Termite Barrier Cost
A termite barrier cost will vary depending on the type of system that is installed. Termites can become a very costly game if they are left to go untreated for any great length of time. So it’s important to have your home fully treated to help prevent termites from attacking. The one thing that most customers want to know is obviously the cost of a termite barrier treatment.
The first thing that needs to be done in order to get an accurate costing for a termite barrier system is to have an inspection done. Once the termite inspection has been completed your termite technician will be able to get you an accurate quote for a full termite barrier to be installed.
There are plenty of pest control companies in Brisbane specialising in termite treatment and they will all have differing prices for their barrier treatment. A termite barrier’s cost will depend on a few things, but one of the most important is the product that is used. There are plenty of products on the market today that will kill termites. But there is one that is better than all the rest and I’ll go into this a little later.
When it comes to termites and getting them out of your home; cheaper is not always the best way to go. Termites can cause a massive amount of damage to a home or even commercial building in a very short time. So protecting your property no matter type it may be is paramount or you could end up with costly repair bills.
Never Disturb Termites
Different Termite Barriers
So there are a few different types of termite barrier treatments to help prevent termites from gaining concealed access to your home. We have been trying to keep termites out of our homes here in Australia ever since Captain Cook first landing here back in 1770. The tent poles of Captain Cook’s fleet were being eaten by termites soon after they set up camp. Ever since then the battle to try and keep termites out of our homes has been ongoing.
1. The first treatment is a soil barrier treatment; this is when the soil around a building is sprayed with a liquid Termicide. The way it works is that the soil is removed from around the edge of the building. A trench of a minimum of 150mm wide and no less than 50mm below the foundations are dug out. The soil and the trench are then treated with an appropriate product to deter termites.
Where there is a concrete edge or path that can’t be removed for one reason or another it is then drilled. When drilling is carried out the chemical used is injected under the slab to make a continuous barrier around the building. A soil termite barrier cost will vary greatly depending on the pest control company you choose to install it and the product they decide to use.
2. The second treatment is a termite baiting system this is when bait stations are placed around the perimeter of the building. Bait that is palatable to termites is placed inside the station to keep your home safe. The stations are placed every 3 meters apart and termites will seek them out when foraging for new food sources.
Termite bait stations are one of the best methods for protecting a home from termite attack. They active inside the bait are always working and the stations can be easily checked for signs of termites. Termites are constantly looking for new food sources to feed on and keep the colony strong. So the baiting systems use the termites own natural instinct against themselves. Once the termites start to feed on the bait inside the station they will unknowingly take it back to the main colony. This will eventually wipe out the entire colony. A termite barrier cost for this system will depend on how many stations are needed to protect the property.
3. The third option is a reticulation system, this works in a similar way to that of the soil barrier treatment. But instead of backfilling the soil after it has been treated a series of pipe are placed in the trench first. The pipes have very small holes to allow the chemical to drain out and treat the soil around it. Where there is either concrete or a pathway it will need to be removed to correctly install the system. Where an area of concrete can’t be removed it will have to be drilled and injected as mentioned in scenario 1.
In my professional opinion, the best termite barrier treatment out of these three is the second one. The termite bait stations will not only let you know when termites are present, but they will also kill them at the same time. The sentricon always active baiting system is the termite barrier that I have installed around my own home.
Over the years barriers of all kinds have failed in some way or another. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for termites. This is why it’s so important to have an annual termite inspection Brisbane done. By having a yearly termite inspection done you stand a much better chance of keeping termite out of your home. An inspection will pick up the first signs of termites giving a better chance of elimination. The reason why some termite barrier treatments fail sometimes comes down to how or rather who installed the system. The cheaper termite barrier companies out there will not only not install the system properly but will also use cheaper products. There are different chemicals that can be used during a termite treatment and some really are better than others.
Termite Coptotermes 25X
Termite barrier costs
So the burning question that all homeowners want to know is how much does a termite barrier cost. I will do the pricing on per linear metre as this is the easiest way to work it out. This will vary a lot depending on the property. A lot comes into play when quoting for a termite barrier to be installed. The position of the property and the land will have a big part in how much a termite barrier will cost.
The cheaper end of the market can be around 28 dollars per linear metre and getting up to around 85 dollars per linear metre. Again this will depend greatly on the property being treated and what needs to be done on site.
Some termite barriers can be a combination of two different systems. For example, my own home has the Sentricon Always Active system around the outside; and also has a chemical treated zone in the sub-floor area. The subfloor is a place that termites love to try and gain concealed access to a home. The termite barrier cost will obviously go up where a combination of treatments has been installed. Each and every house is very different to quote on for a termite barrier system.
The first thing customers need to understand is that a quote cannot be given without first doing a termite inspection. The process should be firstly a termite inspection, and then a report will be issued along with a termite proposal. The proposal will outline everything that needs to be done to properly install a full termite barrier system. A proper quote can’t be determined by just having a quick look at the property. A technician needs to determine what type of slab the house is sitting on and how far down the footings are. An inspection of the gardens and trees will also have to be done all these things take time to complete.
Termite Barrier Products
There are many different products that will kill termites but as mentioned earlier there are some that do a better job. So basically any household spray will kill termites on contact, but this isn’t what can be used in a termite barrier system.
This is going to refer only to liquid chemicals for treating termite by means of a soil termite barrier. The baiting stations are a completely different system but work in the same way as Termidor that I’ll mention below.
There are two main products that termite companies use to protect a home against termites and they are (Biforce) the active being bifenthrin and (Termidor) the active being fipronil. Now the first product is very popular with the cheaper termite companies because it’s very cheap to buy and has been around for a long time. The second chemical is a lot more expensive to buy and therefore puts the price of the termite barrier up by a considerable amount.
So the main difference between the two chemicals is that termites can detect the older chemicals like bifenthrin and stay away from it. Now you’re probably thinking this is a good thing right, well no it’s not so good, because it leaves the termites free to keep on looking for a way into the home.
On the other hand the other chemical Termidor; termites can’t detect it. So as they keep working through the soil they unwittingly come in contact with the chemical. They then pass this to all the other termites within the colony as the workers go back and forth to the main colony. So Termidor will eventually wipe out the whole colony, removing the danger from the home.
Pests of all kinds can eventually build up immunity to a chemical when it’s used a lot. But with a product like Termidor, they can’t because they don’t know it’s there. Bed bugs are one pest that is completely immune to bifenthrin this is from overuse and incorrect use of the product.
Don’t get me wrong here both products are very good but as I have mentioned a few time now, some are better than others. In the case of termites it’s best to use the best product on the market and for soil termite barriers it’s Termidor.
So when you get a termite barrier cost from your termite technician check to see what chemical they are going to apply for you. Or you can just ask what chemical they are intending on using. The full name of the chemical and the active ingredient will all be in the termite proposal.
Remember that good old saying if it sounds too good to be true it probably is, and when it comes to termites don’t risk it.
Flea
How Do You Know If Fleas Are Present
It’s pretty easy to tell if fleas are active at a property, just by doing a walkthrough, fleas will become active when they sense vibrations in the ground where they are harbouring.
Flea eggs can lay dormant in dirt or carpets and other materials for up to 12 months, they will only start to emerge and hatch when they know there is a blood meal readily available.
If an adult flea does not get a blood meal soon after hatching they will die, they cannot survive and continue to lay more eggs without sufficient food, and for the flea, that food is blood, whether it is from an animal or a human.
Treating Fleas
When treating for fleas it’s important that all areas where they may harbour are thoroughly sprayed, but there are some things, that will need to be done before the treatment commences.
Firstly if treatment is being done outside, i.e. on the lawn, the grass must be freshly mowed the day before the treatment is due to be carried out.
By mowing the lawns before the arrival of the pest controller, it allows for the spray to penetrate further down into the base of the lawn where fleas harbour.
Where a flea treatment is done on the inside of a property, whether it be a house or commercial premise, all floor surfaces such as carpets and hard floors like tiles or wood, must be pre-vacuumed just before the pest control technician arrives.
The pre-vacuum will do two things; it firstly helps to remove any debris that may be on the floor and secondly it helps to encourage the eggs to hatch and merge into an adult flea. Where adult fleas are present this makes the treatment much more effective. All areas need to be treated inside including under furniture.
Empty Garage Moving House
What About Pets
If a tenant is moving house from one rental property to another, then one would presume that any pets would have been taken to the new home.
But in the case of a furnished home where there are still pets on the premises, they will need to be placed onto an appropriate flea treatment for animals.
Flea treatments only work if the pets at the affected property are treated at the same time the flea pest control is done.
The most popular flea treatments are advantage or frontline. But there are now new ones that have hit the market that is in tablet form. A chewable tablet is given to the pet every month this helps to keep fleas, ticks and worms at bay.
It’s best to speak to a vet about the best product to give to a pet, as some of the treatments these days can start to get a little expensive, and may not suit all pets, or their owners pocket.
Which Pest Control Company To Use
As with all pest control services, it’s important to use a company that will not only do the job correctly, but that will also give a full guarantee on their work.
As I’ve said in many of my blogs it’s tempting to go with the cheap pest control company, but by doing so, you are not guaranteed to get what you pay for, or as the saying goes, “you get what you pay for”
Using a cheap company can end up costing more money down the track, and this is very much the case when dealing with a real-estate company, as stated earlier if the property manager isn’t happy with the outcome of a pest control on a vacant home; they will simply arrange for it to be redone; at the tenants cost.
So before you engage a pest controller make sure they back their service up with a full warranty; ask them over the phone and also get them to write it on the receipt.
