Photos show costly 'myth' for Aussie homeowners often not realised 'until it's too late'
The typical home insurance in Australia won't cover homeowners for one seriously big risk – termites. But even for houses primarily made of brick, there is no reason to be complacent when it comes to looking out for the destructive invader.
A pest control company in Ipswich, Queensland, urged locals this week not to fall for the "myth" that they're safe from the threat just because they're have brick walls. The company shared photos showing termite tracks, commonly referred to as tunnels, burrowing through a brick home.
"My house is a brick block house, it can't get termites…
"Oh if I had a dollar for every time I have been told that and other termite myths," the company wrote.
Speaking to Yahoo News, pest controller Christopher James warned that "nobody's immune to termite damage".
"When you've got a brick home, a double brick home, it doesn't really matter too much," the Sydney-based exterminator said. "A brick home still has a timber structure roof. It still have doorways, windowsills, eave that can still be eaten.
"Because they are a subterranean species, they can come in from underground undetected. They can travel over brick, through brick, wherever they need to go to get to the next piece of timber."
Hidden out of sight, he warned they can do enough damage to "destroy a whole house" in less than 12 months.
"You don't really see the damage or know they're there until it's too late," he told Yahoo. "They could be eating half the house but it looks good to the average eye."
According to the Australian Museum, termite colonies are formed during warm, humid weather, typically in spring and autumn. While there are over 200 species of termites in Australia, only a few are of concern to humans.
With unusually wet weather in recent months, some parts of the country have been more prone to termite activity, with one pest control company on the south coast of NSW telling Yahoo in December the pests had been "on the move".
"Termites are pretty rampant, w'ere doing about five or six calls out every week ... We're always finding lots of termites," Chris said.
Many exterminators these days take to social media to share their disturbing discoveries and share tips for homeowners on the signs to look out for.
Those in the industry almost unanimously urge homeowners to get termite inspections every year or two, typically costing a few hundred dollars. If treatments is required, however, that can range from between $2,000 to $8,000.
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According to Jhy Carroll from pest control company EBS Queensland, there are two main ways to prevent termites, one is with a chemical barrier and the other is an in-ground baiting system.
"Chemical barrier treatment consists of digging a trench around the external perimeter of the home and chemically treating the soil area," he previously told Yahoo.
While in-ground systems are also installed around the external perimeter of the house, they include a bait that the termites feed on to "eliminate the colony".
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