So you’ve just read through your building and pest report, and it reveals that live and active termites were found. Now is the time to answer the question of what to do if you find termites during your building & pest inspection?
Once you heart stops racing, you will probably have a lot of questions and will be somewhat confused. Typically, your first questions probably are “what do I do now?”, “should I buy this house?” and “how to deal with deal with termites once found?”.
In this blog, we’ll guide you through the steps to take, the information you need and the questions you should ask.
Your initial reaction will be to give the inspector a call and ask him some questions. However, before you do that, you should gather some information so that you may know just what questions to ask and to be able to understand him somewhat better. This will help you to clearly make an informed decision as to whether the property is still right for you or whether you need to cancel the contract and look elsewhere.
What are Termites and why do they cause panic?
Termites are a special type of insect. They are not actually ants but are specialised cockroaches and have been around for about 300 million years. Termites are mother nature’s decomposers and even symbolise tireless effort in African folk tales.
Termites only become a problem when they come into contact with the human world. A termite colony can have hundreds of thousands, or even millions of termites.
Here are some Termite Truths & Myths.
Termite Truths
- Termites cause more damage to homes in Australia than fire, floods and storms combined
- Termites are known to destroy the wall and roofing timbers of a home within 3 months
- No home or building insurance in Australia will cover the repair costs of termite damage
- CSIRO research has found that 1 in 3 houses in Queensland have termites within the property boundary
- Termites are attracted to moisture and humidity
- Termites are secretive and usually enter a house through ordinarily inaccessible areas such as concrete and brick cracks
- Termites can pass through a 2mm crack
- Termites can travel under floors to get to wall framing timbers
- Termites usually eat the centre of timbers leaving nothing but a thin veneer of timber, thus hiding their presence
Termite Myths:
- Myth: Termites are white ants.
- Truth: Termites are not ants.
- Myth: Steel framed houses make your home immune to termites.
- Truth: Termites can’t eat steel, but steel framed houses do have wooden parts such as window and door frames, furniture and flooring which are attractive to termites.
- Myth: Termites only eat wood.
- Truth: Termites chew on wood to get to the cellulose which they convert to glucose. Cellulose is also found in plasterboard, cardboard, paper, wallpaper and so much more.
- Myth: Termites can eat concrete and bricks.
- Truth: Termites can’t eat concrete or bricks but will often leave a mud trail and can enter the home through cracks in the concrete or brick.
- Myth: Termites in the garden don’t matter.
- Truth: Termites don’t stay in one spot. They aren’t content with the just the wood in the garden and will always look for more sources of food.
- Myth: Termites can’t eat hardwood or chemically treated wood.
- Truth: This is just not true. Some species of termites don’t eat hardwood, but most can and the most common species in Queensland are known for feasting on hardwood.
Understanding termites will help you realise that the live termites your inspector found will need to be treated and dealt with as soon as possible before irreparable damage is done and they spread to other areas – this is exactly what to do if you find termites.
Usually, the treatment and eradication of termites is done at the expense of the vendor. This is definitely something you should discuss with your conveyancer and vendor during negotiations.
About Your Building & Pest Report
It is helpful to understand that whilst highly informative, your building & pest inspection report has limitations.
A building and pest inspection is a visual only inspection of accessible areas within 30m of the home. This means that your building and pest inspector cannot move or lift stored goods, furniture, carpet or even curtains and he definitely cannot cut holes or remove panels to see inside walls. Even outside he can’t move timbers or dig up or around plants to see what’s going on.
Regrettably this means your building and pest inspector may not be able to fully identify the complete size and locations of the termite colony or the extent of the termite damage. It is usually why he recommends an invasive inspection.
However, the inspector will use every tool he has, such as a thermal imaging camera, moisture meter and specialised tapping tools, to identify any evidence of live termites and termite damage.
Live termites in living room window frame
What’s Worse, Termites in the Yard or in the House?
Finding live termites in the yard is more common during a Building & Pest Inspection than finding termites in the house.
Termites found in the yard are not as worrisome as termites found in the house BUT live termites in the garden are still live termites and termites found outside will not stay outside, especially if their colony is disturbed. Live termites anywhere on the property need to be treated and eradicated.
Don’t be tempted or persuaded to relocate the termite nest. This never works and not what to do if you find termites – it only results in disturbing the colony, sending them to other areas.
Termites are elusive and may be hiding in other areas that aren’t seen and are attracted to moisture. They love to operate in dark damp places. Thus, making it very difficult to determine the full extent of the infestation without conducting an invasive inspection. This may involve drilling holes in walls, removing plaster, lifting carpet, removing tiles, and pulling off skirting boards to name a few methods.
A termite reticulation system
What about Treatment?
The most common treatment is a slow-acting chemical treatment that the treated termites will carry back to their nest to eradicate the whole colony. The slow acting chemical is undetectable by termites and is applied in the soil and any concrete or tiled areas. (You may have seen plugged holes around the property.) A specialised termite treatment installation company should be consulted on how to deal with termites to offer advice as to the best treatment and whether multiple treatments are necessary.
Even if the treatment appears effective there is no way to be sure that every termite has been killed. Regular follow-up inspections are necessary.
It may be tempting to take the cheaper option and perform DIY termite treatments, but this is rarely successful and never advised.
Talk to your solicitor about insisting any treatment initiated by the vendor is undertaken by a licensed expert and their work guaranteed – this is what to do if you find termites during a building & pest inspection.
What is a Termite Barrier?
As the name suggests, a termite barrier is a chemical or physical wall that is installed either during construction or post build. It is a barricade that prevents termites from entering and establishing a nest within a property.
Barriers can be chemical, physical or part of a chemical reticulation system.
Physical termite barriers are sheets that a laid under the slab prior to the concrete being poured, right at the start of a house build.
Chemical termite barriers are an ideal option for long-term protection. The chemical barrier consists of an unbroken zone of liquid chemicals applied in soil around the house.
A termite reticulation system is similar to a chemical barrier however the chemicals are released into the ground via a flexible pipe with perforated holes. The pipe sits next to the foundations of the house.
Physical termite barrier
What to do if You Find Termites Damage but No Live Termites?
You may also read in your report, that termite damage or mud trails were found but there was no evidence of active termites. Whilst this is less critical it doesn’t mean that you can ignore it.
It usually means one of two things:
- It’s old damage left unrepaired from a previous attack.
However old the damage is (this is always hard to determine) further investigation is always required to truly assess the extent of the damage and if any termites are concealed. Termites are notoriously sneaky.
- Termites are still active but have moved to another location or are in a concealed or inaccessible area. Further investigation is again required.
Once you are aware that there is termite damage in the home, it is important that you have a complete picture of the location and extent of any termite damage. This understanding will help you determine if the house is still right for you and if you will proceed with the purchase.
Regardless of whether the damage is old or new, it is essential that further investigation is conducted to determine the extent of damage and whether any live termites are in the yard or house. The results of this investigation will also help in costing any repairs. You may wish to discuss with your solicitor any anticipated repair costs.
This further investigation should be conducted by a licensed professional as termites are experts in concealing their presence and the extent of the damage they do.
All damage should be repaired, and any termite mudding or nests be removed as soon as possible. It’s worth noting that removal of termite structures does not remove the termites.
A word of warning: Termites are more likely to invade a home that has had a previous infestation as they will use the existing tunnels and structures to gain access.
Talk to the Current Owner
Before deciding to move forward or pull out, it would be helpful to speak with the vendor and ask them a few pertinent questions.
Such as:
When did the termite damage occur?
How extensive was the termite damage?
Did you get an invasive inspection?
Did you install a treatment? And does that treatment have a warranty?
Did you repair any damage?
It’s also advisable to ask for evidence of treatment and repairs, such as invoices, warranties and certificates.
If I Go Ahead with the Purchase, How Can I Prevent Future Termite Infestations?
There are preventive measures you can take, and these are likely listed in your Building & Pest Report.
Firstly, your inspector will list any conditions that are conducive to timber pest activity, and fixing these will reduce the risk of attack to the property. A conducive condition is a condition that is attractive to termites or may conceal termite entry.
Some common conducive conditions are the air-conditioning condenser discharges adjacent to the external walls; Stored / loose timbers are found on site; external timbers are in contact with the soil and most commonly the visual termite barrier has been breached.
Secondly repair any identified termite damage, as previous damage is highly attractive to termites.
Thirdly and most importantly ensure the termite management plan is current and kept up to date. This may include installing a treatment and getting annual timber pest inspections.
Contact ASBIR Today for More Information
Have peace of mind with the Building and Pest Inspections Brisbane trusts from ASBIR. At ASBIR, our inspectors are fully licensed and highly experienced to carry out building and property inspections. If you would like to know more or to book, contact us on 1300 553 007, email us at info@asbir.com.au or contact us online.
