Over the past five years, termites have caused $3.9 billion worth of damage to at least 650,000 Australian homes. In truth, 1 in 3 3Australian homes is at risk of termite infestation. Termites are insects with a highly organized social hierarchy. Albeit their size, they are a little menace that lives in colonies consisting of a few thousand to millions of termites with different ranks – soldiers, workers, nymphs, alates, and queens.
Termites live, work, and breed within the colonies. They spontaneously multiply into millions of termites every day as the termite queen lays eggs. Queen termites lay eggs in rows and hatch them into nymphs – the worker termites feed them.
What Do Termites Look Like, and How Big Are Termites?
Termites are mostly light brown to white and are almost translucent. Creamy termites can sometimes become brown because of the food they eat, which usually show through their translucent body. Unlike other insects and ants, their bodies are unsegmented and they have beaded antennae.
The size of termites varies according to their categories. Queen termites are the largest in the colony. They can grow up to 4 to 6 inches and can live for many years. The older they get, the bigger they become. The worker termites are only about ¼ to ½ inch.
Their main job is to munch wood and guard eggs.
Judging from the size, you find it hard to believe that they can actually destroy an entire home. But these small creatures can work together with millions of other termites in eating away wooden structures. It is best to eradicate them after seeing the slightest sign of them in your home.
What Areas Are More Likely to See Termites?
Termites are more prominent in areas with open land, stock woods, and large gardens. The landscapes can provide plenty of food and places to nest. Subterranean termites, for example, are more attracted to anything that has cellulose. So, they settle on rotten woods, newspaper garbage, books, rotten foundations, and other damp areas in your home.
Drywood termites, however, don’t need damp wood to begin infesting your home. They are attracted to old wooden structures and floors and crawl spaces that are considered warm. Moreover, the rate of an infestation can vary depending on the moisture conditions. Sydney’s coastal region, for example, combines the ideal conditions for termites to live – warmth and moisture – which is why many of the older homes are found to have a termite infestation.
Termites are most likely to settle in homes with wooden terraces. Since terraces are mostly exposed to moisture and heat, they become a favorite hotspot for termites. Some suburbs in Sydney are also prone to termite damage because of how older homes are interconnecting with each other such as Balmain, Leichhardt, Newtown, and Marrickville.
When Are Termites Active?
Termites are most active during the summer months when the climate is both warm and moist. Subterranean termites can cause more damage from late spring through the summer because of the presence of damp wood.
They usually start digging from the ground and up to the solid foundations of your home. Drywood termites are usually more active in the late summer into autumn and tend to work more during the night. If your home is infested with termites, you should be able to hear a rustling sound on the walls whenever you place your ears on the surface.
How Do Termites Get Inside Your House?
You may never know when your home is close to a mound of termites unless you have a professional termite inspection checking your home. What is interesting about termites is that they can still reach your home even if they live 100 meters away. Subterranean termites, for example, can create a series of long mud tunnels from their mounds to your home. During the colder winter months, termites will seek warmth in your home.
The following are signs that termites are in your home.
- Hearing rustling or hollow sounds when you know on the wooden structures of your home
- Sagging floors
- Tiny holes or mud tunnels on woodworks
- Crack paints or plasters
- Unexplained power interruptions
If you notice any of these signs, contact a pest control expert right away. To avoid these signs and the damage they indicate, you can schedule an annual termite inspection. During the inspection, a trained expert will check your home and identify early signs of termite infestation.
Termite experts will also point out conditions that make your property prone to termites and recommend the best ways to reduce the risk of infestation. Our team utilizes strategic techniques to track down termites. First, we will inspect the exterior of your home for areas of moisture, rotting woods, leaks, and other sources of termites. We will look high and low from windows to your basement walls and trace the presence of termites, including your soffits, eaves, and roofline.
If our team finds out that there are termites in your home, we will recommend the best way to eradicate them completely. You can agree on a short-term or long-term solution, depending on what is ideal for your home and your budget. In any case, The Local Guys will be there to provide you with the best termite control solution.
What Services Do We Offer?
We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control the absolute best in the game!