Termites
In nature, termites are an important part of the food chain as they help remove dead
wood from the bush and forest and turn it into organic matter. They do not eat live trees,
although certain types do live in them! Yet let loose on an average home, termites can
and do wreak havoc - causing more than $80 million dollars worth of damage to homes
in Australia each year (NRMA Report 1994).
Most importantly, most standard house insurance contracts do not cover termite damage
if no safeguards have been implemented. Of course always check with your insurer to
see what your indivual policy contains.
Termites live up to 1.5 metres underground in colonies that can be as large as
1,000,000 termites. Like all ants they are social creatures and will look for food sources
up to 100 metres from their nest, entering homes through cracks in the concrete slab as
small as 0.3mm wide, through weep holes in wall cavaties, in-fill patios and enclosed
wall cavaties. They travel through mud tubes about the diameter of a pencil, that they
build and the presence of these is a tell tale sign of termite activity. Of course, no
evidence of mud tubes does not necessarily mean that there is no termite activity.
Termites have hard saw toothed jaws that work like shears, biting off tiny fragments of
wood, a piece at a time. As they live off the celloluse in wood they will happily chew their
way through flooring, timber bearers, floor and ceiling joists, timber trims and wallboards.
Over time the most serious damage they cause is loss of structural strength, and repairs
of that nature are not necessarily cheap.
A professional inspection, performed to AS3660, will take note of all visible evidence
of termite activity found, the details of entry points that are inaccessible to inspection and
recommendations for termite control and protection for the future. These would include
removal of any termite colonies and possibly the establishment of a barrier in the soil.
Please note that it is very important that if a termite colony is found, that they are left
undisturbed, as this would affect the treatment to be applied.
Termite Behaviour & Social Structures
Termites are ground-inhabiting, social insects that live in colonies. A colony can number
several million individuals. New colonies are formed when winged mates and females
from the parent colony emerge in flight and swarm.
Every termite colony consists of 4 castes, each having a specific role within the colony's
social structure. Reproductives The King and Queen Termite are central to any vibrant
termite colony, with the Queen acting as an egg-laying machine.
Workers
This caste provides all of the labour for the colony including searching for and collecting
food, feeding all other castes and immatures, grooming others within the colony,
cleaning, maintenance and building for the colony.
Soldiers
The soldier caste protects the colony from invasion by other insects. Soldier termites are
fed by the worker termites as they are unable to feed themselves. Alates Alates are
winged reproductives that fly from the nest in their thousands eager to establisha new
colony. Because alates are poor flyers they generally only fly some 50 to 100 m from the
parent nest. As such, when observing flying alates you can generally be assured a termite
nest is nearby. Worker termites are continuously and randomly foraging for new food
sources. This behaviour means the traditional methods for managing termites,
ie. Chemical and physical barriers, are frequently found to be ineffective as the termites
find areas of weakness where these barriers may have been inadvertently breached.
The Sentricon II Termite Bait
Designed for both internal and external use, the Sentricon II termite bait contains a highly
palatable and flexible cellulose based food substrate impregnated with an active
ingredient called Hexaflumuron.
Hexaflumuron, a chitin synthesis inhibitor, inhibits the termites' ability to produce chitin
(skin substance). As worker termites feed on the bait material, they transfer the Hexaflumuron
throughout the entire colony via a process known as 'trophallaxis'. Termites shed their skin a
number of times throughout their lives as they grow or as their skin is damaged. When they
next moult, the exposure to Hexaflumuron renders them unable to produce chitin.
Consequently they die, leading to the elimination of the entire colony.
The size of the colony influences the amount of bait required and the time it takes toe
liminate the colony, ie. Older colony's have a greater number of members hence takes
longer to eliminate. Trial work conducted in Australia in 2003 has shown the average
termite colony was eliminated within b months of baiting, using 357 grams of Sentricon II
termite bait. It was found that feeding on the bait generally ceased 2 months prior to
elimination being claimed.
By measuring the quantity of Sentricon II termite bait consumed and noting visual changes to
the termites, the Pest Control Professionals can determine, with confidence, when colony
elimination has been achieved.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches are a common pest in Australia, which can be controlled but certainly not
completely eradicated. There are several species of cockroach, and they are pests
primarily because of contamination of food from their droppings and the spread of
diseases such as Salmonella, Diarrhoea and Typhus. A common perception of
cockroaches is that they are 'clean' insects and have impeccable grooming habits.
This is true only if you consider roaming sewers, garbage and compost heaps as
clean habits.
Cockroaches are nocturnal insects, hiding in cracks and crevices by day. They even
hide inside electrical equipment in search of warmth, and can cause expensive
damage this way. Controlling cockroach infestations is best achieved through a
regular treatment of your premises.
Spiders
Generally speaking spiders and their webs can help control other pests such as
mosquitoes and flies. There are of course some such as wolf and mouse spiders that
can give painful bites, and funnel webs and redback spiders that are poisonous.
Strong garden gloves when working in the garden, and reducing areas where spiders
are likely to nest are the best ways for controlling spiders. Don't allow rubbish to build up,
and keep weeds and lawns down.
If there are poisonous spiders about, then they are always best dealt with by a pest control
expert. Remember, if unsure of what a spider is, then do not go near it. Funnel web
spiders are aggressive when bothered, and will bite. They do not jump, although many
people have heard that they do.
Rodents
Rats and mice carry many diseases and love setting up in homes as they can be close to
warmth and food.They often come indoors during the cooler months, and make their nests
inside wall cavaties and roofs. They are generally easy to detect as they leave they're
droppings wherever they go.
In Australia you are most likely to encounter the roof rat, the house mouse or the Norway rat.
It must be remembered that its not just the rodents that carries disease but also the fleas
that they carry. Over 25 million people died from the bubonic plague in Europe in the 1400's,
but it was the Oriental rat flea that actually transferred the disease!
Rodent control is achieved through a combination of denying access to buildings,
baiting and capture.
