While the natural warmth, beauty and hardiness of timber make it an obvious building material, one the biggest drawbacks of it is the risk your run of attracting termites. If you’ve been unlucky enough to have termites in your home you’ll know just how much damage these little insects can do, and how tricky they can be to get rid of.

Have I got termites?

There are quite a few signs of termite damage, so take a look around your home and look out for:

• Damaged wood that is visibly eroded, or wood features such as beams and posts that sounds hollow when you tap them.
• Bubbling or wrinkled paint on doors or skirting boards.
• Timber floorboards that feel springy when you walk on them.
• Thin, brown tracks – called mud tubes – that run along the foundations of your home, wall edges and posts. These tubes protect termites as they make their way too and from their colony.
• Wings – termites will shed their wings when they find a spot to start digging into timber structures.
• Termite droppings in and around your home.

If you’ve discovered any of these signs, it’s time to call in a termite expert who can inspect your home properly and advise you on how to treat the infestation.

How do I treat termites?

If you’ve discovered termites, you have to get rid of them. And that is what a professional is for. There are ways you can treat the termites yourself, with various products and methods, but I would always advise homeowners to call in someone who can treat the termites properly. Generally a pest control company will use a chemical to eradicate the termites and then recommend a barrier treatment to prevent re-infestation.

How do I stop them in the first place?

There are many things you can do to stop this little nasties infecting your home:

• If building or renovating, consider using wood alternatives that are termite proof, and look into termite-proof products to protect your foundations.
• If your home is built on a concrete slab, having the edge of the concrete slab exposed will help keep termites at bay. So check to see that your slab hasn’t been covered up by garden beds or mulch. Just keep your beds lower than you slab edge or weep holes.
• In fact, try to reduce mulch in all of your garden beds if you are concerned about termites.
• Have your home inspected for termites regularly.
• Termites love moisture, so check regularly for water leaks and reduce moisture around your walls – fix leaking downpipes and watch out for poor drainage.
• Use termite baits and other protective termite treatments, and ensure these are kept up to date. Termite barriers have a use-by date, and if you are not sure how old these are or whether or not they are still effective, get an expert in to help you determine whether or not you are protected.
• Don’t leave loose timbers lying around – timber is termite food, so the less you have around the home, the better.
• If you suspect termites might be in moveable objects such as outdoor furniture, move those pieces out into the sun for a few days. Termites hate sunlight.