Your guide to termite inspections

by SerumTD-019 | Aug 6, 2020 | Blog, Termites

Do you keep thinking about getting a termite inspection but haven’t got around to it?

As people who see the heartbreak that these insects cause on a weekly basis, we urge you to do it sooner rather than later.

To make it easy for you, we have put together this quick guide so you know what to expect from your next termite inspection.

Why get a termite inspection?

Roughly 20% of all Australian homes will get termites at some stage, which is why the CSIRO recommends getting an annual inspection. Termites wreak havoc on your home and cause major structural damage, and unfortunately it’s not usually covered by your home insurance.

A simple $200-$400 investment each year will save you from potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.

What happens during a termite inspection?

Once you book your inspection, a qualified termite technician will come out at the agreed time to inspect your home.
They use a range of tools to detect the termites and cover all areas of your house, outbuildings and grounds.
Once they have completed the inspection, they will explain what they have found and give you recommendations for treatment if needed, or tell you how to reduce your risk for future.
Your technician will email you a detailed report including photos and a proposal for any necessary termite control.

What areas of my property does it cover?

While a termite technician will focus on areas that are likely to harbour termites, Allstate technicians will cover every area of the property so that nothing gets missed.

This includes the:

Interior – each room is checked top to bottom including doorframes, skirting boards, cupboards, floor surfaces and wall surfaces.
Roof void – if we can gain access to the roof void, we will check over the timbers with a sounding tool and screwdriver.
Subfloor – if you have a subfloor, we check this by either cutting traps into the floor or by using our Borescope technology to check for signs of termite entry.
Exterior – we inspect the full perimeter of the house from the foundation edge to the fascia, using a sounding tool and screwdriver.
Outbuildings – we inspect every outbuilding, inside and out.
Grounds – we inspect the grounds of the house, including landscaping timbers, gardens beds, trees, stumps and the fence line.

How do pest technicians detect termites?

The techniques used include:

Sounding – a sounding tool tests the integrity of the wood.
Moisture readings – we use a moisture meter to get the background reading for the house, then find any areas where the reading is higher, which tells us there are termites present.
Movement detection – this tool fires infrared rays into the timber to check for termite activity.
Borescope – this allows us to take pictures of active termites in timber.
Visual inspection – we will also visually check for ingress points and mud tubes.

What happens if they find termites?

If we find any signs of termite activity, we will recommend control and management systems best suited to your home and the degree of infestation. We will explain these thoroughly and detail them in your termite inspection report.

How do I know if I have termites without an inspection?

The short answer is you don’t. Once you see in any obvious signs of termites, they have caused significant and costly damage.

For most homes getting an annual inspection is the best way to protect yourself.

How much does a termite inspection cost?

A lot less than the cost of fixing a damaged home. Allstate termite inspections range from $200 to $400 depending on the size and structure of your house and the size of your property.

To get a quote or book your termite inspection, live chat now or phone us on 8371 1277.

6 signs of termites you need to know about

by SerumTD-019 | Aug 6, 2020 | Blog, Termites

House fires and termite infestations both destroy your home. However one is 12 times more likely to happen than the other, and it’s also the one not usually covered by house insurance. Of course, we’re talking about termites.

While the only way to check for termites is with a qualified termite inspection, there are signs of a bad termite infestation that everyone should know about.

If your home does have any of these signs, the termite infestation is probably at a stage where you’ll have major structural damage, but you should be aware of them nonetheless.

Signs of a major termite infestation in your home

1. Clicking sounds from your walls

In a bad termite infestation you may hear clicking coming from your walls. Sometimes the sound is termites munching away, other times it’s the sound of them head banging! The soldier termites bang their head against wood when the colony is disturbed as a danger signal for the rest of the colony.

2. Tight-fitting doors and windows

If it isn’t hot or wet weather making your doors and windows hard to open, it might be termites. When the termites eat and tunnel through doors and windows, they weaken the wood which fills it with moisture. This causes them to warp in much the same way that damp weather does.

3. Flying termites and piles of wings

After three to five years, a termite colony will produce flying termites, who will leave to start a new colony elsewhere. These types of termites are known as swarmers, and you may notice them near lights or windowsills.

You may also notice piles of discarded wings near your doors and windows – a sure sign you need a termite inspection.

4. Mud tubes

Mud tubes are tubes of dirt, wood and debris, and you may notice them outside your home. Subterranean termites live underground, and build these mud tubes as a tunnel between the nest and their food source in your walls.

5. Hollow-sounding timber

Termites eat wood from the inside out, and so in a bad infestation, your walls will sound hollow when knocked. By this stage they would have severely weakened the structural integrity of your home.

How to spot termites before they have eaten half your home

The above six signs usually point to a severe infestation, and by that stage, termites have usually caused significant damage to your home.

Fortunately professional termite inspectors have specialised tools and techniques to detect termites when there are no visible signs of them, and well before they have cause any major damage. These tools include listening equipment, moisture metres, a borescope and thermal imaging. Read more about what happens in a termite inspection here.

Protecting yourself from termites

CSIRO recommends a termite inspection at least every 12 months to protect yourself from the headache and heartache termites can cause. It’s essential you get this inspection with a qualified termite professional who has a reputation for thorough inspections.

At Allstate Pest Control Adelaide, our qualified termite technicians use a set inspection checklist to ensure nothing gets missed. This covers your:

Interior
Exterior
Roof void
Subfloor
Any outbuildings
Grounds

On completion of the termite inspection we explain our findings to you in detail then send you a comprehensive report.

To book in a termite inspection before it’s too late, live chat now or phone us on 8371 1277.

How rats get in your house

by SerumTD-019 | Jul 27, 2020 | Blog, Rats

They’re dirty, destructive and a horrifying sight in your house. Even Sir David Attenborough admits he’s not their biggest fan. Unfortunately for us South Aussies, our cold winter is encouraging rats to shelter in our homes and they’re very good at finding their way in there.

How do rats get in your house?

You don’t need a rat-sized hole to let one into your house. Rats are amazingly good at squeezing through tight spaces – even smaller than a 20-cent coin. They are also good at gnawing, digging and jumping, so have a lot of skills at their disposal to make it inside.

Some of the ways that rats can get in your house include:

Holes in the roof

Your roof will usually have small gaps created by your roof corner intersection, which rats can usually fit through. They can also chew through ridge cap plugs to gain entry. Any gaps should be sealed with a waterproof sealant.

Cracks in your walls

Rats can enter via cracks in your external walls, then find a way through the inner wall where you have existing holes for pipes and wiring. Smaller holes can be filled with caulk and larger holes with steel wool or waterproof sealant.

Gaps around windows

Any small spaces around your windows are often big enough for a rat to crawl through. Check and seal any windowsill gaps and check your flyscreens for holes.

Chimneys

Chimneys are an easy entry point and a good nesting spot for rats. Installing a chimney grate or cap is usually the best way to help keep them out.

How to tell if you have rats in your house

While seeing a live rat is a pretty obvious sign you have a problem, other indicators to look out for include:

Rat droppings, which look like large, dark brown grains of rice
Gnaw marks on anything from walls to pipes to food containers
Squeaking or scurrying sounds coming from the walls or roof
Greasy rub marks on walls or furniture (these are from the oily sebum in the rat’s fur)
A strange musty odour

What to do if you already have rats in your house

If you think you have rat problems, the first thing to do is check for any entry points using the list above. Given rats are so crafty, these can sometimes be tricky to find and you may need the help of a rat control expert.

Once all entry points are sealed up, you can manage the rats with traps or bait. It’s important to remember that rats are ‘neophobic’, meaning they are afraid of new things, so it can take several days for them to build up the courage to inspect the trap or bait.

When to use professional rat control

If you have rats in your house, DIY rat control can be effective in some situations. However if the problem doesn’t seem to be going away or you are concerned about children, pets or wildlife accessing bait, it’s wise to get a professional to do the job properly.

At Allstate Pest Control Adelaide we always start with exclusion – finding all rat entry points and sealing them up. We then manage the rats using strategically placed, lockable bait stations that keeps the bait safely out of reach of children and pets. All treatments are covered by a 6-month warranty, meaning that if rats return within that time frame we will re-treat your home free of charge.

To get rats out of your house and keep them out, live chat now or phone us on 8371 1277 to book.

Reopening business? Covid-19 shouldn’t be your only hygiene concern

by SerumTD-019 | Jun 18, 2020 | Blog, Business

A message from Vasili, CEO – Allstate Pest Control

As South Australia eases restrictions and more businesses reopen and return to onsite work, much attention is being placed on number of people per room, hand sanitiser dispensers and elbow bumps. And while these measures are important for keeping everyone safe and preventing future outbreaks, we need to address a second big issue – pests have quite possibly running amuck in your premises for the last three months.

While pests are always trying to find a way indoors, our absence has been great for opportunistic rodents, flies and other pests. And while you may not always see them, it doesn’t mean they’re not lurking in drains, behind cupboards or wall crevices – compromising health and ready to disturb customers and staff at worse possible moment.

Pests you should look our for and why

Some pests pose more of a problem than others. These are the main ones to look out for:

Rats and mice

Notorious for carrying diseases and damaging walls and furniture, rats and mice are a major hygiene problem, particularly for food service businesses. And because they dwell in enclosed areas like corners and behind cupboards, it could be a while before you realise they’re there. Look out for:

A strange, musky smell left by the rodents’ bodies, faeces and urine
Dark droppings – mice droppings look like ground coffee, while rat droppings are slightly bigger and look like grains of rice
Squeaking or scurrying sounds coming from the walls
Greasy streak marks on walls or furniture, left by rodents’ fur
Signs of gnawing, or tears to food packaging

Cockroaches

Like rats and mice, cockroaches are very unhygienic and fast breeders. They contaminate food, spread disease, and can cause asthma and other allergies. Keep an eye out for:

An unusual musty smell
Brown smear marks, usually seen on horizontal surfaces and where walls meet the floor
Egg capsules, which are brown and oval-shaped
Cockroach droppings, which look like ground coffee
Live cockroaches – if you see one there are almost certainly many more out of sight

Flies

Flies are not only a nuisance, but pose a health risk to both customers and staff, thanks to their ability to spread diseases like Salmonella and E.coli. If you notice signs of flies, it’s important to nip a small outbreak in the bud before it becomes a major problem. Watch out for the following types of flies:

House flies will be found hanging around rubbish bins, as this is where they lay their eggs
Drain flies – a tiny tan-coloured fly which dwells around drains as the name suggests
Fruit flies are found around drains, rubbish bins, and empty bottles and food containers

Ensure a successful reopening with a Return to Work Pest Service

If you’ve just reopened, there’s an easy way make sure you’re pest free. Allstate’s Return to Work Pest Service is a straightforward inspection and managion program so you can be confident your business is 100% safe and healthy.

Find out more COVID-19 page or phone us on 8371 1277 to book.