Residents warned of termite plague
- Lacey Burley
- 11th September 2008
TOOWOOMBA residents are being warned to be ready for a potentially damaging termite season following unusually high levels of termite activity over winter.
Amalgamated Pest Control south-west zone director Royce Hodge said that this winter's weather conditions, including above-average rainfall, have provided the perfect condition for termites in spring.
Mr Hodge said that termite foraging activity was seasonal and that it generally slowed down during winter; however that had not been the case this year.
“Warm weather combined with heat and humidity makes pests of all sorts much more active,” he said.
“Wet and heat are perfect for termites, so if we have the ideal conditions in summer, people should be more vigilant.”
Favourable conditions for the dreaded and costly pest are set to continue with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting warmer than normal temperatures this spring.
Mr Hodge said it was important residents were aware as it can take just months for termites to structurally damage a home.
Residents are encouraged to keep an eye out for signs of termites including soft or creaking floorboards and skirting boards and bulging, staining, blistering or rippling of painted timbers.
In his 20 years in the business, Mr Hodge said there was one common mistake people made.
“The number one thing that people do wrong is that they see it (termite activity), dig around it and spray it with a can of something from the kitchen.
“That might kill 20 or 30 termites, but the thing is that there's hundreds of thousands that make up a colony.
“And they'll stop coming to that point for a short time and spring up somewhere else where you might not see.”
Termite colonies can attack homes up to 50 metres away and annually cause more damage to homes than fire, floods and storms combined.
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