Termite Inspections – Australia
“Governments and building authorities in Australia recommend that regular, professional termite inspections are carried out at least on an annual basis, but more frequent inspections are strongly recommended.”
Termites can cause significant damage in a matter of months. With termite damage not covered by most building insurance, regular termite inspections are a must for all property owners.
Property owners should have a professional termite inspection at least once a year!
Why Regular Termite Inspections are Essential
Termite damage is not covered by home insurance!
Termite damage is not covered by standard home insurance and so it’s essential for all property owners to have a termite management plan for their property. A key part of this plan is to have annual termite inspections.
Help prevent a termite attack
A key output from a termite inspection is that it will list conducive conditions around the home that may make a termite attack more likely and construction issues that may result in a hidden termite entry point.
By remedying these issues flagged in the report, you can significantly reduce the chances of a termite attack.
Pick up the early signs of termite activity
With termites able to cause significant damage within as little as 6 months, it is important to be able to spot the early signs of termite activity on your property.
Ideally, their activity will be spotted in the yard before they attack the house, but with regular inspections, even if they have entered the house, they are likely to be detected before significant damage is done.
Maintain warranty on any termite protection
If you have a new home with a termite protection system in place or an older home having had a termite treatment (soil treatment or termite baiting system), it is necessary to have annual termite inspections to maintain the warranty on these termite protection systems.
Spotting termites is difficult
Termites are pretty sneaky. Not only can the squeeze through gaps as small as 2mm, but they are experts at concealing their activity, often only becoming visible once significant damage has been done.
Although homeowners should be able to spot the obvious signs of termite activity, spotting the early signs of termite activity is a job for the professional termite inspector.
Termite inspections are required before a termite treatment
If your home is attacked by termites a comprehensive termite inspection is required before a termite treatment can be carried out as it provides essential information for the termite professional:d
- Extent of the potential termite damage and activity
- Species of termite present
- Termite entries points into the building
- Potential termite nest sites
- Environment conditions that may have contributed to a termite attack
- Building faults that may have contributed to the termite attack
What's Involved in a Property Termite Inspection?
A termite inspection will:
- Determine if you have active termites on your property or in your buildings
- Uncover any evidence of termite damage on your property or in your buildings
- Specify if there are any conducive conditions in and around your property that will make a termite attack more likely
- Provide a report detailing the above and any recommended actions to protect your property
The termite inspection should include a visual inspection of all timber structures, fences, trees and stumps within the property boundaries up to 50m from the main building.
- Every internal room of the building(s) including the garage(s)
- Roof-void
- Sub-floor (if there is one)
- Exterior of the building(s)
- Trees, stumps, fences and sheds
The inspection does not include moving any furniture and any stored items. It is important to remember that a termite inspection is a visual inspection. If the inspector cannot access an area, it cannot be inspected and it becomes an exclusion in the report. The inspector will recommend gaining access to any obstructed areas at a later date (if it cannot be provided on the day). Note: it is not the responsibility of the inspector to move stored goods and there are strict rules about the safe access to roof void and sub-floor areas. If the inspector is suspicious of certain areas, he may recommend a further “invasive” inspection, which may involve superficial damage to an area in order to gain access to determine whether activity is present (eg. Drilling or cutting plaster to see inside a wall cavity).
Termite Inspection Report
The termite inspection report is an important output from the inspection as it contains the results of the inspection and recommendation for next steps. The report should detail:
- A description of buildings and structures inspected (and not inspected)
- Any areas of termite activity and termite species present
- The general location and extent of any termite damage (and whether termites are present)
- Any evidence of previous termite treatments
- Recommendations for any further inspections to gain inaccessible / suspicious areas
- Areas with excessive moisture due to poor drainage, leaks or poor ventilation
- Any conditions or building faults that make a termite attack more likely
- Possible locations of termite nests (although locating nests is rarely possible)
The termite inspection report should be a comprehensive and lengthy document. As well as the information above, it should include a range of photos to highlight the findings. This is not the same as a report or checklist that results from a free “termite check”.
The report will also include a number of legally worded statements. These statements can sound scary, but they are necessary to protect both you as the customer as well as the pest control company. If you have any questions when you receive your report it’s always worth discussing the findings with your termite inspector.
Termite Detection Equipment
All inspectors should be using two standard pieces of equipment – a termite donger (or tapper) and moisture meter. The use of termite detection equipment (termite detectors and thermal imaging cameras) can be particularly useful. However, the experience and skills of the termite inspector is the most important piece of “equipment”.
Thermal imaging cameras can be used to pick up areas of potential termite activity behind walls. The Flir range of thermal imaging cameras are often used by termite inspectors.
However, the quality of thermal cameras is very variable. Although the images they produce may look very impressive to the untrained eye, some of the cheaper thermal cameras have limited benefit. At the end of the day, it is the skill and experience of the termite inspector (not the equipment they use) that ensures a comprehensive termite inspection.
The Termatrac termite detector is a specialist termite detection equipment. It actually combines moisture meter, thermal camera and motion detector in the one device. However, it is the motion detector capabilities that are extremely useful to termite inspectors. Not only can it pick up areas of activity behind walls it can actually be used to locate and trace the termite foraging trails to try and identify the entry point into the building.
Some termite inspectors use termite detection dogs. These dogs are highly trained. Their sensitivity to termite odours means that not only can they detect termite activity, but they can also detect termite damage which the termites may have left years ago.
Although termite detection dogs are an excellent ‘piece of equipment’, the skill of the termite inspector is still the most critical element in ensuring a comprehensive termite inspection.
More information to understand how termite detection dogs are trained and used in termite inspections:
A moisture meter allows detection of areas of moisture behind walls. These could be due to leaks (which could lead to a termite attack) or signs of termite activity (termites bring moisture and mud into areas where they are feeding. Whilst they can be used in any areas of suspicion, they are particularly important in bathrooms, laundries and kitchens, where the inspector is looking for potential leaks.
A donger or tapper is a device for tapping wood elements and walls to see if there is hidden termite activity. An experienced termite inspector can spot potential issues by the differences in sound.
Recognising the Signs of Termite Infestations in Home
Termite mud tubes
Termite mud shelter tubes are built by termites when the move above ground. They provide protection from predators and stop them from drying out (termites need high humidity).
These mud tubes allow the termites to travel safely between their nest and foraging site. When they build these mud tubes they become easier to spot.
Common places where termite mudding can be spotted include:
- Over external and internal walls
- Sometimes as small spots on plasterboard walls
- Over sub-floor and roof void structural timbers
- Over trees and fencing
Flying termites
Flying termites, or more correctly called termite alates, are the reproductive termites – the new termite kings and termite queens who fly off to start new nests.
These termite kings and queens drop to the ground, shed their wings, pair off and try and find a suitable place to start a new nest.
These flying termites are released from mature termite colonies on warm humid evenings in great numbers. They don’t fly far, so if you find flying termites near your home, it means you have a large termite nest nearby and you should get a termite inspection immediately.
Typically you will see large number of these flying termites around lights in the evening. They will be a light brown colour and have two pair of wings that will readily fall off. Sometimes you don’t see the alates, but you might find a large pile of wings on the floor or by a window when you wake up in the morning.
Termite damage
Other than obvious structural collapse (a serious problem!) and termite mud tubes, there are some other signs that could indicate termite damage:
- Rippled paintwork and wall coverings
- Hard to close windows or doors
- Spongy floors
Termite droppings
Subterranean termites, the main pest termite species, don’t produced droppings that are readily spotted by homeowners. However, drywood termites do produce obvious droppings and are a key sign of drywood termite activity. Drywood termites produce round, six sided droppings, which accumulated in a pile.
Termite Inspections - Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of a termite inspection?
The cost of a termite inspection will be driven by how long it takea – which depends on the size of the home, the construction type and the size of the property. More skilful, experienced termite inspectors will probably charge a premium for their expertise.
When it comes to termite inspections, you should chose a termite inspector you trust, rather than just finding the cheapest price. You want to make sure you get a comprehensive inspection. When you’re trying to protect your expensive home, is it worth saving a few dollars on a cheap inspection?
That said, if you combine a termite inspection with an additional pest control service, you can get a significant discount as it is very efficient for the pest manager to provide two services at the same time.
How long does a termite inspection typically take?
The length of time to carry out a comprehensive inspection will depend on the size of the house, the construction type and the size of the land. As a guide, an inspection of a standard 3-4 bedroom house on a concrete slab will take at least 1.5 hours to complete. Add in a sub-floor it can easily become 2 hours and large houses can take 3 hours or more.
A good inspection takes time and you don’t want them to rush and miss something!
Do you need a termite inspection if you have a termite protection system in place?
Yes. Termite protection systems are designed to prevent concealed termite entry. Termites can still find away around the protection, but they become visible and will be spotted (as long as you have regular termite inspections). For this reason termite protection systems require at least annual termite inspections to maintain any warranty.
Do you need a termite inspection if you have a double brick or steel frame home?
Yes. The recommendation for regular (at least annual) termite inspections applies to all residential buildings. There are plenty of examples of termites getting into metal framed buildings to attack wooden flooring, doors and window frames. Similarly, termites can enter double brick buildings and attacking the roof timbers.
The bottom line is that if there is wood around termites will find it!
What’s the difference between a termite inspection and a termite check?
A termite check is a quick superficial check to see if there are any obvious signs of termites. This is often offered as a free service, often in combination with a general pest treatment.
Although a termite “report” or checklist maybe provided, it is not the same as the report from a comprehensive termite inspection and does not provide any legal protection for the homeowner if termites or termite damage are present (but missed).
Property homeowners should not rely on a termite check as part of their property termite management.
How do I know if the termite inspector is good?
If you are looking for a termite inspector then the first questions to ask are are they qualified and are they insured? Ask to see their pest licence and their insurance. Both documents should specify that they are allow to carry out termite (timber pest) work.
Then ask how much experience the company and individual inspector have in termite inspections and check out online reviews. As mentioned above, asking how long the termite inspection will take, will give you an idea of how thorough they may be.
Whilst not wishing to scare you, here’s an example of what can happen if a poor termite inspection is carried out.
Don’t choose a termite inspector on price, after all you are protecting your most expensive asset. Choose a termite professional you trust.
What should I do if I think I have termites?
- Don’t spray them with insecticide
- Don’t break open any of the mud tubes
Such actions can temporarily frighten the termites from the area making them hard to control (they will come back later often to a different location in the building).
What to do? Call a pest professional immediately!
How much damage can termites do?
The amount of damage caused by termites depends on the species, the size of the colony attacking the property and the location in the country (termites are more active and eat more in the warmer, wetter parts of the country).
Along much of the East coast, an attack from the most damaging species can cause significant damage in as little as 6 months. In areas of tropical Australia where the giant northern termite is present, the house can be destroyed in 6 months!
Can I do a termite inspection myself?
It is not possible for a homeowner to do a comprehensive termite inspection themselves, even if they have a good deal of knowledge as specialised equipment is also required.
However, homeowners should know the signs of termite so if they spot something suspicious they can call a termite inspector to check it out.
We also have a number of magazine articles on termite and pest inspections and more information on termite treatments and termites, as well as pre-purchase pest inspections.
