Sydney Termites - Protection in Sydney Australia

Sydney Termites!
How Sydney termites can eat away at your best investment, and what to do to stop them

Sydney Termites - Protection in Sydney Australia

Termites are amazing social insects. Each colony has a queen whose job it is to lay eggs as often as possible, reproductive termites who become future queens, soldiers who defend the colony and worker termites who supply the entire colony with food. This food is cellulose and found in trees, fences, posts, floorboards and timbers of your home

The caste system has a queen, king, other potential reproductives, nymphs, soldiers and worker termites in the colony. Termite baiting will kill the worker termites or stop them from feeding. Once this happens, you can starve the queen, the reproductives and the soldiers. If you kill the egg-laying queen of a colony you can stop future generations of termites.

The worker termites forage for new food sources constantly and randomly. They are active 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The worker termites can take three to eight years to cause appreciable damage. The total number of individuals in a colony of subterranean termites may be more than a million. Imagine a million insects invading your home? In actuality, termites do not "attack;" they forage, attracted to moist areas, and find food sources.

Recognizing termites is tricky, since they are often difficult to distinguish from flying ants. Termites swarm in the spring and fall when a group of adult males and females leave their nest to establish a new colony

Termites have relatively straight, beadlike antennae, while ants have elbowed antennae. Termites have two pair of wings (front and back) that are of almost equal length. Ants also have two pair of wings but the fore wings are much larger than the hind wings. The abdomen of the termite is broadly joined to the thorax while the abdomen and thorax of the ant are joined by a narrow waist.

Termite damage can be located by probing wood with a screwdriver, or Stanley knife. Worker termites are blind and sensitive to heat, cold, and dry air, which is why they build mud tubes.

Wood damaged by termites always has remains of mud tubes attached to wood tunnels in an irregular pattern. The tunnels may contain broken mud particles with fecal materials. The presence of flying winged males, females or their shed wings inside the building indicates and infestation.

The top caste in the termite colony is the king and queen; the queen may live up to 25 years and lay more than 60,000 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs are yellowish white and hatch after an incubation of 50 to 60 days.

How To Stop Termite Attack
Since termites are attracted to moisture, avoid moisture accumulation near your home's foundation. Also divert water away with properly functioning drainpipes, gutters and air-conditioner overflow pipes. Reduce humidity in crawl spaces with proper ventilation. Prevent shrubs, vines and other vegetation from growing over and covering vents.
Before and during construction, never bury wood scraps or waste lumber in the backfill, especially near the building. Remove old tree stumps and roots around and beneath the building.

Most importantly, eliminate any wood contact with the soil. As more than one in three homes in Australia get infested by termites, it makes sense to choose a reliable termite protection system that is applied by an accredited, reliable and professional termite protection firm. Our residual termite treatments are Australian Standard compliant, and are extremely thorough.

It all starts with an inspection of the home as per Australian Standard 4349.3 The first thing I would do if I were you would be to call a termite qualified pest technician. Our technicians know where to look for termite activity in and around your home, and how to efficiently protect it from termite damage.

Baits or Sprays?
Which system works the best? I believe a system that has the ability to kill the colony fast is the best. Termite baits are fine for detecting termites and activity but are slow compared to Termidor barrier sprays and are not recommended to control Sydney termites in difficult to access construction areas. A good technician will be able to locate termites and kill off the colony causing the problem. Termidor is low toxic and provides long term termite control. It's my solution for the best protection of your home and has a great track record of termite protection in almost all circumstances.

Is YOUR home protected? Remember All Guard Pest Control for your home's complete termite and pest protection systems. Simply FREE CALL 1800 333 337 or email today for more information, advice and FREE QUOTES!

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