Termite monitoring and baiting system

Hi there,

Does anyone have an I.P that has been infested with termites in the past?

My I.P doesn't have a problem at the moment but Im abroad and worry about this issue as my folks had termites run riot in their house and it cost $30k to fix.

Has anyone ever used a ''termite monitoring and baiting system''? What about a chemical barrier?

I recently had a termite inspection done and the report indicated that my ant caps on the piers were 'adequate'. I only installed ant caps on the piers around the edge of the house when trying to sell the I.P 3 years ago and know for a fact that ant caps are only on 20% of the piers. Thus I conclude that the inspector did not spend much time under the house during the inspection which is a concern.

I want this I.P to be my little nest egg to retire on in 20 years time and thus want to protect it from damage.

Any thoughts or recommendations are appreciated. How often do you get an inspection done on your house?
 
Bear in mind ant caps do not stop termites entering your house, they just make it easier for you (or the inspector) to see the mud tubes that the white ants build over the ant caps, in their attempt to enter.

Expect to spend about $5K on a bait and monitoring system.

You should have it inspected every 12 months or every 6 months in a high activity area.

Insurance does not cover termite damage.
 
ok, I wonder if its possible to get a DIY bait system from bunnings. If so maybe I can get a handyman to instal for me whilst Im away
 
You might have a bit of luck with someone like Globe Australia at Bankstown. Not sure if you will require a pest licence for the chemicals though.

House next to us had termites eating out the flooring (hardwood). Bait stations were placed around the boundaries and monitored.
 
The bait and monitoring system does take a while as you have to wait for the termites to find it and start taking the stuff back to the nest and the nest to die off. A far as I undertand, the 'poison' in the bait doesn't kill them as such, it just prevents them from producing keratin which they essentially need to bite through the hard stuff. Then they go back to the bait as that stuff is soft and nice.

It requires the pest guy to go back every 1-2 months to check/replenish the stations and monitor activity. They keep checking them until the termites are gone.

I'm not as familiar with the barrier treatment but I know that one of the downsides is that it requires a complete barrier and is not much use when there are parts of the house that can't be accessed.

I had the baiting system done and paid about 2.5K (a few years ago).
 
I'm about to have the barrier done for $1000. Yearly inspections after this will cost $150 but not compulsary.
I had another quote from another company to do baiting system for $2500, followed by barrier for about $850 after the termites in roof are killed.
The house hasn't been treated for about forty years.
 
My brother, who is a pest controller, does not recommend the bait systems as he feels by putting the soft wood into the ground around the house you are actually attracting the white ants.
In the same way that woody mulch around the house can attract them.
Also the poison usually doesn't go into the trap at the start, it only goes in when you find evidence of termites.
The problem with this is that when you disturb termites they like to move on, so you risk them moving on to your house while you muck around getting the poisoned wood into the trap.
 
My brother, who is a pest controller, does not recommend the bait systems.

I agree, bait systems don't work. Dad is a termite/pest controller.
One problem with baits is they provide no protection to the house. There is no guarantee that the termites will find the baits before the house. And if you have more then one termite colony near by, then one colony might find the baits while the other might find the house.

Only way to protect a house is a barrier, either chemical or physical.

If the house is on stamps/pier. Just put solid ant camps on all the stumps (and stairs), and inspect it every three months. If you see any dirt tunnels on the ant caps then call a professional.

If the house is on stumps, then ant caps are enough. Termites are one of the big reasons houses were built on stamps.
 
I agree, bait systems don't work. Dad is a termite/pest controller.
One problem with baits is they provide no protection to the house. There is no guarantee that the termites will find the baits before the house. And if you have more then one termite colony near by, then one colony might find the baits while the other might find the house.

Only way to protect a house is a barrier, either chemical or physical.

If the house is on stamps/pier. Just put solid ant camps on all the stumps (and stairs), and inspect it every three months. If you see any dirt tunnels on the ant caps then call a professional.

If the house is on stumps, then ant caps are enough. Termites are one of the big reasons houses were built on stamps.


Thanks for all the replies. By 'stumps' do you mean brick stump peirs? Thats the type of pier that is under my house. I stupidly only put ant caps on 20% of the piers before going abroad. I used a heavy duty jack and lifted up the floor boards enough to install ant caps under some of the piers.

Do you think that I should have someone put ant caps under the rest of the piers?

I contacted the hardware who said ''WE ONLY HAVE ONE TYPE OF TERMITE SPRAY (PIDGEONS PEST CONTROLLER 500)
$44.95 1LT. AND IT IS A VERY STRONG PRODUCT AND CAN BE USED AS A BARRIER AROUND AND UNDER BUILDINGS BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONITORING SYSTEMS''

Do you think it would be prudent to ask a handman to put this product around the 2 risk areas:
1. in the corner of my house where there is a water tank that leaks. That area is kind of damp all the time
2. In one part under the house there is a small timber retainer wall

Or maybe I should pay someone to fix the above 2 issues and resort to 12 monthly inspections?

I appreciate your advice
thanks
 
Do you think that I should have someone put ant caps under the rest of the piers?

I think this would be the best thing to do.
The idea is that you want to be able to see if termites have gotten into the house. So anywhere a stump, pier, post, stairs etc. touches the house you want a solid piece of metal (or concrete) in the way. Something that does not have any holes for the termites to get though.

Do you think it would be prudent to ask a handman to put this product around the 2 risk areas:
1. in the corner of my house where there is a water tank that leaks. That area is kind of damp all the time
2. In one part under the house there is a small timber retainer wall

Or maybe I should pay someone to fix the above 2 issues and resort to 12 monthly inspections?

If you are going to use chemicals, get a proper professional. Some of these chemicals don't mix, and if you do a half job with the wrong chemical, it can be almost impossible to fix later.

For example the chemical dad uses is somewhere around $500 per litre. It works. I would not trust your $300,000 house with some ant spray from the hardware store.


Saying that if the house is off the ground, a physical barrier and inspections are enough. You just have to make sure the barrier is solid. (ie no rusted ant caps which have holes though the middle.) Then keep an eye on it.
 
I'm about to have the barrier done for $1000. Yearly inspections after this will cost $150 but not compulsary.
I had another quote from another company to do baiting system for $2500, followed by barrier for about $850 after the termites in roof are killed.
The house hasn't been treated for about forty years.

That price looks cheap to me. What's the size of your property?
 
If the house is on stamps/pier. Just put solid ant camps on all the stumps (and stairs), and inspect it every three months. If you see any dirt tunnels on the ant caps then call a professional.

If the house is on stumps, then ant caps are enough. Termites are one of the big reasons houses were built on stamps.

This isn't true. The ant caps do stop termite attacks some of the time, but termites do occasionally get around them, particularly if they have been damaged or rusted out (hard to tell as they sit between the stumps and beams). They do make termite attacks highly visible and obvious though, unlike modern houses on slabs.

Moisture is a major factor in deterring termite attacks, as they love moisture - it definitely pays to ensure the wet areas don't have leaks as this could increase the likelihood of termite attack. Good ventilation (like the highsets have underneath) also deters termites.
 
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