Termite Inspections
Termite Inspections
Newcastle and Hunter Valley
Our Comprehensive Termite Inspection
All our termite inspections are carried out according to Australian standards and will determine:
- Whether there are any active termites on your property
- Whether there is any termite damage, and
- If there are any building faults or environmental conditions that will make your house more likely to come under termite attack
What areas of your property do we inspect?
- First of all we inspect the roof void looking for signs of termite activity, moisture and leaks.
- Then we will inspect the interior of your home going through every room in turn (include the garage), tapping walls with a donger (see below) and measure moisture levels behind walls – this is especially important in bathrooms, laundries and kitchens – termites love moisture!
- Then we will move onto the exterior of the home and sub-floor (if you have one). These are key areas to inspect as this is where termites can get into the building.
- Finally, we will inspect the grounds, fence lines, trees, carports, sheds and any other outdoors areas within the property within a 30m radius of the main building (within the property boundaries)
What termite inspection equipment do we use?
With their years of experience and local knowledge, the most important piece of equipment in a termite inspection are our experienced termite inspectors! However, they use two pieces of kit that help detect potential termite activity and moisture issues:
- Donger: a tapping device for sounding wood construction elements for damage
- Moisture metre: for finding leaks and potential areas of termite activity
How long does a termite inspection take?
We take time to carry out a comprehensive termite inspection. A termite inspection on an average home will take 1.5-2 hours, but can be up to 3 hours on large properties.
If you are deciding which company you intend to use for your termite inspection, this is one of the key questions you should ask, as quality companies will take their time.
The amount of time it takes to carry out a termite inspection will depend on the size of the house, its construction type (eg. does it have a sub-floor?), whether there are any outbuildings and the size of the land surrounding the property.
What information is in the termite inspection report?
Our comprehensive reports will include written information on our findings along with photos, detailing:
- Any visual evidence of current termite activity (species, location, extent)
- The extent and location of any termite damage
- Any construction faults and environmental conditions (eg. drainage issues) that make your property more likely to come under termite attack
- Recommendations for solving construction and environmental issues to make the property less likely to suffer termite attack
- Report on any pre-existing termite management systems in place and make recommendations to ensure its effectiveness, whilst educating you on the maintenance requirements
- A summary of the risk of ongoing and future termite attack
- Recommendations for a termite management plan to eliminate any current infestation and aid in reducing any risk of future infestations
Termite inspections are visual inspections
Termite inspections are visual inspections, which means our inspectors can only inspect areas to which they can gain access. They are not allowed to move items or heavy furniture to gain access to a room or wall.
If during the inspection our inspectors suspect an issue worthy of further investigation they will recommend an invasive inspection.
An invasive inspection may require moving items and will likely involve drilling into walls so that we can use our borescope camera to look inside walls for termite activity.
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Additional termite inspection information
How often should you get a termite inspection?
Australian Standards, governments and building authorities all state that buildings should be inspected for termites at least annually, but more frequently in areas of high termite pressure.
Often an annual termite inspection is required to maintain your warranty on any termite protection or termite treatment on your property.
Are our inspectors qualified?
All our inspectors are fully qualified, licensed and insured to carry out termite inspections and have years of experience.
We are happy to show you our licenses and provide a copy of our insurance if you request.
Pest control companies need to provide this information if requested by a customer – it’s a good way to check you are engaging a reputable company to provide the service.
When checking licenses it is important to understand that licenses and insurance should specify they are allowed to carry out termite / timber pest work – this work is separate to “pest control”.
Termite inspection v pre-purchase inspection, what’s the difference?
Termite inspections and pre-purchase timber pest inspections are similar but not the same.
- A termite inspection is carried out on a property you own and is specifically looking for termite activity, termite damage and construction / environmental conditions conducive to termite attack.
- A pre-purchase timber pest inspection [link to page] is an inspection carried out on behalf of a potential property purchaser before agreeing to buy or bid at an auction. It is looking for termite and borer activity, as well as timber decay (collectively called timber pests), as well as any damage and construction issues / environmental conditions that would create potential issues in the future.
Signs of termite activity
Termites are very secretive and often their activity can only be spotted by experienced termite professionals. However, there are a few signs of termite activity that every home owner should know:
Actually see termitestermites look like “white ants”, although they are actually more closely related to cockroaches. You may see these in the mulch or under rocks when gardening
Flying termitesthese are the new kings and queens that have their mating flights on warm, humid summer nights. If you see a large number of these around your lights at night or large numbers of shed wings on the ground in the morning, it means there is a large nest nearby.
Termite muddingtermites build mud tubes to protect themselves from drying out and from predators. You may spot these mud tubes on trees and fencing, meaning there are active termites in the area. If you spot them on your home, your building is under attack!
Obvious damageif you spot obvious damage (eg. your vacuum cleaner breaks through a skirting board), you know your home is under attack!
Doors / windows not shutting or spongy floorboardstermite eaten structure timber can cause door and windows to ‘drop’, making them hard to close. Termites eating floor joists can also make any floorboard bounce. These observations can be caused by other problems, but it’s worth checking out.
Noises at nightif you have an active infestation, it is actually possible to hear the termites chewing and tapping (head-banging to communicate with one another).
If you spot any of this termite activity, give Rebel Pest Professionals a call immediately to book a termite inspection.