Five ways to stop termites eating your home Did you know that 1 in 3 homes have termite evidence of some description? It s frustrating for me to see termites and evidence that could be easily prevented just with a few simple strategies. Termites cause an average of $15000 worth of damage per home according to CSIRO. That s $15000 that could be better spent on a holiday to Europe rather than fixing termite damage around the home. I went to someone s great grandparents place the other day to do an inspection to find half a house eaten away by termites because the garden mulch was too high over a weep hole. There goes the kid s inheritance and they couldn t afford to fix the damage let alone the bill to treat the termites. This sort of thing happens way too often and if this report helps just one person it s done its job. Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 1
About Us I have been in Pest Control for 9 years and 4 years ago I decided to raise my professionalism by introducing a Premium termite inspection that goes above and beyond Australian Standards. I now incorporate a Termite Detection Dog called Mack and a Thermal Imaging Camera and the latest T3I Termatrac radar device to help me inspect for termites. Termites are usually very hard to detect and there are so many places for them to hide. Now I have some peace of mind and some clarity about how good the inspection went once I finished utilising these tools. Mack is 97% accurate and can sniff the odour coming from the inside of walls for active termites. Having such a powerful tool to depend on gives me ultimate confidence in a job well done. I am a member of AEIPMA, licensed with Queensland Health and NSW Workcover, Licenced with BSA and a member of Pest Cert. Also I am fully lnsured with Rapid Solutions. I am the Owner of Pest Guru and currently have 5 staff and we all believe in helping to protect homes from termite attack. I started Pest Guru 4 years ago back then I was the only one working the business. Most clients are surprised to hear that there is no insurance against termite damage unless you have a Pre- Construction or Post- Construction termite management system in place. Now you re probably thinking to yourself I don t need a termite inspection because I have Home Insurance well you might want to check your policy because you re in for a surprise. I have seen too much of this very thinking so you wouldn t be the only one. Mr Sinclair at Currumbin Waters thought this and was shocked to hear that he would have to pay $25000 for his termite repair. Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 2
5 important ways to prevent termite damage In this report you will learn the five most important truths that can help you prevent termites from eating your home. 1. Regular termite inspections using a termite detection dog and thermal imaging camera. It doesn t matter how vigilant you are, termites can find a way into your home if you become complacent. Termites can easily go undetected if you don t know what you re doing. That is why with the help of Pest Guru s latest tools and techniques termites don t have a chance of escaping undetected. CSIRO recommend regular Termite Inspections. They suggest inspection every 12 months if you have a termite management system so if you don t have one more regular inspection is needed. Termite Inspection should take approximately 1.5-2 hours depending on the size of Home. The termite technician will do a thorough inspection of the grounds including Fences, retaining walls, landscaping timbers, stumps, timber debris, outbuildings, pergolas, decks, weep holes and under pot plants. Outside they will check for drainage issues like broken downpipes, the fall of concrete pathways as it is important to ensure there is no moisture build up against the house. Also outside will check for leaky taps, hot water overflow pipes and aircon overflow pipes to ensure they aren t leaking too close to the house as moisture attracts termites. Then the termite technician will go inside and he will check for excessive moisture on walls and around bathrooms to ensure there are no water problems that termites could be attracted to. Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 3
Inside we will also visually check and knock all architraves to ensure they are solid and termites haven t eaten them. Staying inside we have a termatrac which is a device that picks up any movement behind the wall where we can t see, it works like radar. Then if we have movement we need to confirm this by putting a hole in the wall as thick as your little pinkie finger so that we can scope the inside of the wall. After all that we will then inspect the roof cavity paying particular attention to the external top plate and rafters around the perimeter of the house. Once all this is done we will then bring Mack our termite detection dog through the house. He is our best weapon against termites no termite can escape him. He has detected termites 52 times in 3 years where the technician saw no signs and this was confirmed at a later time. The reason a technician might not pick up that there are termites is that a very early infestation might not show any signs there could be no damage, moisture or any evidence anywhere. This is very common as you can see 52 times in 3 years, we in the industry have to ask ourselves is an Australian Standard Visual Termite Inspection enough. Now there are the nay Sayers in the Pest Inspection industry that might react badly to this and might try to discredit Mack (probably because they don t have a termite detection dog). I would say to them that we may not be able to prove initially that there are termites in the house because its too early to tell without demolishing the house but when we have waited a few months they inevitably turn up sometimes in our termite bait stations that we have installed. Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 4
This then proves the presents of termites on the property. I would rather have the knowledge that it is possible that termites are eating my house then waiting for them to cause many dollars worth of damage. Thanks to Mack he can give me an early warning. 2. Houses that are split level or have an infill slab are at an even higher risk of termite attack. Most houses that are built today have a raft slab or monolithic slab which you can clearly identify because it has a visible slab edge these are great and proves the building industry is talking to the pest industry to try and come up with better ways to avoid termite attack. However if your house is built before the year 2000 it is likely that your home doesn t have a visible slab edge and is what is known as an infill slab. These infill slabs are the most common and usually about 85% of termite infestations that I have found have been because of this slab. The reason is because there is a gap between the slab and the brick wall that sits on the footing that is on the ground next to the slab not on top of the slab. Therefore the termites have easy access to the house right around the perimeter of the slab through that gap between the slab and the bricks. Split level homes have a similar problem in that there is normally a retaining wall that allows different slab levels and therefore different slabs. Where there is more than 1 slab they butt against the retaining wall where you will find a tiny gap that the termites can get through. Further to that Split level homes can have drainage issues where Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 5
there is a build-up of water against the retaining wall that hasn t been water proofed properly or drained properly and remember too much moisture against a house attracts termites. 3. Moisture problems, drainage issues and water leaks. Termites need water and are very attracted to it not too much of it just enough moisture to help them thrive. Usually where there are water problems on a property termite are not far away. There are a number of reasons why there could be excessive moisture around a home a few of the major concerns are water leaks to showers, bathroom /kitchen vanities and baths. Another concern could be leaky taps or hot water systems. Leaky roof can be another cause for concern. Did you know even excessive moisture in mulch in the homes garden beds can bring on a termite attack? A termite technician will be able to assess all of this and be able to give adequate recommendations to rectify. 4. It s a no brainer but if you didn t know termites eat timber. Some common issues that I see with homes are timber that is in the wrong place or that is not protected from termite attack. Timber in contact with the ground and the house with no protection in place. For example, piers or poles with no ant cap or retaining walls, landscaping timbers and fences against the house and in contact with the ground. This allows termites to easily track along and then inside the house. Timber debris or timber stored outside and under the subfloor should also be removed to help prevent termite attack into the home. If the ground has covered the stirrups that your pergola or decking posts sit in they should also be cleared. 5. Common Misconceptions Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 6
There are many wives tales or misconceptions and there are many experts without a Pest Control license spruiking them. The number one misconception that I hear every week from home owners, my home is brick and tile with a concrete slab there is no way the termites can get in I am sorry if you have been told this but it is simply not true there is still timbers in the roof and the walls that hold the plasterboard on that the termites can feast on. Another misconception is that I can t have termites because I ve got ants around my place, don t they eat termites? Wrong!! They can live side by side but because termites encase themselves in there workings which they travel through ants can t penetrate it. Number 3 on the list of misconceptions is that, I got a termite Inspection when I bought the house 5 years ago and they said that I don t have any termites. Really! Termites can do a lot of damage to a house in a few short weeks so leaving it 5 years to do a termite inspection is uncomprehend able. A termite inspection can t stop the termites from attacking it only limits the amount of damage they can do when found. Another tale and this one is very popular, I have termites in my fence so if I leave them there they won t attack the house says the uneducated home owner. All this indicates is that there is termite pressure on the property that needs to be addressed before they find the home, if the termites haven t already. What to do next In this report we have discussed 5 important points to help prevent termites from attacking your home. Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 7
1. The need to get regular termite Inspections. 2. The type of construction of your concrete slab can have a massive impact on the level of risk to termite attack your home has. 3. Excessive moisture, drainage and water leaks can also have an impact on the degree of risk to termite attack on your home. 4. Timber in contact with the ground and the home and timber stored on the ground around the property can attract termites. 5. Misconceptions if believed can have a detrimental effect on your hip pocket. The purpose of this report is to help the home owner gain some knowledge of termite prevention and that preventing termites needs to be managed by the home owner and the pest manager more frequently. This is an important community message that needs to be addressed by home owners to ensure they aren t victims of a nasty termite attack. Pest Guru would love to help you with your termite management and have decided to provide a huge incentive to encourage you to act now. Pest Guru is offering a $20 discount on Termite Inspections normal price is $250 now just $230. Don t let this happen to you. Call Now on 0434 686 890 Copyright 2014 pestcontrolguru.com.au 07 5520 7565 Page 8