Inspections are completed to Australian Standard 3660.2-2017 and is only a description of the building at the time of inspection.

It does not guarantee that termites will not enter the building at any time after the inspection.

An inspection is intended to catch termites early before damage becomes extensive. More importantly, while the termite colony is hopefully young and easy to treat.

In order to protect your house from termites, you should consider a preventative termite treatment.

Short answer; yes.

A 12 monthly inspection is required for the warranty on your termite management system.

Modern termite management systems are designed to expose termites and prevent concealed termite entry. They do not stop termites altogether.

Termites are tenacious and impossible to stop entering a structure (in most cases). This is why the warranty on your termite management system requires an inspection at least every 12 months.

If you don’t have a termite management system present on your property, we recommend at least 6 monthly inspections (in most cases).

If you have a termite management system, and it is up to date, we often recommend 12 monthly inspections (although there are exceptions).

The best way to find out your recommended inspection interval is to arrange to have an inspection done. An experienced termite manager will assess the overall risk to your property and make a judgement.

For a start, the Australian Standard AS3660.2: Termite Management sets this interval as the absolute minimum. We consider the Standard to be a minimum requirement, not a guide. Most of the inspections we do, we actually recommend a six-monthly inspection.

The reason behind a regular inspection is to intercept termites early enough that you can avoid major damage. Termites can enter your home undetected and do quite a bit of damage before they are discovered.

If you don’t have a termite management system present on your property, we recommend at least 6 monthly inspections (in most cases). If you have a termite management system, and it is up to date, we often recommend 12 monthly inspections (although there are exceptions).

Modern termite management systems are designed to expose termites and prevent concealed entry. They are designed to make termites easier for a termite manager to detect during an inspection.

For this reason, an inspection is required at least annually, under the Australian Standard AS3660.2: Termite Management.

A termite inspection of a standard 3-4 bedroom house on a concrete slab should take between 1h 15m and 1h 30m.

However, more time is required if there is difficulty accessing areas, or if the floor is a suspended floor. 

If active termites are found, more time may be required to identify the species. 

The inspector will need to get to all internal walls.

Therefore, we ask that you please move heavy furniture and stored articles off the wall to allow access behind them. 

Where we go:

• The entire inside of the house.
• The building exterior.
• The roof void.
• Under the floor (if applicable).
• Sheds, garage, and other structures.
• Gardens, landscaping timbers, and fences.

Searching for termites:

• Utilising moisture detection equipment, we scan throughout the internal walls of the house during our termite inspection. Using a moisture detector, we search for the damp mud that termites bring into the walls with them. 
•  The Termatrac T3i termite motion detection device helps to spot termite movement in the walls. We use this device to confirm termite presence after we have found moisture.
• Thermal imaging is used to search for any heat caused by termite congregation in walls.
• Pest managers will sound timbers by tapping, brushing, and thumping walls to find hollow or dense sounding materials. 
• We search for visual signs, such as rippling of plaster, timber discolouration, termite mud, and other signs during our termite inspection.

Other things we look for in our termite inspection:

• Water leaks.
• Wood rot.
• Conditions that can attract termites.
• Inspect the condition of any termite barriers.

• A description of the building construction and access restrictions.
• Termites, including active termites and existing termite damage & nests.
• Moisture readings.
• Comments on existing termite treatments.
• Advice on termite prevention.
• Termite shield (ant cap) inspection
• Physical termite barrier inspection.
• Fungal decay (wood rot).
• Conditions that can attract termites to the area.
• How to lower your risk of termite attack.
• Comments on drainage and subfloor ventilation.
• Water leaks.

Subterranean termites travel in mud shelter tubes wherever they go. This is to protect themselves from ants. They keep these mud workings at a constant humidity and bring moisture in with them. This can be picked up using a moisture detector.

Termites are also attracted to areas of high moisture. Our moisture detection can also help to pick up water leaks, drainage issues, ventilation issues, and other moisture problems. These issues can then be rectified to reduce your risk of termite attack.

Thermal cameras have significant limitations:

• Contrary to popular belief, they are not x-ray cameras. They only pick up surface temperature.
• They are less effective if the air conditioner is on.
• They are less effective at picking up termite activity in summer, when the ambient temperature is hot.
• They are less effective when photographing glossy or reflective surfaces.

In conclusion, we find thermal cameras useful as a part of a full inspection, but do not rely on them entirely. They do not replace the need for a full termite inspection with moisture detection.

No. We’ve seen termites travelling millimeters away from ant nests.

Termites have evolved to hide themselves from ants by building mud shelters that ants can’t penetrate. There is recent research that suggests termites even modify their behaviour when they detect vibrations from ants and move more quietly.

No, ‘white ant’ is just a common name for ‘termite’.

We always use the correct term ‘termite’, but ‘white ant’ is perfectly acceptable.

Termites aren’t actually a type of ant. Ants belong in the order Hymenoptera, along with bees and wasps.
Termites belong in the order Blattodea, along with cockroaches.
Their similar behaviour (central nests, queens, workers, soldiers) is an example of convergent evolution, where they have evolved this behaviour separately.

Short answer, no. They only expose termites to an inspector.

Ant caps are designed to force termites to build conspicuous mud structures in order to access a house. They are an aid to a termite inspector, but do not stop termite entry.

There is evidence that they discourage termites to some degree, but this does not mean they are a termite barrier.

Pianto’s Pest Control operates throughout the Indigo, Towong, Wodonga, Albury, Greater Hume and Federation Shire areas including but not limited to:

• Termite inspections in Albury, Lavington, Springdale Heights, Thurgoona, Table Top, Ettamogah, Jindera, Gerogery, and Culcairn.
• Pest inspections in Wodonga, Leneva, Baranduda, Bandana.
• Termite inspections in Bellbridge, Tallangatta, Huon, Bethanga, Bonegilla, Ebden, Talgarno, Charleroi, Eskdale, Kergunyah, and Dederang.
• (White Ant) Termite inspections in Beechworth, Wooragee, Yackandandah, Stanley, Indigo Valley, and Wangaratta.
• Pest inspections in Springhurst, Chiltern, Lilliput, Barnawartha, Browns Plains, Boorhaman, and Norong.
• Termite inspections in Rutherglen, Corowa, Wahgunyah, Carlyle, Hopefield, Redlands, Balldale, Lowesdale, Ringwood, and Collendina.
• Pest (White Ant) inspections in Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Rennie, Berrigan, Darlington Point, Jerilderie, Finley, and Burrumbuttock.

If you see a town not listed but nearby please still enquire.