As one of your most important and biggest investments, a home should be protected and maintained at all times. Small as they may be, termites can cause serious damages to your property and should be dealt with as soon as they are discovered. 

Think your home made of bricks and stones is safe? Think again. Termites consume cellulose from dead wood or wood by-product; therefore they can destroy structural supports and other building components such as parquet flooring, doorframes and even roof structures. Truly a home owner’s nightmare, termites are capable of entering buildings through hairline cracks, hollow bricks, and concrete blocks, or even around plumbing.

Undetected for months, they attack your home from the ground floor, right up to the highest point on the roof. Weakening your home’s wood structure, termite infestation leads to costly repairs and an eventual structural failure, turning your home into a hazardous area. Roof collapse as a result of an aggressive infestation is not unheard of. Worse still, termite-damaged properties will definitely fetch lower values in the market.

Types Of Termites

There are three types of termites; drywood, dampwood and subterranean termites, which build nests in the soil as they are very dependant on moisture. Subterranean termites can maneuver their way through the ground and migrate from house to house.

A total of almost 200 termite species can be found here in Malaysia. But only 2 types, the Coptotermes sp. and Schedorhinotermes sp are known to be economically important to pest control organizations, as they constantly attack buildings and their structures.

Signs Of Infestations

Early termite detection is vital in preventing large scale damage to your home. Some general signs to look out for:

• Damaged/eaten wood
Termites do not bore holes; instead they construct galleries and tunnels while the workers consume wood. A terminal infestation can go undetected for years as termites destroy wood from within, leaving the outer surface undamaged. A heavily damaged wood will break apart easily.

• Mud shelter tubes
Made of small soil particles and partially-digested wood, mud tubes can extend from the ground to the wood, or over other exposed surfaces such as concrete foundations. Mud tubes are meant to protect the termites as they move from their colony and into your house. Once they have finished eating out the wood, the tubes will be abandoned.

• Swarmers
The first indication that there are termites nearby, swarmers are winged male or female adults which usually appear when humidity is high. They are attracted to bright lights.

The Solutions

Ridding your home of termites will prevent further damage, increase the property’s value and most importantly, give you and your loved ones peace of mind. You should not attempt to eliminate these pests on your own –entrust the task to a professional as termites are extremely persistent and challenging.

• Baiting
Baiting stations, containing monitoring devices which serve as food for termites, are placed strategically around the home. The termites that consumed the bait share it with their nest mates. The active ingredients in the bait work to stop the molting process they need to grow. This will negatively impact the colony, until it declines to the point where it can no longer support itself, therefore eliminating the entire colony.

• Pre Construction
As they say, prevention is better than cure. Pre-construction or soil treatment is done before a building is constructed by forming an anti-termite chemical barrier underneath the building structure. This will keep subterranean termites from coming up from the soil to feed on the wood structures. The site is treated with a water-based termiticide which kills subterranean termites by contact and ingestion. They will experience a ‘slow kill’– upon contact, the termites return home to the colony, where they transfer it to others through physical contact. The treatment is less effective if the soil is excessively wet or saturated.

A good pre-construction treatment can last from two to five years. However, regular termite inspections are still recommended.

• Post Construction
This type of treatment is ideal for buildings that are already up and completed. Chemical barriers can be created at entry points along perimeter walls, near water pipes and other locations where subterranean termites have been known to enter a building.

Once the infestation spot is determined, appropriate termite control methods are employed. It may involve drilling holes in the flooring, so liquid termiticide can be injected into the ground. A termite-free home will save you thousands by protecting the value of your home.

Termite Elimination Plan (TEP)
TEP is designed to safeguard homes against subterranean termite infestation by using the Rentokil Baiting System method to wipe out active termite colonies. It is an affordable plan that is custom-designed for condominium/apartment units and intermediate terrace/link houses only.

Rentokil 532 Plan
Offers long term protection and peace of mind with flexible plans that suit your budget and preference.  You can choose the five, three or two-year warranties. A re-treatment will be undertaken should there be re-infestation of subterranean termites within the chosen warranty period.  The 532 Plan is recommended as termite prevention or where there are active termites found, other than Coptotermes sp. or Schedorhinotermes sp.

Colony Elimination Professional Programme (CEP2)
CEP2 destroys termite colonies in homes, offices and factories by adopting an advanced Termite Baiting System and microwave termite detection technology. The Rentokil technician will then routinely monitor these stations for termite activity. The CEP2 comprises of three packages, and is suitable for a building that has multiple levels or complex design. It is the recommended plan for a premise where active termites have been detected.

Convenient and Hassle-free Solutions