Question 1

I have termites causing damage in my roof/ceilings, do we need to spray these areas?

Accepted Answer

We can but it is not entirely necessary. The termites will be gaining access to these areas using your walls. Ultimately we need to find the offending nest and treat it. If a nearby nest is not visible, other exclusion techniques can be employed. Treating the nest is eliminating the source of the problem; any remaining termites in the roof will not survive without their nest.

Question 2

Do you smoke out the termite nests?

Accepted Answer

No we do not use the fogging technique to treat termite nests; we use a liquid which is pumped into the nest. Experience has shown that the technique we use is much more effective.

Question 3

Do you dig out the queens?

Accepted Answer

No we do not need to reach the termite queen; the destruction of the nest is adequate. Without the worker castes she cannot survive.

Question 4

After I had some termite nests treated, the following year there were new nests that came up elsewhere nearby, did they move from the previous nest to a new site?

Accepted Answer

No. The termite queen is kept in a chamber at the heart of the nest, the entrance to which is only large enough for the workers to pass through which feed, clean and carry her eggs.  The queen’s abdomen becomes hugely distended as she develops into the reproductive centre of the nest. Her abdomen is in fact so huge that she simply cannot move, never mind leave the royal chamber. These new nests are emergent nests.

Question 5

I recently acquired some compost from someone and I found some termites inside it, should I be concerned?

Accepted Answer

There is no need to be concerned; termites are social insects which rely on the various other castes (workers, soldiers, king(s) and queen(s)) to survive. Termites in general will forage for cellulose matter – mostly dead matter. This dead cellulose matter is ingested and used in the nest to build a ‘carton’. The carton is the medium on which a species of Termitomyces fungus is grown; this fungus is what the termites feed on. It is therefore a near certainty to find termite workers foraging inside compost heaps. If they are taken away from their foraging tunnels and home nest they cannot survive or proliferate (worker and soldier castes are sterile).

Question 6

I have fumigated all the termite nests in my yard but there are still ‘mud trails’ going up my trees (or in my lawn) with termites actively working; what is going on?

Accepted Answer

There are two possible scenarios here:
(1) There are new, developing termite nests underground that are not yet visible on the  surface.
(2) The foraging termites could be coming from a large nest in the next door premises.
 
Termite nests may take anywhere from a few months to a few years to become visible on the surface. The time required for this to happen varies considerably based on limitations such as cellulose resources, competition, soil type and location. Some species of termites such as Hodotermes mossambicus and Macrotermesnatalensis are capable of travelling over 800m from the nest! Thus termite foraging can be coming from a nest two properties away. These types of termites can easily be identified by us and the necessary treatments advised  accordingly.

Question 7

How do I eliminate these invisible emerging nests?

Accepted Answer

There are ways to combat emerging termite nests; these methods typically vary depending on the scenario at hand. This is something that needs to be determined by us, please contact us for a free quote.

Question 8

When should I get my termite nests treated?

Accepted Answer

Anytime is okay to treat, however if it is something that you do on a regular basis; then January - March are the best months as the smaller nests are also visible at this time. If you have a problem, and the termite nests are treated during the winter months, we strongly recommend a secondary check-up and treatment during the height of the rains to ensure that these otherwise invisible smaller nests get treated.

Question 9

What guarantees do you offer?

Accepted Answer

Any termite nest that we treat will be eliminated 100% guaranteed. If any nest begins to show signs of life, post treatment, we will re-treat it free of charge. If however, a nest is treated and survives, which happens on rare occasion in multi-queen species, and a report is not made to us within a reasonable time frame i.e. 6 months, you may be liable for the cost to re-treat the nest. This is because species such as Macrotermes natalensis can build such large nests that if we are not alerted to the new activity they can quite quickly grow to an enormous size. If there is a problem let us know immediately.

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Frequently asked questions