What termites actually are
Termites are social insects, like bees and ants. A colony has a queen, soldiers and workers, and as it matures it decides for itself how many of each it needs, including future kings and queens to start new colonies elsewhere. A single mature colony can run to millions of workers, all foraging through the soil for cellulose.
People call them white ants. There's no such thing as a white ant. It's a slang name that has stuck, and it does real harm, because it makes termites sound like a nuisance rather than a structural risk.
How they get into a house
When a house is built on the ground, the slab and footings are a natural barrier to termites tunnelling beneath it. Termites hit that barrier and do the only thing they can: find a way around it or through it. Cracks in brickwork, slab joints, plumbing penetrations and weep holes are the usual entry points.
Once inside, termites often build a nest within the wall cavity, sometimes extending beyond the wall lining. The mud tunnels, or galleries, let them control temperature and humidity while they work, and shield them from predators.
A support post on an Ipswich job. The paint film held its shape long after the timber behind it had gone.
Termites are not stopped by sunlight. Provided the atmosphere is moist enough, they'll work in it. And some species don't need soil contact at all: give them a moisture source inside the building, such as a leaking shower or a blocked gutter, and they will nest in your roof void.
Not every termite is a pest
Termites are as natural to the Australian bush as ants and bees, and most species have no interest in your house frame. They only become a pest when they attack structural timber or timber in service: fences, decking, landscaping sleepers.
This is why identification matters. Treating a species that poses no risk to timber is money burnt for no reason. Our technicians identify the species before recommending anything, and we'll tell you plainly when a colony can be left alone.
What we do about it
- Inspection and report: a full timber pest inspection carried out and reported in accordance with AS 3660.2:2017, emailed to you on completion.
- Direct nest and above-ground treatment: where an active workings can be located and dosed.
- Baiting systems: in-ground stations that intercept foragers and let them carry the bait home to the colony.
- Chemical soil barriers: a treated zone around the structure so termites can't reach it undetected.
- Pre-construction systems: installed before the slab, certified for the builder.
Signs worth a phone call
- Mud tunnels running up piers, foundation walls or the outside of the slab edge
- Timber that sounds hollow when tapped, or paint that ripples and bubbles
- A door or window that has suddenly started sticking
- Swarming winged termites (alates) around lights, or discarded wings on windowsills
- Any nest, mud or mound in the yard within 50 metres of the house
If you find termites, leave them alone. Don't spray them, don't break open the workings. Disturbed termites abandon the area and rebuild somewhere you can't see, which makes treatment far harder. Cover it back up and ring us on (07) 3288 8012.
