On the Central Coast there are many pests that can get into your home.
Pests such as cockroaches, ants, spiders and rodents are all unwelcome in our homes, but if they get in they can be quite easy to get rid of for a licenced pest control technician. There is one pest in particular, however, that owners of homes should be doing everything they can to keep them out of their property: termites.
Termites are often referred to as White Ants, due to their appearance. Both Termites and Ants are social insects, living in large colonies of many insects, but that is where the similarities end. Termites are not at all related to ants.
The cost of termite damage to buildings in Australia is estimated at well over 100 Million Dollars ($100,000,000) every year.
How do Termites Get into your Home?
Termite ‘Shelter Tubes’ or ‘mudding’
There are numerous ways that termites can gain entry into your home. Knowing all the potential ways they can enter takes a fair amount of training and experience to learn.
The main factor that will alter how termites get into homes is the different construction styles of properties e.g. two homes next door to each other are often constructed completely differently.
Subterranean Termites often build what are known as shelter tubes. Termites build these to provide protection from predators and the outside environment. These tubes allow termites to gain access to food sources that are not in direct contact with the soil.
What Does Termite Damage Look Like?
Damage caused by termites can vary from slight to extreme, depending on how long they have been active. Sometimes a piece of timber can look, and even sound solid, but actually crush like paper in your hands.
The majority of the timber in a home is not exposed visually. Timber structures of a home are usually behind wall linings and concealed in cavities. Because of this, many home owners – that don’t have timber pest inspections – don’t know they have a problem until it’s too late.
Some Termite mud on a wall in Gosford
What to look out for
A customer from Wyong Creek noticed some mud sticking out from a wall (pictured). When she wiped it away, there were termites crawling out from the wall. After a short period of time, the mud had been built right back there again.
Once Amalgamated Pest Control was called in and the termite activity was controlled, the wall linings were removed and the damage to the timber framing was revealed.
When dealing with termites, the real cost is the damage that they cause to timber, often structural timbers within the home.
The termite inspection cost is a small spend when looking at a property that may be worth half a million dollars, or more. Far too often we see a homeowner that has not had their annual inspection and termites have been active in their house for several years, causing irreperable damage.
What is the solution to the termite problem?
Termite damage to a support post in a Gosford home
A timber pest inspection carried out by a qualified, licenced and fully insured pest control technician will cover all areas of your home that are accessible to termites – including those areas you wouldn’t normally see (which are often the areas at the most risk).
Our timber pest inspectors will prepare a detailed written report for you, giving you details on any visual evidence of timber pest activity and the extent of the timber pest activity and/or timber pest damage located.
We will also detail how susceptible your property is to timber pest attack, by detailing all elements in the environment of your property which will make it more conducive to infestation, and make recommendations for improving the environment around the property to make it less attractive to Subterranean Termites and other timber pests.
Structural damage caused by Termites in a Gosford home
Upon inspecting your property, we can also formulate a Property Management Plan to protect your investment against future attack and costly damage.
Property Management Plan
There can be several options to a Property Management Plan in regards to managing termites. Amalgamated Pest Control will give you every treatment option available, specifically tailored to suit your property. We will also educate you on the different treatment options, and allow you to choose which option is right for you and your property.
If you would like more information and help on how to manage termite problems at your property, call Amalgamated Pest Control on the Central Coast.
Call 4346 4042 to arrange a Timber Pest Inspection TODAY!