Termites have been in Australia for thousands of years with well over 300 different species in Australia however most are just humble grass and debris eaters and don’t pose any real threat, in Sydney there are 3 main species that do most of the damage to structures these are.

Coptotermes Spp.

Schedorhinotermes Spp.

Nasutittermes Spp.

These Termites are subterranean that is they nest and live under the ground, some may build mounds on the ground, some will build mounds high up in a tree these are mostly more like relay stations and not a true nest and some may build a nest in the trunk of a tree and others may build a nest in a pile of wood long since buried, although all these Termites may vary in there colony structures, habits and preferences they all have one thing in common and that is cellulose.

Cellulose is a starchy sugary type of substance that trees produce and store, cellulose can be found in many things in and around the house, the wood used to build the house, paper products, some old records (phonograph) and it was and may still be used as a thickener in food we eat, to mention but a few so as you can see you are pretty much surrounded by what they like.

Sydney is a high risk area for Termites there is no doubt, studies on Termites suggest that Termite foraging during the summer months Termites will forage deeper in the ground or forage in more shaded areas studies also show that by building a house the ground the temperature below the house is quite a few degrees cooler and there fore creating a shaded area and a conducive condition for Termites.

Don’t feed the Termites, you may not be able to stop the Termites from paying you a visit any time soon but you can reduce the odds

(1) Do not store Timber under the house this also includes forming timber left under a bathrooms /concrete areas  Timber should be stored off the ground and away from walls (this allows for a clear visual inspection all round) if you don’t want it get a skip

(2) Ensure that conditions under the house are dry, if it is quite moist to wet you may need to start with improving the ventilation, installing more and larger ventilators, it will take quite a while before you know how successful you have been it can take up to 12 months if after this time damp conditions still prevail the next step would be the drainage, this may be a little more difficult.

(3) Repair plumbing leaks and any leaking taps in the garden; this will also reduce conducive conditions for Termites.

(4) For those that have a house build on a slab you are not exempt in fact the risk may well be higher, the slab edge should be exposed the entire perimeter of the house, where there is no slab exposure the risk of Termites coming over the slab edge and entering the house undetected is very high.