Termite Management

The Australian Standard AS 3660–Termite Management advises that termites pose a significant economic risk to buildings and structures throughout mainland Australia.

In any given area it is normal for new termite colonies to be established, or existing colonies to be seeking new food sources. Consequently few properties should be considered immune to attack.

Termite Management may be either Pre-Construction or Post Construction.

Pre-Construction:

This may involve application of a chemical barrier (Eg. Application of chemical termiticide by hand spraying or a reticulation system), or installation of a physical barrier (Eg. Stainless steel mesh or aluminium sheet). Currently physical barriers are the favoured method of protecting new buildings.

Post Construction:

The two principle methods of controlling Termites in buildings are Termite Barriers, and Termite Interception & Baiting Systems. Both methods have been used successfully for many years in Australia – professional advice is required to determine which system is best suited for each situation.

  • Termite Barrier Treatments

    These consist of an application of a Termite control agent to the perimeter and/or underneath soil parts of a building. These control agents protect the building from attack for some years – but as they are biodegradable, eventually need to be replaced.

    Control agents most commonly used are Imidacloprid, Fipronil and Bifenthrin. Tedmans are accredited to use all three control agents.

    Termite Barrier Treatments are usually very effective. However as it is usually necessary to dig a trench around the base of the building to be protected, and sometimes to drill many holes in concrete slab areas – it can be disruptive and costly.

  • Termite Interception & Baiting Systems

    Termite Interception & Baiting Systems may be used for Post-Construction Termite Management, or as an early warning Termite detection system.

    These systems are relatively new to Australia. They are designed to locate Termite activity and to destroy Termite Colonies. They are proving very effective and usually less costly than Termite Barrier Treatments, but may take many months before colony elimination is obtained.

    The three systems widely used in Australia are Exterra©, Nemesis© and Sentricon©. Tedmans are accredited installers of all three systems.

    The notes below are for the Exterra® Termite Interception & Baiting System. However there are many similarities between all three systems.

    The Exterra® Termite Interception & Baiting System is designed to intercept foraging termites and concentrating their feeding in the Exterra® Stations. The Exterra® In-ground Stations containing timber interceptors are embedded in the soil around the perimeter of the building. These are inspected on a regular basis until termites are intercepted.

    At this point Exterra® Requiem Termite Bait is added to the Station. Requiem is a Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor. A key component of a termite’s exoskeleton is the substance chitin. Without chitin termites cannot complete their natural molting process. If they do not molt, they die. This results in the death and elimination of the colony while avoiding the use of toxic chemicals in the environment.

    When the colony has been eliminated, the Requiem termite bait is removed and fresh timber interceptors are placed in the Stations. These Stations continue to be monitored on a regular basis.

    The Exterra® Termite Interception & Baiting System is a new concept in Termite Management. Unlike traditional Termite Management toxic dusts and sprays are not used. And there is no need to dig up soil around the base of buildings, or drill concrete slabs to install chemical barriers.