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How Much Damage Can Termites Really Do?

How Much Damage Can Termites Really Do? Posted on June 25, 2018Leave a comment

termite protection

In terms of damage caused, termites are considered the most expensive household pest in Australia. Especially architects and real estate agents fear termite infestations due to the extensive damage they can cause to a housing structure, leading to incredible cost of repairs as well as the loss of resale value since the potential buyers will often offer a large number of dollars less if a termite colony is detected on the mandatory pest inspection date for the property on sale. Regarding a study in 2015, the value of a home could reduce by as much as 25% if there had been a previous termite problem.

 

Especially to buildings raised with a timber structure, termites can severely decrease a home’s value as their wood diet can cause hundreds of dollars worth of repairs when the damage done remains undetected. On average, more termites are responsible for damaging a housing structure each year than fires, flood or storms. As they can also eat through electrical wire and cause power outages and house fires, these insects are highly dangerous to have around.

 

With its tropical weather, our beloved country offers optimal living conditions to termites, which are therefore found in great numbers. These household pests love any type of wood and the dangerous thing is that they can breed largely. Termites are social insects and live in colonies that can make up to a group of a million and will work together to construct a nest. As they can produce up to 2000 eggs each day, the household pest can enlarge a colony within almost no time at all.

 

The wood-eating insects can be categorized in three basic groups, drywood, dampwood and subterranean, the latest type being the biggest threat as these will feed on timber and might destroy your most valuable asset, your house. The insects also feed on dead plants and decayed trees, which can be found in many Australian gardens making it almost impossible not to provide the right environment for them to reproduce. Termites get their nourishment from cellulose and are therefore often found in damp, above ground locations such as decks and porches, stacks of firewood and damp soil from where they will build sophisticated tunnel systems to get from their nests to their food sources. Subterranean termites will enter wooden houses through cracks and pipes and feast on it, as softwood makes up the most part of this pests diet. Thus, any structure containing wood is at risk of subterranean termite infestation.

Termite inspection Sydney

Residential pest control services offer several methods to prevent your home from a termite infestation. This might include monitoring the insects with the help of bait stations and setting up liquid chemical barriers for effective elimination of termites before severe damage has been done to the houses wooden frame. There have been incidents when immediate action had to be taken when termites attacked a suburban family home causing hundreds of dollars damage and forced the owner to remove and rebuild several rooms.

 

Experts have estimated a high increase of termite problems, stating that soon two of every three homes will suffer a termite problem, making these insects the costliest problem for Australian homeowners as 2012 reports showed that damage and repair costs already averaged 1.5 billion dollars.

 

A termite infestation does not show immediately on your house or property, and there are reasons why these insects are sometimes called ‘silent destroyer’ since there might be no early signs of destruction. Nevertheless, some indication of a termite colony could be an insect swarm around your house, cracked paint, hollow sounding wood or discarded wings. If you see any of these signs call Termite Control Services immediately and schedule a pest control appointment to prevent devastating damage being done to your home.

 

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