Termite information | Conquer Termites (Gold Coast)

November 22, 2014 by Dave

Termite information for Broadbeach Waters

I was recently asked to attend to home on the canals in Broadbeach Waters to assess a termite concern.

Termites were found by the tenant in the housing for the pool pump.

Since it had been over 12 months since the last full termite inspection, it was agreed by the home owner that I should go through it with a “fine tooth comb”.

During the inspection, there was no visible activity or damage found and nothing significant found with even our High resolution Thermal camera .

Suspiciously, I did find high levels of moisture in this corner of the dining room which indicates possible evidence of termite activity or a leak of some sort.

As a Termite Inspection is part of non-destructive testing, I issued a report and with permission of the owner, an invasive inspection with our borescope was conducted in this area.

As per my suspicions, unfortunately for the home owner, active termites were located in this area and it was clear that the bottom plate was heavily damaged.

I applied a controlling agent into the wall cavity to cease the current activity. The wall sheeting will need to be removed in a few weeks time and the damages will need to be assessed and rectified by a qualified builder and appropriate tradesmen.

As in this Broadbeach Waters situation, I understand and respect that finding termites inside a home is never a good feeling for the owner.

We do see this situation commonly and yes, it is unfortunate for the owner but a large victory for them is that they actually had a professional inspector find something inside a wall that no-one was aware of. Therefore, a full termite treatment can be installed and damages are kept to a very minimum.

If you are amongst a very large percentage of people that are unlucky enough to have termites in your home, finding it as early as possible is the key.

If you are in Broadbeach Waters or a surrounding suburb on the Gold Coast, just contact us at Conquer Termites Gold Coast on 0459 166 396 to arrange a full termite inspection for real piece of mind.

Real investigations find problems early and ……that’s what we do! 🙂

November 16, 2014 by Dave

Termite nest attack Tallai

We were called out to property in Tallai to assess a termite problem that had became apparent by the home owners.

Termites had built their mudding/workings out into the wardrobe.

To most people, they would refer to this as a “termite nest” but it is not common that termites build the main nest inside the house. The nest is commonly underground somewhere nearby and after termites gain entry into a house, they can start to build one of these “sub nests” which can be found with our high resolution Thermal Imagaing Cameras a long time before it becomes visual to the naked eye.

After already having a previous termite infestation, the home owners had replaced all of the wall timbers with treated timber but termites not only eat wood, they eat almost anything that contains cellulose ie, plasterboard, many materials and fabrics.

After I conducted a full termite inspection, unfortunately I had to inform the home owners of further concerns.

There were high levels of moisture in the other end of the cupboard which was found to be a second point of entry and a window frame was also eaten out.

The real concern was the large hardwood bearer which supports the whole side of the house which had been extensively damaged over a few meters. Here I have just made a small incision with my screw driver to show that it was completely hollow and I applied Termidor foam to eradicate this current activity.

This particular home is uniquely designed and a full and customized long term treatment plan has since been proposed to the home owner for real protection.

If you have found any of these signs of termites in your Tallai home or would like a local professional to conduct a full termite inspection for piece of mind, just contact us at Conquer Termites Gold Coast on 0459 166 396 and let the real investigation begin 🙂

November 13, 2014 by Dave

How do termites eat brick houses?

The vast majority of brick homes are actually made of timber wall frames which hold up the timber framed roof.

There is a single course of brick around the outside to protect the timber from the elements which in turn gives the sense of a “brick home”.

Quick test! Lightly hit a few areas of your internal walls with an open hand. If you can hear mostly a hollow sound, then it would likely be a timber frame and not solid brick.

Ok, so how do termites get in?

Easily through the small gaps in the mortar between the bricks which are embedded in the ground.

During a termite treatment in Mudgeeraba, we thought that these photo’s and information would help home owners understand.

Here are the house bricks embedded in the ground (only visual once a trench is dug) and here are the termites gaining concealed entry into another brick home.

Most of the timber in a brick home is covered by wall linings so often there is significant damage before the home owner is aware of any problem what so ever.

To protect “brick homes” from termites, we need to apply a registered Termiticide into the trenches whilst they are being back-filled and beneath any concrete paths around the home by drill and injecting.

Once a full treated zone has been established, replace the pavers, seal up the drill holes and to make it almost impossible to notice what extensive work has been conducted.

See here in this diagram, how a full treated zone protects a brick house from concealed termite attack to the timber frame.

If you would like an accurate quote on a full termite treatment, just contact us on 0459 166 396 and as every home is slightly different, we will give our best advice and possible options on the best way to protect your home.

That’s what we do at Conquer Termites Gold Coast 🙂

November 12, 2014 by Dave

How to detect termites – DIY advice from a Gold Coast professional

When questions about termites arise, there is always an endless trail of stories and confusion to be found.

Before you head off with your upcoming knowledge on how to look for termites yourself, I as an open minded, highly experienced licenced professional, feel it is very important that you know that:

1. There are 5 common species of subterranean termites that we encounter in S/E Qld and they all have different appearances, habbits and leave different evidence.

2. There are dry wood termites also which create another whole batch of stories.

3. Different building styles significantly change the areas to concentrate on when looking for evidence of any of the termite species.

This combination of circumstances often makes every situation unique in some way or another but in a general sense, here are some basic techniques you can use to help detect termites in your home.

Techniques such as applying pressure (use the handle end of a long screwdriver for DIY’ers) to exposed timbers can give an indication of “there is nothing left but the paint” or there can be a “hollow or dead sound” when these timbers are tapped against.

Using a very good torch is vital. You would be looking for any “warping” in the paint or any “termite mudding or workings” between joins of any part of the structure.

Beyond these very basic techniques, electronic devices such as our industry leading thermal camera -FLIR E60bx can provide detection when used by highly experienced professionals. The old “point and shoot” mentality with a cheap $3,000 thermal camera just won’t cut it sorry.

See here as our Thermal Camera detects termperature variation due to termite mudding in a wall with no visual evidence to the naked eye.

During your DIY inspection, if you have found anything of concern and now feel that you require a full and professional termite inspection, please just contact us on 0459 166 396 and let the real investigation and problem solving begin.

A combination of knowledge, experience, friendliness and actually doing what is right for the home owner is what Conquer Termites Gold Coast are, and will always be proud of 🙂

November 9, 2014 by Dave

Will my ant caps stop termites?

Many people believe that ant caps stop termites. Unfortunately, this entirely untrue as termites can build their mud tubes over anything solid, unless it is impregnated with a registered termiticide.

The idea of an ant cap is to make it visual for us to identify a termite infestation which would hopefully keep termite damage to a minimum.

Pictured left, this ant cap has done it’s job perfectly. Normally termites would come up the centre of this timber stump and into the house timbers in a concealed manner (as they want to survive and not want to be found). Here, the termites had no choice but to build around and over the ant cap.

N.B. During house construction, often a builder will drive a nail through the top of the ant cap to keep it in place before the house is built on top of it. Over time, this nail and hole rust and houses always naturally move a little. This creates a concealed point of entry in the ant cap where again termites can and prefer concealed entry into a structure without building around the ant cap.

Now, the ant cap above is on top of a concrete slab on a much newer style home. The timber framed wall is on top of it giving the home owner a false sense of security that their home is protected from termites.

The problem is that the ant cap does not protrude to the other side of this wall. From the other side of this wall, you only see the timber skirting board and not the other side of the ant cap. So here again, termites have built their mud tube beneath the ant cap, into the the wall above and caused significant damage.

These home owners just could not believe that termites had caused significant damage to 2 walls of their new home after thinks that it was all termite proof with their new ant caps.

Frames were eaten and even a termite nest inside the wall had become apparent once the plaster board started to “ripple”.

If you think that it’s time that you had a full termite inspection conducted for your property on the Gold Coast or would like free quotation on real termite protection, please just contact us on 0459 166 396 and let the real investigation begin 🙂

“Please enjoy our “Inspection” and “Treatment” videos so that you can understand what is really involved in finding and solving termite problems by us…..here…..at Conquer Termites”

November 5, 2014 by Dave

We have flying termites – Gold Coast – what should I do?

It is that time of year again. Flying termites dropping their wings and creating all sorts of questions for home owners – Read on to understand what is happening and what you should do.

These flying termites are reproductive termites (alates) which are part of a healthy termite colony and they often take flight from November and throughout the summer months.

This means that there is likely to be a under ground termite colony (consisting of the concerning worker and soldier termites) nearby your home which is where these termites have flown from.
“See what worker and soldier termites of the same colony look like below”

The truth is, there is no reason to lose immediate sleep, these flying alates themselves will not fly in and eat your home but it is vital to contact us local professionals to conduct a full and comprehensive termite inspection with our latest model thermal camera and can answer theses important questions for you:

1. Is there a current infestation of a termite colony in your home that you are unaware of?

2. Is your home currently protected from termites?

3. what is involved in a professional termite treatment or protection program?

A full and comprehensive termite inspection report will be issued to you that same day with colour photos, recommendations and written in a language that you as a home owner will understand.

If you have found these flying/swarming termites, just contact us on 0459 166 396 and get professional and honest advice that only comes with experience and your best interests in mind 🙂

October 26, 2014 by Dave

What do termites look like on the Gold Coast?

Here are a few photos of the most common aggressive termites that are found on the Gold Coast.

In total, there are 5 common species that we get in S/E Qld and they all look a little different from each other and that’s why you need to call a true termite specialist to determine which species has been found and which protection plan is best for your property.

If you have found termites like these inside you home then protection from a professional is essential.

If you have found them in your surrounding gardens etc, then a full termite inspection of your property is required to determine if termites have found entry into your home without you knowing and of course, consider adequate termite protection regardless of the outcome of the inspection.

Here at Conquer Termites Gold Coast, we keep our customers best interests in mind. If you require a full termite inspection for piece of mind or a quote for a termite protection treatment, please just contact us on 0459 166 396 and we look forward to truely investigating and protecting your home 🙂

October 20, 2014 by Dave

Termite Specialist Gold Coast learns from Worlds best in Thermal Camera’s

During the recent AUSPTA (Australian Professional Thermographers Association) annual conference held in Sydney, Conquer Termites very own David Bell had the privilege to meet and gain world leading information in regards to using Thermal Cameras for termite detection from Canada’s Wayne Ruddock.

Wayne has been specializing in infrared thermology since it’s existance in the 1970’s (this guy is goooood). Dave saw an opportunity to gain the best inside information in exchange for lightening the mood and sharing a joke or two.

Wayne took a friendly liking to Dave 🙂 and all jokes aside, it was a wonderful and truly informative day that David was very proud to be apart of.

David’s determination to provide his clients with the most educated and honest information only grows after his already 16 years in the industry.

If you have termite concerns on the Gold Coast and would like an honest and very informed inspector provide you with the right information, just contact us on 0459 166 396 or Click Here to hear Dave speak and you might just take to Dave like Wayne did 🙂

October 13, 2014 by Dave

Family Friendly Termite Specialist Gold Coast with a Blue Card …..And a White Card :)

Are you looking for a termite expert that you can actually trust on the Gold Coast? Not only to do a great job on your inspection and treatment but trustworthy in respect to your family also?

Our man David Bell not only holds a Blue Card (issued for approved child related employment by the Qld Government)

but also holds a White Card (a workplace safety qualification to ensure that work at your home is conducted in a safe manner).

David also has a small and well loved family of his own and would prefer any tradesmen coming his home to also have these credentials.

If you would like to speak with Dave personally about termite or safety concerns that you may have, he is always available for a friendly chat on 0459 166 396 or just email us and be confident that an honest professional will be at your service 🙂

October 8, 2014 by Dave

Finding a termite nest beneath a weatherboard home in S/E Queensland

My work colleague and good mate Nick Wood along with myself (David Bell) dig at the base of a weatherboard home to apply termite protection to a normal Queenslander situation.

Check out our video where we find an un-previously known termite nest as we are digging at the base of the home to protect it from a termite infestation. Just contact us or call on 0459 166 396 to prevent this possibly happening to your home. Prevention over cure and ……..good guys who care.

Nick, you are still such a good looking fella 🙂

Termite Inspections
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