Termite Control Specialists in Albury, Wodonga, Rutherglen & the Surrounds

Do not spray them with bug spray. Subterranean termites have a central nest that could be a long way from where they are feeding, and can have over a million individuals in the colony. If you spray them where they are, the colony will just come up in another spot.

Do not disturb them. Termite treatments rely on there being active termites present in order to take a treatment product back to the nest. If you disturb them by poking and prodding, you can cause them to leave the area before a termite manager can do an effective treatment.

Call a termite manager. Make sure to ask if the technician that will be attending is qualified for termite management (it is a separate qualification to general pest control). An experienced termite manager will identify the species, conduct a full termite inspection, and make clear recommendations for treatment and prevention.

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.

Every termite infestation is different.

Some termite species require different approaches to others. We need to conduct a full inspection of the property to determine which species you have, or if you have more than one species.

Every house is also different. The procedure for a house on stumps is very different than a house on a concrete slab, for example. We also need to find all of the entry points so we can do an effective treatment.

Baiting is the most simple and least destructive method of termite control.

We install termite bait stations directly onto the areas of termite activity.

Termites feed on the bait and take it back to the nest. It is used to feed workers, soldiers, developing nymphs, and the queen. 

The bait inhibits termites’ ability to grow a new exoskeleton when they periodically moult. They then dry out and die. 

We can monitor the baiting process by observing physical and behavioural changes in the termites. As the bait takes effect, workers appear pale, feeding slows, and the ratio of soldiers to workers changes. 

Eventually, the termite colony cannot support itself and collapses.

We normally follow up with a couple of inspections after this to confirm, or to catch a second termite colony that may invade the dead colony’s workings (it happens more often than you might think).

We inject a foam product directly into termite workings and feeding galleries. Furthermore, we do it in such a way that the most number of termites comes into contact with the treated area. 

The product is an expansion foam with Termidor mixed in. Termites cannot detect it, and continue to crawl through the treated area.

When they leave the treated area and go back to the nest, they continue to transfer the product to other termites in the colony. This transfer effect helps to eliminate the termites attacking your home.

Chemical control (including foams, sprays and dusts) are not as reliable as baiting treatments, but they are a lot quicker.

Under the Australian Standard AS3660.2: Termite Management termite control must include colony control to eliminate the termites from the structure and preventive termite management to reduce risk of attack by other termite colonies.

Termite baiting is an example of a colony control method. For certain termite (white ants) species, it is the most reliable way to eliminate entire termite colonies. It involves placing baits directly onto active termites so that they will take the termite bait back to the best and kill the colony.

Termite monitoring and baiting systems are an example of preventative termite management. It involves digging termite baits into the ground around the perimeter of the structure to intercept termites before they get to the house and eliminate the colony with bait.

When most people think of termite sprays, they think it’s similar to a spider treatment, where you have a regular, quick spray, and you’ll prevent attack by termites. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Termites travel under the soil and enter your house from underground. Termite ‘spraying’ as a preventative measure requires trenching around entry points or injecting termiticide into holes drilled in concrete. It’s major work, and expensive work. Definitely not something you want to be doing every year.

Luckily, most termiticides last between 5 and 10 years in most types of soil. So you don’t have to do it every year.

In short, because it’s a lot of work and the products we use are expensive.

Take a chemical soil treatment (termite spray) on a house on stumps for example. We have to get underneath your floor and trench around every single stump and along every foundation wall. Foundation walls have to be trenched along the outside as well. This work is physically demanding and takes around two working days to do properly.

The products we use are the best termiticide chemistry you can get and are specially formulated for termite control. At the time of writing (May 2022), a 2.3L litre bottle of Termidor HE costs around $700. Most houses will require at least one bottle, and often two are required.

Baiting treatments are less work-intensive, but they take a long time. We normally make about ten visits to your house to service the baits. Similarly, the bait itself is expensive.

One way to cut costs is to use cheaper products. That is not our procedure. There are many other termite managers who will be glad to offer cheaper chemistry and we encourage you to get other quotes.

Termite baiting is designed to eliminate termite colonies without needing to find the nest.

The delayed effect of the bait means that it is fed to the entire colony, including the nest.

In warmer months, baiting takes between 1 and 3 months. 

During winter, when termites don’t consume much food or moult as regularly, baiting can take longer.

This may seem like a long time, but a long baiting process and follow-up inspections is required for us to provide a guarantee.

We notice that once feeding on bait begins, termites slow their feeding on other food sources, so damage to your house is limited during the baiting process.

Other treatment options like sprays and foaming can be quicker, but we don’t offer guarantees when baiting has not been done as a part of the treatment.

In winter, we will often use baiting first and then finish the termite colony off with a foaming treatment to speed up colony collapse. We do this when we notice signs that the entire colony has been affected by the bait.

The termite bait we use is completely non-toxic to humans and other mammals. It is less toxic than table salt.

Termite bait works by stopping the termite’s ability to grow a new exoskeleton when they moult, which they do regularly. Mammals do not have this biological process, and so it does not affect us.

As an extra precaution, we use tamper-resistant bait stations to prevent access by pets and children. We try to limit our environment impact as much as possible.

Other treatments such as sprays and foaming use chemicals that can be toxic only in high doses. The mixing rate that we use is very low, and it is applied to concealed areas and wall cavities, which are inaccessible to pets and children.

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

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

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