Inevitably, the home is overrun by annoying pests, but perhaps one of the worst pests out there is termites. Termites are stealthy, sneaky little buggers that can, at the very least, bring down your property value and, at the worst, destroy the structural integrity of your house. In order to treat termites, you’ll want to understand how to identify them, how to know if you have an infestation, and what the best steps are for eradication. Luckily, there are plenty of options for a termite treatment sydney.
The first step in getting rid of termites is understanding how to identify them. Termites look an awful lot like white ants, but in fact they’re a type of cockroach. If you’re able to see one up close, you’ll notice that termites have light brown or white bodies, and their heads are a darker color than their bodies. The reproductive termites actually have wings, so don’t be fooled if you think you see a flying white ant. It’s probably a termite.
While there are thousands of termite species in Australia, only five pose serious threats as pests. Sydney residents should be on the lookout for thee of those five, the West Indian Dry-wood Termite, Coptotermes acinaciformes, and Nasutitermes walker. Now that you know what to look for, you’ll want to be able to identify the warning signs of a termite infestation.
If you see one termite in your house, you wouldn’t be overreacting in thinking there are many more where that came from. Termites are socialites, so they live together in colonies. Where there’s one, there are many. Search for wood damage. Termites eat wood from the inside out, which means you’ll probably have to probe for damage by checking if the wood in your home sounds hollow. Also, be on the lookout for rotting wood.
Check the foundation of your home, basement, and crawlspaces for mud tubes. Some termites need access to soil, so they make tunnels from their colonies to their food sources. Look for powdered shavings, called brass, which may be left behind by termites munching on the infrastructure of your home. Watch for flying white “ants.” These are actually probably reproductive termites. Watch where they go, because they’ll lead you to the colony or mating swarms. Any and all of these are signs of an infestation. If you see any of this activity going on in your home, you’ll want to make efforts to eradicate the termites as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, taking out termites is rarely an easy task. There are some things you can do on your own to keep termites under control, such as keeping firewood away from your house, sealing holes, and doing routine inspections. However, you absolutely need to contact a professional to deal with these pests. The cost of hiring someone to inspect your home and terminate the termites is a lot less than the cost of not properly dealing with home eaters. Termites are pests for sure, but getting rid of termites doesn’t have to be a pain.