control professional identifies termites in your home or on your property, the inspection then becomes focused on assessing the extent of the damage – if any – to your home. Termites can impart devastating damage to homes and structures without even being seen, which is why it is important to have a professional look over your property if termites have been sighted. Because termites are subterranean dwellers, the damage is likely to exist mostly in the walls or foundations of your home.
This means that your home can become structurally unsound and therefore unsafe, if the damage is serious enough. Likewise, termites are often responsible for a great deal of damage to electrical fittings and wiring. This means that your home might contain some electrical hazards, if the termite damage is extensive enough.
#3 Developing a solution
The final stage of a professional pest inspection is developing a solution. If your home has a termite problem, then you need a tailored and effective solution to treat it. Before you can develop a solution of this nature, it is important to first understand the precise nature of the termite inhabitation on your property. This is where the earlier stages of the inspection are important – it helps paint a clearer picture of the termite activity on your property.
Only with this clear picture, can you and your pest control specialist work out a targeted and effective termite control solution. These solutions are classified as reactive and they are often more invasive than a pest inspection alone. For this reason, it is always ideal to get a pest inspection first, so that you do not undertake any unnecessarily complicated methods of treatment.
For more information on how pest inspections are key in early termite control, get in touch with Bennetts pest Control today on 1300 661 008.
