The chances of having any signs of termites in or close to your home after a properly installed comprehensive termite barrier has been installed are extremely slim. However, there are additional measures you can take to further thin the chances of termites making the march towards your home.
1. Mulch or paving above the slab
If mulch or paving is installed around the house and is above where the slab is, it provides a bridge to the join between the bottom of the bricks and the top of the slab for termites to pass through over your Termidor barrier.
Whilst it may not always be practical to have the top of the slab uncovered and expose, try to limit any build up as much as possible.
2. Leaking water systems
Termites love moisture and are attracted to it naturally. Whilst your home is protected against Termites, it isn’t a great idea to invite them over to test the barrier out unnecessarily by letting hot water systems and external taps dripping away.
3. Downpipes with no stormwater drains
As above, termites are attracted to moist soil. Downpipes or other areas where water runs off that doesn’t have any adequate draining will not do any favours in deterring termites to your property.
With a downpipe dumping water directly against the foundation of your home, you are creating an area that will retain that moisture long after the rest of the soil would have naturally dried up from the last rains.
4. Digging around your home to plant
If you’re planning on digging around the perimeter of your home to replace or create a new bed of plants, keep in mind that by disturbing the soil you could potentially create a gap in the barrier and compromising the treatment.
Give us a call if you need some advice on how you can avoid compromising the barrier. We may need to come out and quickly re-treat that area. As an existing Termigon’s customer, we’ll look after you.
5. Plumbing, renovation or extension work
Any major plumbing work or renovations that have required some disturbing or removing the soil around the perimeter of your home could compromise your barrier. We can come out and assess the damage if this has happened and can re-treat the compromised area as required.
6. Wood/cardboard against “cold joints”
A cold joint is where a new slab is connected with the existing slab of your home. This happens most commonly with garages. Placing wood and cardboard against the house side of the garage wall can help attract termites through the cracks in the two “cold joining” slabs.
7. Pergolas or patios with no stirrups
A stirrup is a joining metal rod that sits between a wooden pillar and the ground.
Stirrups are used because any timber that is in direct soil contact is a prime gateway to your home for termites.
If you have stirrups at the bottom of your wood, termites making their way up these structures will be exposed. If there are no stirrups and the wood is sunk into the soil, termites will be able to track through the timber with entry point starting underground effectively hiding their activity.
8. Signs of bubbling or swelling around door frames or skirting boards
Any bubbling or swelling can easily be mistaken for paint’s reaction to moisture. There are cases where this is actually termites attacking timber behind the paint.
9. Stored or loose timber around the home
We are unable to treat loose or exposed firewood because when it is burned, the chemicals will then be released into the atmosphere and can become inhaled.
Leaving piles of timber around your home could be very attractive open invitation for termites to come over and have a snack. Despite your home being treated with a termite barrier, it is still unwise to attract them.
10. Mudding around walls or pipes
We have had some customers assume that mudding slowly making its way up their wall was the work of either wasps or bees when it was actually termites workings in construction.
If these are ever spotted around your home, call Termigon immediately. Do not break the mudding open, wait for a professional pest control technician to treat the workings.
11. Reticulation
Check that you don’t have any leaks in your reticulation. Also check that when your reticulation is on that no water is being sprayed against the side of the house as creates an unnecessary build-up of moisture right at the join between your slab and your bricks.
12. Moisture in bathroom or kitchen vanities
Any leakages under your kitchen or bathroom vanities is asking for trouble. Termites can sometimes make their way into your home through the outside of your plumbing and will be attracted to damp or moist wooden vanities, and once there, have VIP access into your home.
13. Dogs digging up soil around your home’s perimeter
We cheekily credit this as half of a tip as it’s almost the same point as our landscaping tip, but people often forget that their furry friend’s pro-bono excavation services can do the same amount of damage to a termite barrier as the trusted shovel.
