Termite Treatment Melbourne

Question 1

What Are the Most Common Signs of Termites?

Answer

Most of the damages caused by termites occur within the inner walls of your property structures. That is why it can be difficult to determine whether you have a termite infestation or not. However, our Termite Inspection Melbourne experts know how to search and find the signs of termites.
The most common signs of termite infestations include:

Dead or Alive Termites: The first and most common sign of subterranean termites is the presence of winged termites. Swarming termites usually exist near the light, so they are usually found near doors, windows, vents, and light flexures. Having a termite swarm is a sure sign that your place has a termite problem.
Furthermore, worker termites are small insects that tend to move quickly when they are exposed to light. These light-colored insects can cause severe damages to your property’s structures.
Therefore, even if there are no visible signs of termites, you should check windows, doors, sinks, and bathtubs carefully and report any dead or alive termites to our Termite Inspection Melbourne team.
Mud Tubes: The muddy, flattened tubes around or inside your property provide termites with shelter. They are as wide as a drinking straw and can be found along cracks, under flooring, on pipes, and other fixtures. If the termite infestation is severe, the mud tubes may even extend over the concrete foundations of your property in addition to other surfaces.
Hollow Wood: One of the most effective ways to determine whether you have a termite infestation or not is to tap wood located along your property’s walls, baseboards, windowsills. Use a screwdriver handle and tap every few inches. If the termite infestation caused damages to your wooden structures, the damaged wood will sound hollow. If the damages are severe, the screwdriver handle may even break the surface of the wood. If the infestation is active, you may notice worker termites inside the wooden structures.
Subterranean termite infestations usually exist in dark areas or blisters in wood flooring.
Termite infestations can be treated and prevented. All you need to do is to contact The Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne Team and they will take care of your problem.

Question 2

How Much Damage Can Termites Really Do?

Answer

Termites cause more damages to homes than fires, floods, and tornadoes. Annually, termites cause more than $5 billion in damages and repair costs.
In Australia, more than 4 million homes are at risk of termite infestations every year.

Question 3

How Do I Differentiate Between Winged Ants and Swarming Termites?

Answer

For unprofessional exterminators, it can be really difficult to differentiate between the different types of insects including winged ants and swarming termites.

Winged termites have two equal in size and shape pairs of wings, broad waists, and pigmented bodies. Subterranean termite swarmers have bodies about ¼ of an inch in length and they usually shed their wings once they fly around.

On the other hand, winged ants have two pairs of wings, but they do not have the same size and shape. The front pair of wings are larger. Also, they have pinched waists. Besides, they also shed their wings like termites once they fly.

Termite wings have the same sizes. If you noticed any wings, collect them to help our Termite Inspection Melbourne team identify the type of termite infestation quickly, which will make our Termite Treatment Melbourne process more effective.

Question 4

How Can I Differentiate between White Ants and Termites?

Answer

Most unprofessional people cannot tell the difference between white ants and termites. For them, they look like each other. However, there are many differences.

Ants’ bodies are heavily pigmented with three different body parts; head, chest, and abdomen. Besides, their waists are pinched or narrow and they have elbowed antennae.

Termite workers’ bodies are pale and soft. They are ¼ of an inch or less in length. Also, since their chest is broadly joined to their abdomen, they usually appear to have only a head and body. Also, Termite workers’ antennae are straight.

Winged termites or swarmers’ bodies are pigmented with broad waists. They have two pairs of wings that are equal in size and shape. Their bodies are ¼ of an inch in length and after flying for a short distance, they shed their wings.
On the other hand, winged ants have pinched waists and two pair of wings that are not equal in size and shape since the front pair are much larger than the back pair.

Question 5

I Have Mud Tunnels on the Exterior Walls of My Property, Should I Worry about Termite Infestations?

Answer

Actually, yes. Termites do eat wood. In fact, they play an important role in recycling wood and bringing it back to the soil in nature. Wood is an organic material and when it is recycled back to the soil, this provides plants with important nutrients and improves the ability of the soil to retain water.

Termites have the ability to digest cellulose, which is the main component of wood because their stomachs have bacteria, protozoa, and microbes living there.

Also, termites are well-organized, and they do their best to search for new food sources all the time. Some people think that they only eat wooden structures, which is not entirely wrong. But the fact is they eat anything that has cellulose. This includes books, boxes, wallpaper, carpet backing, and even furniture.
In a nutshell, termites are highly destructive.

Question 6

Can Termites Make Their Way Through Concrete?

Answer

No, termites cannot eat their way through solid concrete. Still, they can get access through cracks. All they need is a tiny crack in the concrete surface to have access. Usually, concrete surfaces have tiny holes. This happens when two concrete pieces are poured separately. Also, they can find their way around plumping installations that penetrate the concrete or when concrete has cracks and openings.

Question 7

Do Termites Eat Wood?

Answer

Mud tunnels are one of the most common signs of subterranean termite infestations. You should be worried but do not panic. Call the Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne Team and they will take care of your termite problem.

Question 8

How Long Do Termites Live?

Answer

Worker termites usually live one to two years while queen termites usually live for years and even decades.

Question 9

Why Do Termites Lose Their Wings?

Answer

Wings are necessary for swarmers to fly for a brief flight from their nests. After that, they shed their wings by breaking them off and never fly again. They stay in the soil for the rest of their lives building new colonies.

Question 10

What Do Termites Do After Swarming?

Answer

Yes! At The Local Guys – Pest Control, all of our technicians are trained to work with both commercial and residential sites. Pest control is essential for compliance in many commercial industries (particularly food and hospitality) for health regulations. However, we believe pest control is equally important at both site types. We have a treatment plan available for every situation. No job is too big or too small for us!

Question 11

How Do Termites Get Inside My Property?

Answer

Termites invade properties easily because they do not need much room to find their way inside. They do not even squeeze themselves inside homes or businesses. Just a 1/32^nd of an inch opening is enough to start a termite infestation.

For example, subterranean termites can find their way through your property from the soil along with the foundations or through any tiny cracks in the slab, voids between bricks, openings around plumbing, weep holes, or expansion joints. The favorite access points for termites are wood structures that are in direct contact with the ground as they can eat their way inside your home.

In most cases, subterranean termite infestations can be traced to colonies living in the soil outside your place. However, if the infestation is severe, there may be other colonies inside your home. This happens when a termite male and female start a new colony within a wooden structure. Also, a colony can be started when male and female termite workers become isolated and cannot find their way back to their parent colony.

All these living conditions are perfect in moist areas. If your property has flat roofs or leaks, they are at high risk of termite infestations because your structures will retain this moisture for a while, which is a favorable living condition for termites. Moisture allows termites to survive, even if they are not in direct contact with the soil. Note that structural moisture can cause severe damages to your home as the termite infestation.

Question 12

I Have an Old Tree Stump Infested with Termites, Should I Have It Treated Too?

Answer

No, you do not have to get the stump treated. However, you need to protect your home against termite infestations. Melbourne is one of the most common areas where termites live and survive. It is totally normal to find termites in the ground, in tree stumps, or debris next to wooden structures.

If your home has never been treated or you haven’t tried to prevent termites from entering your home, you should keep an eye on termites and have The Local Guys – Termite Inspection Melbourne team inspect it for you and implement an Exterra termite control system to prevent any termites from invading your home.

The possibility of having your home infested by termites is high, especially if they are detected close to your home. Treating the stump can be a good step, but it will not prevent them from searching for new food sources. That is why it is crucial to contact our Termite Treatment Melbourne team to inspect and create the best treatment plan for you.

Furthermore, it is better to take some preventative steps in termite-prone areas such as Melbourne. For example, remove any wood debris from around your place, especially after new construction and remodeling. Also, try to solve any moisture problem inside or around your foundation to keep your property dry.

Question 13

Several Homes in My Neighborhood Have Termites, How Can I Protect My Home?

Answer

Termites exist all the time and they usually spread underground. If there are active termite infestations nearby, your home may be in great danger of a termite infestation. The Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne team can help you avoid termite infestations by installing one of Exterra’s termite control systems after inspecting your place and making sure that it does not have an existing termite infestation.

Question 14

I Live in A Stucco Home, Should I Worry about Termite Infestations?

Answer

Termite infestations are common in stucco homes. They are common because stucco homes’ exterior walls usually extend beneath the level of the soil around the outside of your property structure. There are usually small spaces between the stucco finish and the foundations allowing termites to find a way to enter the inside of your home. These spaces are usually hidden and cannot be visible to unprofessional people.

Termite infestations also occur when synthetic stucco finishes are used. These finishes have a base layer of rigid foam board, and they usually extend beneath the soil level. Once termites have access to the foam layer, they can move anywhere around your entire property.

This type of exterior finish allows moisture, which is the best environmental condition for termites.

Question 15

How Do I Get Rid of Drywood Termites?

Answer

Getting rid of dry wood termites depends on the unique situation of each property. In general, most dry wood termite infestations require tent fumigation. The tent fumigation process depends on covering your entire property with a tent and releasing a fumigant gas that can penetrate all your infested wooden structures. It is the best and most effective way to get rid of dry wood termite infestations.

Question 16

My House Does Not Have Termites, Should I Still Get a Termite Treatment?

Answer

Yes, you should take actual steps to prevent termites from invading your home. The Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne team recommends using bait barriers to prevent termites from getting access to your property. Without an effective prevention plan, your home will be at risk of termite infestations and damages. The problem with termite damages is that they can remain unnoticed until they become severe.

The Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne team uses Exterra products to eliminate and prevent termites.

Keep in mind that termites may be invisible to you. Just because they are not obvious, it means that your property is termite-free or safe from termite infestations.

Question 17

How Long Does It Take to Eliminate or Control a Termite Colony with Bait?

Answer

After applying our treatment, individual termites will be killed within a few days after consuming it. However, it may take a while before eradicating an entire colony. This varies depending on many factors such as the weather changes, your location, the severity of the infestation, and the structure of your property.

Question 18

How Do I Control Termites and Avoid Any Future Infestations?

Answer

Depending on the type of termites found at your property, The Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne Team will choose and apply the most effective treatment option.

The Local Guys experts recommend a termite inspection to determine the best treatment plan including products and techniques. Liquid treatments are usually applied to the soil at entry points into your property. As the termites seek food sources, they touch the treated areas if they try to get access to your place.

Soil Treatments are used to control termites for longer periods. However, they depend on many factors and are usually of limited use because they can be disturbed easily.

Anyway, the best way to control termites and avoid future infestations is to contact the Local Guys – Termite Treatment Melbourne Team. We will inspect your place thoroughly and tailor the perfect treatment plan according to the findings.

Termite Treatment Melbourne

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