4. Inspection:
The Australia Standard relating to termite
management in existing buildings recommends at least annual inspection
of buildings for signs of termite activity by competent pest controller.
This does not
mean a competent pest controller will always find a current infestation
when it is present.
This does not
mean that even though there are no termites in you house today that they
won’t be in next week or next month.
This does not
mean that even though there are no termites in you house today, you will
not get termites in your house for twelve months.
Inspections do not change the date when your house
will be attacked by termites.
Inspections are designed to find termites as early
as possible and limit the amount of damage done.
Regular three monthly inspections by the
householder are highly recommended. The householder (you) may not know
as much about termite inspections as a professional but that fact that
you can do four inspections per year and you are vigilant all year
around means that most of the time it is you who finds the infestation.
There are a multitude of signs of termite
infestations. But in my experience, about 90% of all infestations are
evident and detected in the soft wood moulding around doors, windows,
skirting boards or cover strips. That means if all you do is tap or feel
around the mouldings in your home regularly, you will find 90% of all
infestations. That is a huge payoff for just a few hours a year of
vigilance.
To check the mouldings you will need a small
screwdriver. Using the plastic handle of the screwdriver, tap or press
along each of the mouldings. When you are tapping you are not listening
for changes in sound, you are feeling for softness in the surface of the
material. If you are right
handed you should work your way methodically through the interior of the
house in an anti-clockwise direction, because your right hand will be
close to the wall. If you are left handed you will work though the house
clockwise so your left hand is close to the wall.
Attaching the screwdriver to a piece of dowel or
old golf club handle can save a lot of moving of furniture, bending and
climbing up on ladders to reach all the mouldings. A professional tool
can be purchased from businesses that supply the professional pest
management industry. See section 7.0 Links to Reference Materials, of
this article.
There are pieces of electronic equipment the
professional can use to detect termites inside walls, but these may give
a high proportion of false positives (i.e. recording that termites are
present when they are in fact not). To test how confident an operator is
with the chosen piece of electronic detection equipment simply ask “Will
you give a written guarantee there are no termites currently in my home
after you have done your inspection?”
The answer may be enlightening.
Inspections and areas inspected vary depending upon
the type of construction of the building. Here are a few tips for
extended DIY inspection.
Places to look for termite mud galleries or damage
include building foundations, piers or stumps and sub floor-areas.
Where termites are working between timber walls or in painted
timber bulging, staining and/or rippling of the surface and this may be
noticed during a visual inspection.
Poorly ventilated, poorly lit sub-floor areas
increase the likelihood of infestation and should be top of your list
for inspection.
Permanently damp areas in, under or beside a
building also favours attack. Drainage should be improved and plumbing
repaired to reduce the risk of termite infestation occurring.
Materials stored under buildings may promote
termite entry by providing pathways around physical and chemical
barriers, by reducing ventilation, or they may make inspection of the
area more difficult. Removal or regular rearrangement of such materials
is recommended.
Built-up garden beds and shrubs close to the
perimeter of the building may promote or conceal termite entry points.
This is particularly so in slab-on-ground construction.
People interested in carrying out their own
inspections for termites are very strongly advised to obtain a copy of
the
Australian Standard 3660.2 -2000 “Termite
management - In and around existing buildings and structures –
Guidelines”.
You will find a link to buying a copy of
Australian
Standard 3660.2 -2000 “Termite
management - In and around existing buildings and structures –
Guidelines” in section 7.0 Links to Reference Materials, of this
article. A copy of this Australian Standard may also be
available at or through your local library. Since the Australian
Standard is important for all householders, every library should have at
least one copy in their permanent reference section. If it is not there,
ask your librarian to put it on the library’s procurement list.
Top