Home termite control isn’t something that should be taken lightly, especially if your home is made of timber or you’re located in a high-risk Brisbane suburb. Your home is more than a roof over your head, it’s a form of investment which must be protected at all costs. So, to avoid termite damage to your home and consequently breaking the bank with repair costs, here’s what you need to do. This guide covers how to identify termites, your available prevention and treatment options and some estimates of what costs might be involved.
Identifying Termite Activity
Your home, investment property or business offers the moisture, food and warmth that termites need to survive and thrive. So, while prevention is the best method, there’s a chance that termites may have already made their way into the walls of your home. Termites tend to go unnoticed, so identifying them requires a little effort on your part. Look out for the following signs:
- Clicking sounds in the walls.
- Hollow sounding timber, identified by knocking on the walls.
- Hard to open doors or windows caused by excess moisture.
- Mud tunnels on the internal and external walls of your home.
- Discolouration to any walls
- Bubbling paint and softness to walls/doors
Our how-to video, Carry out a Termite Inspection like a Professional, gives you all the tools and knowledge you need to do this effectively. If there are no signs of termite activity, that’s great! But it’s still best to be proactive and set up termite bait stations around your home to prevent future attacks.
Found Termites? Here’s What to Do
The length of time that termites have been nesting in your home will determine the amount of damage that has been done. Regardless of this, your first step is to get rid of them before they cause further problems!
Home Termite Control
1. Bait on the Active Termites
You can do this yourself with TermiGold’s termite bait and our how-to guide, Baiting on Active Termites Inside Your Home. While baiting can take some time to eliminate the entire colony, once termites feed on the bait, they can’t do any more structural damage to your timber. So, by getting them feeding as soon as possible, you can halt the damage and reduce your costs of repair.
For more information on this, view our post, Where do I bait & in how many areas?
2. Set up a Baiting and Monitoring System
TermiGold’s termite baiting and monitoring system consist of individual stations which are positioned around your home, no more than 3 meters apart. These stations contain a termite attractant and timber, so when placed in the soil, the warmth of these stations draws termites before they can access your home. For a detailed guide on how to install these stations, view our post, Installing a Termite Station.
These stations are then monitored and bait is applied on active termites. This will start the transfer effect and ensure total colony elimination. For more information on this home termite control treatment, view our blog, How Termite Preventions Systems Work.
3. Apply a Chemical Barrier
It’s also possible to double down on termite eradication by seeking professional help to apply a liquid soil termite treatment. Our recommendation, Complete Termite Solutions’ termite chemical barrier uses Fipronil as the active ingredient. This is the most effective chemical for eliminating termites and when combined with a baiting system, guarantees fast results.
The Cost of Home Termite Control
Termites are serious pests that can cause costly damage so inspecting the home regularly may save you hard-earned cash in the future. For best practice in home termite control, it’s essential to be proactive. For a standard-sized home, TermiGold’s in-ground termite bait station kit and a year’s quantity of bait will put you out of pocket $699. That’s a small cost of $13.44 a week to prevent termite damage!
Unfortunately, if you left it too late, you may be faced with a large repair bill and not much assistance from your home insurer. Termite damage repair costs are assessed on a case by case basis however, one study showed the average cost of termite damage repair to be $6,500! If left untreated the cost can vary from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars.
For more information on this, view our blog, Cost of Termite Damage Repair vs. Cost of Termite Prevention.
Shop TermiGold Today for Premium Pest Control Solutions
Shop online today to protect your home from termites! If you have any questions regarding home termite control or would like to know more about the DIY process, feel free to get in touch with the TermiGold team.