Guidelines

An extensive Australian Standard (AS3660 Series - 2000) deals with protecting homes from termite attack. The Standard gives minimum guidelines for homeowners, builders and pest management technicians on termite management.

The Building Code of Australia, which is administered by local government authorities, requires various measures be taken when your home is built.

In the past, persistent organochlorine chemicals were sprayed beneath homes. Organochlorines have now been withdrawn from use, due to community concerns, and replaced with more acceptable alternatives. Applied correctly these alternative control agents will help protect your home from future attack.

Always follow the guidelines and recommendations issued by your builder and Termite Technician. They are designed to ensure maximum protection.

	A termite barrier abutting the perimeter walls of your home is essential to protecting your home. You must avoid disturbing this barrier. If it is disturbed then entry by subterranean termites is possible. If you have not had this barrier applied yet then your home remains fully exposed to future destruction by termites.
	Any termite protection program can be rendered ineffective if building alterations or additions are made. The construction of pergolas, awnings, verandahs, etc., can provide a route of entry into the protected property.
	With concrete slab homes it is important that you ensure the edge of the slab is left exposed and that the weep holes in between the bricks, found immediately above the slab, are also left exposed. By building up gardens or soil levels over the edge of the slab, termites can gain undetected entry into your home and breach the established barriers.
	With suspended floor homes any material that may be conducive to termite infestation, including any formwork, timber, tree stumps and similar materials must be kept out of the subfloor and away from the external walls of your home.
	Ensure that termite shielding (metal strips around the foundation) is not damaged or breached in any way. Termite shields do not prevent termite entry. They are intended to force termites out into the open so they can be detected by regular inspection.
	Ensure leaking taps, showers, pipes, etc., under the home or adjacent to it are immediately repaired in order to reduce moisture levels in the subfloor. All result in unnecessary moisture accumulation, which is the main contributing factor in subterranean termites nesting close to, or within structures, particularly in drier areas. An immediate response to these situations is of the highest importance.
	The flanges on the back of shower, bath and laundry taps are rarely sealed adequately. This condition often results in daily water entry into wall voids, which will decay the bottom wall plate and the base of wall studs. Subterranean termites and numerous other organisms are attracted to this type of environment and can cause structural instability and/or cosmetic damage in the affected area.
	Dead trees and stumps are favoured nesting sites for termites and should be removed or treated as they pose an unnecessary risk.
	Sub-standard ventilation in the subfloor areas of structures result in a high humidity and moisture rich environment. Decay fungus and subterranean termites thrive in these conditions, both of which can destroy subfloor timbers rapidly. Additionally, high humidity subfloors severely damage timber flooring through expansion.
	Untreated timber, garden surrounds and/or sleeper retaining walls provide subterranean termites with an attractive feeding and nesting site. These situations should be remedied as soon as possible by replacing the surrounds and/or sleeper retaining walls with a termite resistant material (such as CCA treated timbers).
	Garden beds with pine bark or wood chip coverings built up to a level that covers the weep holes in the base of brick walls provide termites with an attractive concealed access point. This situation contributes to the majority of termite attacks in slab on ground structures. Garden beds should be raked away from the structure as to expose the weep holes.
	Climbing plants and/or thick vegetation growing against the side of the building provide termites with a well-concealed entry point. Additionally, the roots of some plants can grow into the foundations of a structure. These roots can later be excavated by termites and used as a way to penetrate the structure at a position that is very difficult to locate. These situations should be remedied as soon as possible by clearing plants away from the structure, leaving a clearance of approximately 30 ms and/or installing root barriers 30 ms out from the foundation.
	Often the bases of fence palings and/or house battens penetrate the soil surface, resulting in attack from decay fungus and subterranean termites. This situation is easily remedied by sawing off the bases of palings and battens, leaving a 75 mm clearance between the base and the soil.
	Stored timber or debris stacked against the side of the structure, or similarly inside the structure on a soil subfloor provides an attractive food source and nesting site for subterranean termites and poses an unnecessary risk. These situations should be remedied as soon as possible by removing the timber and/or debris and storing in a safe manner.
	You can greatly enhance the security of your home by constructing a one metre wide concrete path on a treated sand bed, around the entire perimeter of your home. If installed correctly, termites will have to build a mud tube across the pathway to gain entry and can then be more easily dealt with. The path, however, must be protected first. Your Termite Technician does this through the installation of a soil barrier.

If you intend to make changes that may affect the protection of your home, as mentioned above, then ensure you contact your Termite Technician first.