Professional Termite Inspection & Removal in Melbourne
If you think you have termites in your property, do not disturb them and CALL US NOW!. Termites can cause SIGNIFICANT damage to your property. Most insurance policies DO NOT cover termite damage.
Your property is a HUGE ASSET, do not leave it to chance. Termites are in every suburb of Melbourne, get it checked out for peace of mind.
Termites, also known as “white ants”, are the most destructive pests in Australia. White ants are known to cause more damage to Australian properties than fire, floods and storms combined. And their damage is not covered by household insurance. In 2012, it was estimated that the annual economic damage caused by termites alone amounted to AU$1.5 billion! Not only is their damage costly, but they can also wipe tens of thousands off a home’s value.
With the risks so high, regular termite pest control inspections can and will reduce the chances of major damage being caused to your home by infestations.
Termites, also known as “white ants”, are the most destructive pests in Australia. White ants are known to cause more damage to Australian properties than fire, floods and storms combined. And their damage is not covered by household insurance. In 2012, it was estimated that the annual economic damage caused by termites alone amounted to AU$1.5 billion! Not only is their damage costly, but they can also wipe tens of thousands off a home’s value.
With the risks so high, regular termite pest control inspections can and will reduce the chances of major damage being caused to your home by infestations.
Despite what their common name suggests, termites are in fact a social type of cockroach, and can be grouped into three main categories:
Dampwood
Drywood
Subterranean
Like ants, termites work and live in complex social colonies. Mature white ant colonies can contain millions of specialised individuals. Termite kings and queens can live for over 20 years, with some subterranean termite queens capable of producing more than 1000 eggs per day!
The primary difference between termites and ants is physiological. Termites are mostly pale brown to white in colour as compared to the variety of colour found in ants, and physically – shape, construction and attributes – they have evolved differently. Ants do not destroy sound timber, nor do they leave behind faecal marks, which are often characteristic of termites, as with cockroaches.
These termites love damp, decaying wood: in a forest or your fence - they don't mind!
Dampwood termites are not considered to be significant building pests, although they can sometimes cause damage to weathered timber and timber found in severely damp conditions. They require a constant moisture supply and so are generally incapable of sustaining damaging activity in the drier timbers found in buildings.
As such, dampwood termites are better considered as eaters of deteriorating and dead trees, tree stumps, ground poles and offcuts of timber left in contact with the ground during construction works. However, they can be found in wall cavities and beneath houses where the conditions are damp and poorly ventilated.
Dampwood termites also live in smaller, independent groups rather than form a large central colony like subterranean termites.
DRYWOOD TERMITES
These termites get all the water they need from the wood they live in.
Unlike dampwood and subterranean termites, drywood white ants don’t require a constant and reliable water source. They obtain what moisture they need from a humid atmosphere and the content in the timbers they inhabit. Drywood termites are mostly found in tropical climates where temperatures are constant and where the atmospheric humidity is consistently above 75%.
Drywood termites don’t form a central colony, preferring to live in a number of smaller, independent groups. Additionally, they are equally as destructive to buildings as their subterranean counterparts. They can attack structural and joinery timbers, compromising the structural integrity of a property, whilst also feeding on wooden furniture, cabinets and doorframes.
The species Cryptotermes brevis (the West Indian drywood termite) is considered to be the most destructive in the world as they can exist in very small pieces of wood. From these small pieces of wood, the cryptotermes brevis can easily spread to other timbers.
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES
About a third of all unprotected properties are subject to attack from these termites!
Subterranean termites ("white ants") are the most devastating type and the biggest threat to buildings in Victoria. What makes them the biggest threat is their appetite for timber. Timber struts, framing, beams, supports, architraves, panelling, floorboards, doors and even plasterboard! You name it; they eat it, and to damaging effects.
Whilst an insect mound is the most familiar and recognisable sign of a nest, subterranean white ants have an entirely underground existence, so their central colony nest can be anywhere in the soil, or in surrounding dead or living trees.
Subterranean termites can travel between 50-100 metres through underground tunnels from their central nest, building mud tunnels, or tubes, into your house to their source of food. These insects then set to work eating the inside of your home’s structure, leaving only a thin protective shell behind, seriously compromising and weakening the structural integrity of your property.
But my home is steel framed, so I’m safe, right? Wrong! White ants can still find their way into steel framed homes, destroying wooden furniture, roof trusses, and any wood trimmings they find inside.
Regular and thorough termite pest control inspections and checks are important to detect, treat and prevent further activity and infestations.
DAMPWOOD TERMITES
These termites love damp, decaying wood: in a forest or your fence - they don't mind!
Dampwood termites are not considered to be significant building pests, although they can sometimes cause damage to weathered timber and timber found in severely damp conditions. They require a constant moisture supply and so are generally incapable of sustaining damaging activity in the drier timbers found in buildings.
As such, dampwood termites are better considered as eaters of deteriorating and dead trees, tree stumps, ground poles and offcuts of timber left in contact with the ground during construction works. However, they can be found in wall cavities and beneath houses where the conditions are damp and poorly ventilated.
Dampwood termites also live in smaller, independent groups rather than form a large central colony like subterranean termites.
DRYWOOD TERMITES
These termites get all the water they need from the wood they live in.
Unlike dampwood and subterranean termites, drywood white ants don’t require a constant and reliable water source. They obtain what moisture they need from a humid atmosphere and the content in the timbers they inhabit. Drywood termites are mostly found in tropical climates where temperatures are constant and where the atmospheric humidity is consistently above 75%.
Drywood termites don’t form a central colony, preferring to live in a number of smaller, independent groups. Additionally, they are equally as destructive to buildings as their subterranean counterparts. They can attack structural and joinery timbers, compromising the structural integrity of a property, whilst also feeding on wooden furniture, cabinets and doorframes.
The species Cryptotermes brevis (the West Indian drywood termite) is considered to be the most destructive in the world as they can exist in very small pieces of wood. From these small pieces of wood, the cryptotermes brevis can easily spread to other timbers.
DRYWOOD TERMITES
These termites get all the water they need from the wood they live in.
Unlike dampwood and subterranean termites, drywood white ants don’t require a constant and reliable water source. They obtain what moisture they need from a humid atmosphere and the content in the timbers they inhabit. Drywood termites are mostly found in tropical climates where temperatures are constant and where the atmospheric humidity is consistently above 75%.
Drywood termites don’t form a central colony, preferring to live in a number of smaller, independent groups. Additionally, they are equally as destructive to buildings as their subterranean counterparts. They can attack structural and joinery timbers, compromising the structural integrity of a property, whilst also feeding on wooden furniture, cabinets and doorframes.
The species Cryptotermes brevis (the West Indian drywood termite) is considered to be the most destructive in the world as they can exist in very small pieces of wood. From these small pieces of wood, the cryptotermes brevis can easily spread to other timbers.
DAMPWOOD TERMITES
About a third of all unprotected properties are subject to attack from these termites!
Subterranean termites ("white ants") are the most devastating type and the biggest threat to buildings in Victoria. What makes them the biggest threat is their appetite for timber. Timber struts, framing, beams, supports, architraves, panelling, floorboards, doors and even plasterboard! You name it; they eat it, and to damaging effects.
Whilst an insect mound is the most familiar and recognisable sign of a nest, subterranean white ants have an entirely underground existence, so their central colony nest can be anywhere in the soil, or in surrounding dead or living trees.
Subterranean termites can travel between 50-100 metres through underground tunnels from their central nest, building mud tunnels, or tubes, into your house to their source of food. These insects then set to work eating the inside of your home’s structure, leaving only a thin protective shell behind, seriously compromising and weakening the structural integrity of your property.
But my home is steel framed, so I’m safe, right? Wrong! White ants can still find their way into steel framed homes, destroying wooden furniture, roof trusses, and any wood trimmings they find inside.
Regular and thorough termite pest control inspections and checks are important to detect, treat and prevent further activity and infestations.
OUR TERMITE PEST CONTROL PROCESS
At Defender Pest Control Specialists, we provide a four-step approach to the identification and execution of our termite and pest control process:
Inspect
Our friendly, highly-trained and licensed termite pest control technicians will attend at your property to conduct a thorough inspection of your home or business, seeking out the signs and conducive conditions of insect activity.
As every termite treatment is unique, our specialist technicians will provide their recommendations as to the most effective system and products available to tackle the infestation.
Control
Where termite activity is found, measures will be recommended to gain control over the colony. These measures include the use of a termiticide in the following formulations; as a dust, a foam or a baiting system. These measures form the basis of our termite and pest control services and are very important if you want to gain control over the infestation so you can protect your home or business.
Protect
In order to protect your assets from future devastation, our reliable termite pest control specialists will recommend the most suitable protection system to be installed depending on the premise, its construction and environment.
The two systems most frequently installed are a Chemical Barrier or an In-Ground Baiting system and the technician will discuss these options and variations with you.
Monitor
Exactly as the name suggests, our specialist termite pest control advisers will return to your property at regular intervals to inspect your property and protection system installed. The frequency is determined by the type of system installed. i.e. A Baiting System needs to be checked every 1-3 months whereas a Chemical Barrier may have a follow up inspection at months 1 and 6 post-installation.
The Australian Standards recommend an ongoing inspection at least every 12 months.
INSPECT
Our friendly, highly-trained and licensed termite pest control technicians will attend at your property to conduct a thorough inspection of your home or business, seeking out the signs and conducive conditions of insect activity.
As every termite treatment is unique, our specialist technicians will provide their recommendations as to the most effective system and products available to tackle the infestation.
CONTROL
Where termite activity is found, measures will be recommended to gain control over the colony. These measures include the use of a termiticide in the following formulations; as a dust, a foam or a baiting system. These measures form the basis of our termite and pest control services and are very important if you want to gain control over the infestation so you can protect your home or business.
PROTECT
In order to protect your assets from future devastation, our reliable termite pest control specialists will recommend the most suitable protection system to be installed depending on the premise, its construction and environment.
The two systems most frequently installed are a Chemical Barrier or an In-Ground Baiting system and the technician will discuss these options and variations with you.
MONITOR
Exactly as the name suggests, our specialist termite pest control advisers will return to your property at regular intervals to inspect your property and protection system installed. The frequency is determined by the type of system installed. i.e. A Baiting System needs to be checked every 1-3 months whereas a Chemical Barrier may have a follow up inspection at months 1 and 6 post-installation.
The Australian Standards recommend an ongoing inspection at least every 12 months.
Termite & Timber Pest Inspections Melbourne
When considering the termite treatment cost, several factors need to be considered. It is hard to provide an exact figure, primarily because the size of your home, the severity of the infestation and the scope of remedies available will affect the overall price. What we can guarantee you, however, is that our technicians will provide high-quality services and be completely transparent with regard to your termite treatment cost.
Signs Of Termite Infestation In Your Property
As subterranean termites are highly secretive, identifying insect activity around your home can be difficult. However, their secrecy is not always infallible. Key signs of an infestation and what to look out for include:
Mud tunnels and tubes on walls and foundations are key signs of the presence of unwanted guests. These tubes protect white ants from predators and maintain their conducive living conditions of high-humidity and darkness, enabling them to travel between the colony and their food source in comfort.
Weak, sagging and hollow-sounding timber are also clear signs of an infestation.
Mud-like earthen packing in wall cavities and where foundation walls meet flooring, bearers and joists offer a rehydration stop for termites from their food source back to the colony. Any signs of such packing mean it could be time for you to organise a termite pest control inspection for your home.
Cracks in timber and plaster are also indicative of their activity/presence.
Termites thrive in temperate, moisture-rich conditions. Leaking showers, piping and faulty guttering offer beneficial conditions for these unwanted insects.
Woodpiles, surrounding trees, garden beds and railway sleeper used for retaining walls etc. offer excellent conditions for colonies to thrive and should be approached with caution.
As one of the leading pest control companies in Melbourne, we have experience with every kind of domestic & commercial infestation problem. We understand the stress & inconvenience associated with pests. Our certified technicians strive to provide tailored solutions with precision and efficiency, delivering safe, high-quality results all at an affordable price. Through our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, we're the premier choice for pest control solutions in Melbourne!
