Termites, more commonly known as white ants, are a dreaded pest in Brisbane and the surrounding suburbs of Brisbane because of the structural damage they can cause to your home. In the most severe cases termites can totally destroy your home in as little as three months. Termites can be found in all areas of Brisbane. They are particularly attracted to built up areas where there is an ever growing food source for them – the wood in your house.

So the question is: When is a termite inspection necessary? The three most common reasons Brisbane home owners have their house inspected for termites are as a pest inspection when buying a new home, if they suspect they might have a termite problem and as prevention against any future problems occurring to their Brisbane home.

When buying a home the last thing you would want to find out after you have moved in and settlement has gone through is that you have a termite problem. Most insurance companies do not cover you for structural damage caused by termites. Therefore it is best to determine if there is a problem before you buy the home. To do this you need to get a termite inspection done by an inspector who specialises in termite detection in Brisbane and your local area. The important thing to remember at this stage is to engage the services of a thorough termite inspector. Some termite inspections are just superficial relying only on wall tapping and a visual inspection so it is important you hire a termite inspector who uses a more thorough approach and who has access to equipment such as termite radar, thermal imaging cameras, moisture meters and a boroscope. When investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in buying a new home it makes sense to be prudent and thoroughly check any property you are considering buying in Brisbane and surrounding suburbs.

The second reason is that you may have seen or heard something around your home that makes you suspicious that you have a termite problem. This could include such things as mud tubes, seeing active termites in some of the vegetation around your home, hearing strange little noises in your wall cavity or worse making a surprise discovery of active termites during a renovation project. Sadly by the time you notice these tell tale signs the damage may already have been done and sometimes the repair bill can be as much as building a new home. Fortunately if you detect the problem in the early stages there are treatments and barriers that can be put in place. However you need to be vigilant. Once you have had the problem treated it is important to have regular termite inspections done and service calls made by an experienced termite inspector who is familiar with the habits of termites, in particular subterranean termites which are a huge problem in Brisbane.

Obviously prevention is the best cure when it comes to termites. Termites are very clever and resourceful. They can burrow under carpet and tiles, gaining entry through water pipes and spaces as small as 1 or 2mm. You can help prevent termites entering your home by keeping vegetation away from the external walls of your home and not having moist garden beds around the perimeter of your property. However this is no guarantee. New build homes these days are required to have termite barriers put in at the time of building. However if you are in an older home this will not have been done and you may like to consider having barriers put in for prevention. Just a word of warning: some property owners mistakenly believe that if there home is built from hardwood they will not have a problem. This is not true – there are in fact some types of termites that prefer hardwood. Being complacent could end up costing you thousands of dollars. Equally beware of DIY products to treat termite infestations. You really need the experience of a professional termite inspector to determine the full extent of any damage and to recommend prevention measures specific to your particular property.

At the very least a termite inspection should be performed every year by an experienced termite inspector who has knowledge of the Brisbane area. Don’t be put off by the cost because the cost of not doing it could be exorbitantly more. Moral of the story: Don’t let the termites munch on your house for lunch!

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