Found termites in the garden what should you do?
So you have found some termites in the back garden and you want to know what you should do next. I’ll get straight to the point, the main thing is you don’t disturb them too much.
Disturbing termites may result in them simply moving to a different area. Once they have moved we have no real way of knowing where they have gone.
Keeping the workings and the nest if there is one intact is very important. For successful treatment, the termite technician will need to use the workings to kill the colony.
What Not to do.
I was at a job the other day doing a general pest control treatment for a customer. The house is tenanted and the owner arranged for us to do the pest control.
When I arrived the tenant told me that he had found a termite nest in a tree stump in the back garden. He when on to tell me that he’d killed them himself by pouring sump oil into the nest.
This is the worst thing that he could have done, as this is no guarantee that the entire colony will be eradicated. The nest was found about 8 metres away from the house so there’s a good chance that they are already in the house doing damage.
What the tenant should have done.
The tenant should have simply contacted his landlord and explained the situation and left it to a professional company. The landlord would have then contacted us here at Sunnystate Pest Control to deal with the nest.
Unfortunately what the tenant did is what most people do, but this action could put the house at serious risk of termite infestation.
Found Termites Why we need the nest or workings.
To get rid of termites from a home or a tree stump we need the workings to deliver the poison. If the workings are disturbed to badly the termites will simply shut down that part of the nest and go elsewhere.
Once the workings have been located we then apply either dust or a foam treatment to them. The idea of the treatment is to let the termites carry the poison around the rest of the colony.
The products professional termite technicians use does not kill the termites on contact. The termites that come in contact with the poison will survive for about 2-3 weeks.
This is enough time for the entire colony to have been contaminated eventually killing the whole colony.
Treating a termite nest in this manner is the best and only way to deal with live termites. This is the only way that we can be sure that all of the termites are gone.
Conclusion
If you own a rental property you should make sure your tenant understands what their responsibilities are if they find a termite nest.
This also applies to a homeowner when they find active termites or it could end up costing more in the long run. A full termite inspection is now required to ensure that they aren’t inside the house doing major damage.
Remember this if you have found termites don’t disturb them; just call a licensed pest control company to deal with them.
Engaging the services of a professional will certainly save the homeowner money down the track. If the colony isn’t correctly treated they may well have moved to another area and start their attack again.
Important?
Only ever use a licensed professional to deal with termites always ask to see their license.
