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Termites

Coptotermes
Nasutitermes
Mastotermes
Schedorhinotermes
Heterotermes

Termites (also known as white-ants) are all over Australia causing millions of damage to homes everywhere they can find food. The problem is so bad that insurance companies will not cover termite damage in your home. This means that if your house is infested with termites, you are going to have pay to have them removed and to have the damage repaired.

Termite is the common name of a group of chemically complex insects that live in communities as ants do. They have long been known as white ants however this is not entirely accurate for termites are like ants only in their habits of living together and that they are small in size.

Do I need professional wasp pest control assistance?

You should not attempt to treat a wasp nest if you are sensitive to stings. If you disturb a nest, you may provoke the wasps inside to attack and sting you as a form of defence. Aerobeam Professional Pest Management offers a professional wasp nest treatment service to protect you from harmful stings by eliminating the nest.

How do I find out if I have Termites?

If you are an existing home owner, you will need to get a termite inspection done to start with. This will determine whether or not you have termites. From there you need to discuss with your pest controller what is the best solution that fits your level of affordability.

Do remember though, that simply having one termite inspection done will not solve your problem forever. You will need to have a thorough termite inspection done at least once a year. The reason termite monitoring and interception systems are becoming so popular is because (installed and monitored properly), they are effective as an early warning sign of possible termite infestation.

If you are looking at buying a new home then you will need a pre-purchase termite inspection. This is obligatory anyway as no financial institution will give you a loan without a pre-purchase termite inspection.

A pre-purchase termite inspection will normally take between 1 - 2 hours depending upon where your house is located, how high it is off the ground, how wooded the area is you live in, how accessible the roofing cavity and on and on.

Termite Control

Termite control or termite management is recognised as the most effective way of reducing your long term risk of termite infestation.

A termite monitoring and interception system lays out several monitoring systems which notify you of the presence of termites.

The systems are inspected regularly and as soon as termites become evident, chemicals are added which are specifically designed to kill off the nest.

Termite Information

Termites are social insects and live in colonies containing a number of different castes. Each caste has a different form and function from the others; each is vital to the viability of the colony. In general terms the life history of all the economically important subterranean species is similar.

Termite Nest

Termites build a nest that contains the queen and king, the nursery and a large proportion of the soldiers and workers. Some species build a hard-shelled mound above or partly below the ground. Others build their nests in the trunk of a tree or below ground in the root crown. A nest can contain several million termites.

Alates

On a warm, humid evening large numbers of winged male and female termites, the “alates” or “primary reproductives”, are released by the colony. A small number survive the flight, drop their two parts distinctive, equal sized wings, pair off, mate, and if they can find a suitable location, start a new colony.

The Queen

As the other castes take over the running of the colony the young queen of most species becomes “physogastric” – her abdomen distends to many times its original size and she becomes an egg laying machine, laying up to 1000 eggs per day. She is confined to her royal chamber, tended and fed by the workers and regularly fertilised by the male reproductive.

Nursery

The eggs are removed from the royal chamber and transferred to a nursery by the workers. Here the brood (the eggs and nymphs) develop into the other castes that the colony requires for development and survival; workers, soldiers and primary or secondary reproductives.

Social Workers

Soldiers and workers are blind and sterile termites. The workers carry out the work of the colony and are responsible for gathering the food the colony needs. In most species, the heads of the soldiers are uniquely armoured and equipped to allow them to defend the colony against attack, notably ants.

Coptotermes

Coptotermes Acinaciformis is found throughout mainland Australia and causes more damage to property than any other species. It is aggressive in its search for food and will attack many items other than wood in its search for cellulose materials. It will damage wall lining boards, electrical wiring and even personal possessions. Colonies often nest in trees or stumps but can form nests without ground contact.

Nasutitermes

There are several species of Nasutitermes which may damage timber in service. Soldier termites of these species are distinguished by their pointed heads. Nasutitermes exitiosus usually builds a low mound and is more common across Southern Australia. Nasutitermes walkeri builds part of its colony as a nest on the branch of a tree; the rest is constructed in the ground beneath it. This genus will mainly attack hardwood such as that found in fences and timber decking.

Mastotermes

Mastotermes darwiniensis, the Giant Northern Termite, is the most primitive of the commercially significant species. It shows an ability for sub-colonies to split from the main colony and produce queens, without a mating flight. Eventually a network of interconnecting sub-colonies is established, which makes control difficult. These large termites can devastate buildings, bridges, poles, trees and crops such as sugarcane. Mastotermes is found mainly north of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Schedorhinotermes

These termites can cause damage approaching the severity caused by Coptotermes. They build fragile nests in places such as old tree trumps, in timber buried in the ground, in filled patios and under fireplaces. The damage they cause is distinctive. Although it can be severe it is often patchy, with huge gouges taken out of sound timber, particularly around nails in floor boards or other timbers. Schedorhinotermes colonies contain major and minor soldiers.

Heterotermes

Heterotermes spp. are a significant structural pest through Queensland, northern WA and the NT. It is only in southern Australia where they are a minor nuisance. They are generally considered to do little damage to timber in service, restricting their attention to weathered timber fences, decking and posts. Occasionally they can cause superficial damage to sound timber.

Having trouble with termites?

Call Aerobeam Professional Pest Management today for a obligation free quote!

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