Thread: amazing termites

My acreage is infested with termites, mounds included. Even digging in the house yard will uncover them...the timber garden edging, old tree roots, and the firewood heap. My brother reckons they are inland Australia's version of the earthworm!
I've had them in my shed (had to replace timber framing with cypress) and also into my timber stash before I made up steel framed racking. One thing I've noticed is if you uncover & disturb a nest, they will disappear, all migrate very quickly with the little black ants in hot pursuit! One reason not to spray indiscrimately, but where do they go...onto new pastures!
As for cypress, I have found many ocassions where they will burrow along the outside, making a slight indent with their clever tunnel/covering, but not really eat it. Old and damp stuff in contact with the soil will eventually succumb.
A mate of mine close by had his plasterboard paper and meranti mouldings/skirtings eaten, inside a slab-floor house, with cypress frame and sandstone walls.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by anawanahuanana

Hey.
Hopefully someone with far more knowledge about termites than me (pretty much anyone) can answer me a couple of things.
When we bought our house a couple of years ago, the pest inspector said that as it was built in 1995 (I think) it had a chemical treatment, that was banned soon after. He said it was excellent for keeping termites at bay, but not so good for the environment. Anybody have any idea what it might be? Something Hyperchloride or Hyperchlorate perhaps?

.

Heptochlor.

How i loved that chemical.
*Sigh*

I miss you

Grayham,
You've started a great thread!
I built an extension to a house about 5 years ago, concrete slab and besser block walls.
Pump up reticulation under slab and part B reticulation around the perimeter. The owner rings me up about 3 years later saying he has termites. A small bit of skirting had to be replaced.
The pest guy told me that the owner had never had his yearly inspection and pump up. The guy's wife told me later that when he received the yearly reminders, he looked at the cost and said "forget it".
You can't legislate for stupidity.

Another one that maybe the pest controllers can answer. I was working at an old school once and a pest controller asked me if I could spare a couple of guys for a small job. Removing a termite nest in a ceiling. We pulled out at least 4 wheelbarrow loads of earth type crap out of that ceiling.
I always thought that termites had to return to ground every day. Is this a true or just a myth?

Cheers
Bill

My two cents worth.
I built a house in 1966 and had the area within the foundation area and the joists sprayed for termites. It was guaranteed for 25 years. A mate who was a pest exterminator told me it would be active for more like 75 years! A few years later, I saw him after a long gap. "How are you?" "Dying" The stuff he had been using, at that time just banned, had given him a death sentence. Oh yes, he had been told to wear protective gear, respirator, gloves, oversuit etc. but it was too hot/cumbersome/expensive and anyway, who REALLY needs it? No-one used the gear and hundreds of pest exterminators are now dead.
When I bought my present house, I had the mandatory pest inspection report, but it was so hedged with disclaimers, I doubted that the guy even bothered to get under the floor.
Cheers
Graeme