Termite Treatments in Australia

Contributed by Bruce Gow

Termite Treatments Used in Australia

All Guard Pest Control uses and recommends Termidor as a low toxic, effective Termite Treatment for your home. There are a number of termite treatments available in Australia, but which are the most cost effective and what works the best to stop termites in their tracks?

The standard termite treatment involves applying termiticide as a continuous barrier in the soil around the house, termite baits, installing continuous termite shields at the top of the foundation, and/or termite reticulation systems. Other termite treatments include termiticide foam, using crushed granite (trade name Granitgard) or steel mesh cloth (Termimesh) as a physical barrier, moisture control, and wood elimination.

A combination of methods is used for "integrated pest management," as many times a single technique is not enough.

Termite Baits

Termite baits are a great indicator of the presence of termites and are an effective way to kill the colony causing the problem. Sentricon makes such a system.

FMC makes FirstLine, a termite baiting station using an insecticide stomach poison in a cellulose matrix. FMC is modifying their product to incorporate untreated stations that last longer than treated bait stations.

The bait is a cellulose food treated with termiticide, a toxic substance and/or insect growth regulator. The food is wood or laminated-texture cellulose, which is favoured by termites. Termites eat the treated food and carry it back to the nest, reducing the size of the colony. The termiticide in the bait works slowly enough that termites have a chance to go back to the nest instead of dying near the bait, because dead termites repel other termites.

FirstLine not recommended by this firm as a standalone treatment, unless it is obvious where the termites are coming from.

Well placed baits are a frontline indicator of termite activity and often used to supplement soil barrier treatments.

We prefer to use Termidor for termite treatments in most circumstances, as it is a low toxic alternative which termites wander through treated areas at random and pick up poison to take back to the nest. Unlike high toxic repellents, it does not require a continuous barrier around your home. Termite baits may be used as a supplement for effective termite control.

Why are termites a problem in Australia?

Termites (often incorrectly called 'white ants') feed on wood and serve an important function in nature by converting dead trees into organic matter. Unfortunately, the wood in buildings and other structures, such as wooden power poles, is equally appetising to termites, so they can cause serious damage which may be very expensive to repair.

There are many species of termites in Australia, of which about 20 species can eat sound wood in buildings; those causing most damage to buildings are social insects that live in subterranean colonies that may contain up to 200,000 individuals.

In order to maintain humidity and to protect themselves from extreme weather conditions, a colony (or nest) of subterranean termites may be up to 6–7 metres below the soil surface and have extensive tunnel networks that can extend up to 100 metres from the nest.

How can buildings be protected against termites?

Control techniques for termites can essentially be divided into two types, prevention and treatment. Preventative measures are easily applied during the construction of new buildings, but some (eg. stainless steel mesh, or a layer of granite chips) are not very suitable for existing buildings or structures.

Prevention of Attack

Building design can reduce the chances of termite damage. Important strategies include

• reducing the amount of timber used in buildings,
• a properly designed concrete slab with edges exposed for inspection for termite activity,
• provision for easy under-floor inspections of timber floors,
• installation of a reticulated system under the concrete slab can also allow chemical barriers to be applied and re-applied whenever necessary.

Chemical Barriers

Chemicals that are used to kill termites are called termiticides. Termiticides have differing modes of action, and several methods are used to apply them.

For many new buildings, creation of a termiticide-treated layer of soil surrounding and under the building form an integrated barrier together with the physical methods described above. The termiticide is applied to the soil under the slab and around the footings, pipes, conduits and other structures of the house during construction to create a vertical barrier.

Further, loosened soil around the perimeter of the house, including around all pipes and service facilities, is treated during and after construction to from a horizontal barrier.

Timber intended for use in the construction of houses, outbuildings, fences and other outdoor structures is often treated with chemicals by dipping and pressure or vacuum impregnation.

Australian Standards

The Australian Standards relating to termite management are:

• AS 3660.1— 2000 Termite Management – Part 1: New Building Work;
• AS 3660.2 – 2000 Termite Management – Part 2: In and Around Existing Buildings and Structures – Guidelines; and
• AS 3660.3 – 2000 Termite Management – Part 3: Assessment Criteria for Termite Management Systems.

Treatment of Infestation

Treatment of a termite infestation in an existing structure also requires an integrated approach, including destruction of termites within the timber structures, measures to locate and destroy the termite nest, re-establishment of a chemical and/or physical barrier, and regular inspections to detect any ongoing or new termite activity. For existing buildings, where signs of infestation have been detected, chemical treatment is usually the best option for destroying termites and re-establishing a barrier.

Comparison of Termiticides

Premise Active Ingredient - Imidacloprid, a member of the relatively new class of chemicals called chloronicotinyls. It is used to create a barrier or treated zone in the soil where it attracts termites, which die within the treated zone. Brand – Premise, from Bayer Type – Chloro-Nicotinyl (an insect nerve inhibitor) Toxicity – Rated S5. "Practically non-toxic" both oral and dermal. Odour – This water-based insecticide is almost odourless. Longevity – The label claims "at least two years". Bayer advise us that they are intending to re-label claiming 5 years. Bayer’s printed information states "At CSIRO test sites, Premise was effective for a minimum of 2 years with more than 6 years control achieved at some sites. Trial work in infested buildings has shown that more than 90 per cent are still termite free 5-6 years after treatment." Bayer also claim that Imidacloprid has some indirect colony control effect. In other words, it will kill termites without repelling them, and can have a negative effect on the health and numbers of any colony infesting the immediate area.

Biflex Active Ingredient - Bifenthrin Brand – Biflex Aqua from F.M.C. Type – Synthetic pyrethroid water based termiticide Toxicity – Rated S6, oral – "slightly toxic", dermal – "practically non-toxic". Odour – This water based termiticide is almost odourless. Longevity - the label claims "at least 10 years" when applied at maximum strength. In practical conditions around a typical home, due to water exposure, disturbance of garden beds, etc., STC recommends re-treatment each 5 years. A characteristic of Bifenthrin is that it binds very quickly and strongly to the soil particles. This makes it a good option where moisture movement in the soil may be a factor. On the downside, for the same reason, it tends to be filtered out by the soil so that it will not seep through the soil and penetrate some target areas as well as a product like as Imidacloprid.

Termidor Brand -Termidor from BASF Active Ingredient - Fipronil - Benzisothiazolin Toxicity -Rated S6, oral - harmful if swallowed, dermal - may irritate skin, does not readily penetrate skin. Repeated exposure may cause allergic reaction. Odour - has a slight vegetable oil smell. Longevity - re-treatment each 5 years should be expected. Termidor was launched in 2002 after some presentations from the USA, where it is used extensively. It has quickly built up a reputation as "the best" termiticide, because of claims made that it has strong indirect colony control effects. The effectiveness of Fipronil as a termiticide is beyond doubt. Fipronil is an extremely low toxic active insecticide. It is applied by spraying, trenching and soil rodding as a chemical soil barrier around existing structures, and may also be used to protect poles and fence posts. Accordingly, All Guard Pest Control regards this product as "top of the range" and its cost premium is generally worthwhile on jobs where a continuous soil treatment is unlikely to be achievable due to building characteristics.

N.B. - All Guard Pest Control Pty Ltd cannot guarantee that colony control will occur, since this will depend on many factors including the termite pressure around the particular areas treated. The best security is achieved by the formation of a continuous soil treatment in conjunction with a regularly monitored termite baiting system.

Call All Guard Pest control now on 1800 333 337 or email Rudy at rudy@allguardpestcontrol.com.au for free advice on how to best protect your home from termite attack.

About the Author

Bruce Gow of All Guard Pest Control specialises in search engine optimisation and article submission.