Termites Are Something Sydney Building Owners Actually Need to Worry About…
Subterrabean Termites are surprisingly common in the Sydney region. In fact, Sydney is located in the second highest risk zone for subterranean termites in Australia, second only to the Tropical regions which are famous for having termite mounds over 2 metres high.
The Sydney region has a relatively warm and moist climate and an abundance of large established eucalypt trees which are ideal habitat. Often these areas of bushland have housing developments that are encroaching into these termite habitats. These factors make the eastern sea-board of NSW particularly prone to Subterranean Termites.
It is estimated that at least 1 in 5 homes has had some form of termite damage. Possibly as many as 1 in 3 homes have had some form of termite activity on site or in the grounds. When inspecting established homes on acerage or semi-rural properties this ratio becomes 1 in 2.
In other words we expect to find termite activty every day in all kinds of siutations and building types from units and apartments, established homes and commercial properties.
Termites love to nest in established trees in moist forested areas like Sydney bushland. This arboreal nest was found in Lane Cove, a Sydney suburb aurrounded by bushland.
The ‘rule of thumb’ is the closer to the ground the timbers are located, the greater the risk of termite attack. These formwork timbers are a common entry point for termites, like a bridge into the house.
Termite ‘mud packing’, where the activity is well established and masses of ‘hard dirt’ can be seen filling and covering the area around the timbers.
Termites are Very Clever at Gaining Undetected Entry into the Building through External or lower Subfloor / Basement Areas
Subterranean Termites exist in the top 30cm of soil. They will try to establish a colony near sufficient timber volume to support colony expansion. This means established trees, stumps and logs, stored wood and any buildings that contain timber in their structure.
Termites commonly gain access into buildings in this ‘top-soil’ zone, where the building is in contact with the ground. Normally this means subfloor structures, such as subfloor walls and piers. They commonly disguise their entry very well, using natural and built features to assist; elevated landscaping or garden beds, subfloor timbers that are in contact with the ground and old formwork that gets left in place, verandahs or decking structures are another common point of entry.
Once Inside the Building, Termites Can Do an Alarming Amount of Structural Damage in a Very Short Time.
Once inside the building, termites often travel vertically up through the structures, presumably in an effort to measure the volume of timber available to the colony. Our Pest Inspectors commonly find structural termite damage inside roof interiors for this reason. Inspection inside the roof is usually limited by frames and insulation, although our inspectors will move the insulation wherever possible to inspect the top of the wall frames for workings.
Subterranean Termite bodies are very soft and require a constant temperature and humidity. For these reasons they must create shelter tubes or mud tunnels to enable them to move around. It’s these tubes that Timber Pest Inspectors look for as one of the main identifiying features of termite activity in a building.
As termites nest in trees they have a ‘vertical habit’, meaning they are often found inside roof interiors. They have the ability to determine the ‘volume’ of timber available to them, this means going up into the roof as part of the colony
Structural damage of a roof strut inside the roof. It is just as common for our inspectors to find damage inside the roof as it is to find damage under the house. This seems surprising as termites live in the ground.
