Is Your House Immune to Termite Damage?
How do termites get in?
No house is totally termite proof. It largely depends on how you maintain a barrier around your home. If the conditions are right, termites will colonise any home, even if your house is double brick it can still be exposed to termite damage if it has a wooden frame.
Termites are very determined and will attempt to find a way in or over any kind of stump or frame. Steel is probably the only frame that can prevent termite damage to the structure of your home.
The biggest threat of termite damage to Victorian homes comes from the dampness of the state. We love our long wet winters and so do termites who prefer damp and will burrow into your nice warm home with very little invitation from you.
How quickly can termites damage a home?
The rate at which a colony can destroy your home has a lot to do with the size of the colony and where it is located. Termites will travel from a nest to your home if they have found a way in. It doesn’t take long for the colony to prosper once it has access to your home as its food source. If the nest is actually under your house the damage will happen much quicker, and you may not even know they are there! If your pest inspection service doesn’t use thermal imaging to determine if termites are present, they may not know either. Always choose a pest inspection service with thermal imaging. Only thermal imaging will be able to accurately pinpoint if termites are present, how many there are, and where exactly they are located – making treatments so much more effective.
What is a ‘termite barrier’?
The goal of your first termite prevention treatment is to establish an unbroken barrier around the perimeter of your home. If done properly, this will hold termites at bay unless you unwittingly provide a way for the termites to breech the barrier.
How to protect your termite barrier
There are a few simple things you can do to protect the barrier. One of the main ways termites manage to breech a barrier is if a bridge has been provided for them. Most often, this will occur when soil beds have been moved too close to the house or soil placed over top of the barrier. Be aware of plants that enable the termites to travel up and over the barrier. Did we mention that termites are determined? That’s why we strongly advise owners of new homes and existing properties to be diligent about keeping up a 12 monthly pest inspection to protect your biggest asset.
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