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Writer's pictureRobert Bate

Termites in Floor Boards


It’s every home owner’s nightmare, finding termite damage that, until recently, was completely concealed. That nightmare was realised for a client of ours who was vacuuming and noticed some mudding on her floor boards. After her call, we had a technician there right away to determine whether there was a termite problem. They couldn’t believe it when we found termites because just by looking at the floor you would never have suspected there was a colony of termites feasting on the timbers below.


Termite detection using thermal camera

Termites will typically attack the softer structural timbers (like floor joists and sub-floor structural timbers) beneath the superficial hardwood surface that we see and walk on, which is why they can go undetected for so long. To make matters worse, the early signs of a termite infestation in your floor boards can easily go unnoticed. These early signs include: squeaky floor boards and slight sagging and lifting. The later stage signs are not so easy to miss and include: loud squeaking and creaking and floor boards that are loose and lifting away and buckling in some areas. As soon as you notice any of these signs it’s time to contact a professional who can confirm one way or another if you have a termite problem.

How can you tell there are termites if they are concealed?

Termites will typically attack the softer structural timbers (like floor joists and sub-floor structural timbers) beneath the superficial hardwood surface that we see and walk on, which is why they can go undetected for so long. To make matters worse, the early signs of a termite infestation in your floor boards can easily go unnoticed. These early signs include: squeaky floor boards and slight sagging and lifting. The later stage signs are not so easy to miss and include: loud squeaking and creaking and floor boards that are loose and lifting away and buckling in some areas. As soon as you notice any of these signs it’s time to contact a professional who can confirm one way or another if you have a termite problem.


Termites can go undetected for years

The damage was considerable but had it continued undetected, it wouldn’t have been long before the termites created extensive structural damage. This serves as a reminder to us all to have regular termite inspections. The peace of mind knowing our experienced technicians are using state of the art equipment to ensure your home is termite free, really is worth the money you spend on a termite inspection.

How can you tell there are termites if they are concealed?


thermal imaging for termite detection


  • Across the the thermal imaging pictures you can see the large termparture difference.

  • The bright pink in this images indicates where the termites are hiding

  • A thermal camera can see what is invisible to the human eye.

Discovering termites from the outside of the house is not always obvious


Termite leads on the external of a brick house


1.Can you see the mud leads (bottom brick)? This is the point of entry for the termites.

Sometimes the point of entry can be hard to detect. The foliage is covering it. No wonder the owners missed this.

Think you might have termites? Call us now on 3823 2500 to organise a free termite check and quote or have one of our qualified technicians complete a comprehensive termite inspection using our thermal imaging camera and moisture meter.

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