After a careful analysis of Melbourne, as well as Sydney, Archicentre Limited revealed the shocking results of just how termite damage affects Australia. The company, who holds the capacity of building advisory service within the RAIA(Royal Australian Institute of Architects, conducted research over a two year span in order to help in developing criteria for building inspection, data collection, and data reporting.
The Archicentre Pest inspection service was started in 2005 in Melbourne, and in Sydney in 2006, which will gain a better understanding of the aspects of timber pest attacks every where in Australia.
The company examined more than 80,000 reports of inspections and through this analysis came to the conclusion that there is indeed termite growth within Australia and their homes. The analysis provided many different results. For example, they were able to determine that colder regions of the continent are less likely to suffer from termite attacks than the warmer regions were. This led to the conclusion that termite protection was in dire need in these warmer areas.
Of the areas inspected and analyzed, it was found that Western Australia saw the smallest increase of just 5%, Victoria was the next highest at a termite increase of 8%, South Australia, ACT, and New South Wales came in second with a 9% increase, and the number one jump in termites belonged to Queensland with a jump of a whopping 11%.
In the year 2006, it cost on average $2,500 to treat a termite infected home. While expensive, it was still far better than what it would cost to repair an infested home, which could cost around $4,500 or more depending upon the area in which you live.
Do you have termites? There are some things that you can be looking for. The first thing you want to do is check your stumps and concrete barriers, do you see any mud? You also want to look at the sub floor of your home, is there any damage? Now you want to actually check the inside and outside of your home. Look around a foot from the floor or ground, check to see if there are any termite signs.
Termites seem to be the most active if a home is surrounded by lots of trees. Homes that were built 30 year ago or older are often more likely to have termite infestation. Many home owners however create virtual termite attractions. For instance the way a home owner landscapes their home, making untreated wood and the like a very enticing meal for some prospective and hungry termites. Things such as old logs around the lawn, or non treated wood fence posts are likely termite attractors. Putting mulch around the home all the way against the wall of the home may also cause a termite attack.
Many people will store wood in a shed or somewhere around the home in order to keep it dry. This is another attraction for termites. Even if homes have a concrete slab or have been treated, termites seem to find any wood in the construction materials of the home.
The only way to prevent termites from taking over your wood is to make sure that you are having termite checks and treatments regularly by a qualified pest control company.
One last thing, before you purchase a new home, make sure that you have an inspection done first. Make double sure that this inspection includes termite inspections. If you purchase a home without having this inspection, you may be looking at big costs to treat and repair the infestation, in addition to the money you just paid for your new home.
For more information or to arrange an inspection contact Pink Inspections on (02) 9529 2111 or contact us online.
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