Minimal termite preventative treatments?

Hi Guys,

We recently acquired a large double Storey freestanding old house which has had a small amount of termite activity in the past.
There doesn’t seem to be any current activity as I’ve been over the whole house with a thorough cosmetic reno, but haven’t inspected the subfloor.

Plans are to hold for rental returns then knock down and develop in the short to mid term, maybe 5 or so years.
We have 2 adjacent blocks and hoping to pick up a 3rd one in near future.

The property is in a bit of a risky area and was wondering what the minimal amount of preventative action we should take.

Would an annual inspection be sufficient or should we get a chemical treatment or something else?
Seems a bit like deciding on an insurance policy.....

 

Had something similar in a high risk area. As I had no plans to knock down I went the chemical termite barrier route. Cost $3,300 for a 5 year barrier and still needed an inspection every year to keep the warranty at $230 per inspection. To treat live termites in a tree stump nearby It was about $260.
Personally if I was knocking it down and no active termites or structural damage I would get an inspection every year, treat any live termites nearby and make sure there are no trees, wood and water outlets within 1 meter of the house.

 

I'd agree, least invasive would be best in this instance, annual P&B inspection should pick up any issues if there's no current risk factors.

 

Thanks guys.
I'll do the annual inspection and hopefully catch anything early enough before too much damage is done.

 

Get a thermal one done. That will tell you if there's active termites, not just previous damage.

 

Hoovex, surface spray available from Bunnings,
Temprid, profesional pest surface spray, I use to spray footings and piers 3-6 months.
Inground bait station with timber inserts, spaced every 2meters to risky boundary, checked 3-12 months.
Sentricon poison bait, placed under house in high risk area, bathroom/laundry, can also be buried near infested tree to kill nest.

Clearing around house and removing timber and stumps helps

 

We all know the fire triangle.....
Well termites need moisture, food and warmth !

This is why they are often found around a leaking bathroom/laundry or other sources of moisture

Best to ensure there's no dodgy plumbing, and all downpipes are not only connected but functional

Unlike the below
Down pipe not connected to guttering, and worse not connected to stormwater system @Ace in the Hole

 

Yeah, that's some dodgy work there..
Should get it fixed up.