What Happens When We Find Live Termites — the Treatment Sequence Explained

Finding live termites during an inspection is a real moment. It can be confronting — particularly if the discovery is during a pre-purchase inspection or in a home that's been lived in for years without any sign. But the sequence from that discovery to a resolved, protected property is well-established and it works. Understanding it before it happens to you takes most of the anxiety out of the process.

This piece walks through the full sequence: what happens on the day of discovery, what the mandatory documentation requirements are under AS 3660.2, how the initial treatment works, and what the ongoing inspection cadence looks like after that.

Don't disturb the workings

Before the sequence begins, there's a critical thing not to do: don't disturb the active workings.

The instinct when termites are found — especially during a DIY inspection or renovation — is often to kill them immediately. Spray them. Pour something on the mud tubes. Break open the affected timber to see the extent of the damage.

None of those actions help. They can actively make the situation worse.

When termites are disturbed before a professional treatment can be applied, the colony retreats. Active workers scatter or go dormant in sections of the structure that aren't accessible. The mud tubes that were the inspector's most useful diagnostic tool are destroyed. The specific workings that would have allowed targeted Termidor Foam treatment are broken up.

Retail "termite killer" sprays typically use repellent chemistry — the same category as the older termiticides that fell out of favour precisely because they scatter colonies rather than eliminate them. Applying a repellent spray to an active infestation can push the colony into a different part of the structure, creating multiple activity points that are far harder to treat.

The right action when termites are found before an inspection: leave everything as it is. Note where you found the activity. Keep that area undisturbed. Then call for a professional inspection as soon as possible.

Step 1: Full inspection to identify the scope

The first thing that happens after a live find is confirmed is a full inspection to map what's actually happening. A single mud tube on a pier is a data point; the inspection determines what that data point means for the rest of the structure.

The inspection covers the known active area and then the full property: subfloor if accessible, roof void if accessible, all internal rooms, the external perimeter. The goal is to understand:

• Species identification. In Sydney, the subterranean species responsible for most structural damage are *Coptotermes acinaciformis* and *Schedorhinotermes* — the two species behind most significant structural work in NSW. Species identification matters because it informs the treatment approach and the likely extent of colony size and foraging range.
• Location of active workings. Where are the mud tubes? Where is there hollow-sounding timber? What's the entry path — where are they coming into the structure?
• Extent of accessible damage. How much visible timber has been affected in the accessible areas?
• Conducive conditions. What created the conditions that allowed this to happen — and are those conditions still present? A live find without a conducive-conditions assessment is a treatment without a root-cause fix.

Thermal imaging and a moisture meter are used during this inspection to identify moisture sources and activity in areas that aren't visually accessible. Both tools are AS 3660.2 Additional Tests — recommended when moisture is detected without obvious cause or when activity is suspected beyond what's visually confirmed.

Step 2: Stage-1 colony elimination — Termidor Foam

Before the longer-term barrier is installed, the active workings receive direct treatment on the day of the inspection.

Termidor Foam — fipronil at 0.05g/kg in a dry foam carrier — is injected directly into the accessible mud tubes and active galleries. The foam is specifically designed for this purpose: its consistency allows it to travel through the tunnel network, reaching further than a liquid application would, and coating the surfaces of galleries that foragers will continue to use.

The mechanism is the same as with the soil barrier: fipronil is non-repellent and transferable. Foragers that contact the treated surfaces carry the active back to the colony on their bodies, spread it through social contact and grooming, and the active kills through the colony over time. The goal at this stage is to begin collapsing the colony before the perimeter barrier is installed.

Termidor Foam treatment is not a stand-alone solution. It addresses the existing active workings; it doesn't provide long-term structural protection. That's what the barrier installation — Step 4 — provides.

Step 3: Termite Management Plan and Proposal & Agreement

Under AS 3660.2:2017, when live termites of economic significance are found, two specific documents are required before full treatment can proceed. These are not optional, and they're not the same document.

The Termite Management Plan (TMP) is a clinical document. It describes the proposed treatment method, the expected results, and the ongoing management approach. It's not a quote — it doesn't contain prices. It describes what will be done, how, and what the outcome should look like.

The Subterranean Termite Management Proposal & Agreement is the contractual document. It's the signed agreement between the pest specialist and the property owner, setting out the scope of work, the terms, and the warranty conditions. This is the document you sign; the TMP is the document that specifies the work being signed for.

The TMP's mandatory status means that any treatment following a live find — regardless of what that treatment involves — should begin with a documented plan. A TMP issued without a live find isn't required, but once live termites of economic significance are confirmed, the AS 3660.2 obligation applies.

Step 4: Chemical barrier installation

Once the Termidor Foam treatment has addressed the immediate active workings, the broader structural protection is installed: the full chemical barrier around and beneath the building.

The barrier creates a continuous treated zone of soil that intercepts any subterranean termite approach to the building's foundation. Termidor (fipronil) is the barrier chemical: non-repellent, transferable through the colony, with an 8-year product warranty from installation.

The installation method depends on the property's construction and access conditions:

• External perimeter trench where open soil access is available around the building footprint.
• Drilling and injection under concrete paths, driveways, or slab edges where soil isn't accessible from above.
• Subfloor soil treatment where the structure has a subfloor space — using the 300 × 300mm layered trench method directly under the building.

On many properties, all three are used in combination. A thorough installation follows the full perimeter, without gaps.

Termite Chemical Barriers — for a full explanation of how the chemical barrier works and what the installation involves.

Step 5: 3-month post-treatment inspections in year 1

The treatment sequence doesn't end with the barrier installation. The first twelve months after treatment require a tighter inspection cadence: 3-month follow-up visits through year 1.

These inspections serve a specific purpose. After Termidor Foam treatment and barrier installation, the colony should be collapsing — but "should be" requires verification. The 3-month visits confirm:

• Colony collapse is progressing. Mud tube activity should be reducing. Active gallery material should be declining.
• No re-entry from a secondary colony. Large properties or properties with extensive established vegetation can have multiple colonies foraging toward the structure. The initial treatment addresses the confirmed workings; the follow-ups catch any secondary approaches.
• Conducive conditions have been addressed. The recommendations from the original inspection — fixing leaking gutters, redirecting AC condensate pipes, removing garden sleepers, exposing the buried slab edge — need to have happened. Unaddressed conducive conditions invite re-infestation.
• Barrier integrity is confirmed. No post-installation landscaping, excavation, or construction work has disturbed the treated zone.

The 3-month cadence in year 1 is AS 3660.2 best practice following an active treatment. It's the interval at which meaningful progress can be assessed and documented.

Step 6: Annual inspections from year 2 onward

After the first year's 3-month follow-up cadence, the property moves to the standard annual inspection schedule under AS 3660.2.

Annual inspections maintain the warranty. They also maintain the detection function of the barrier system: the barrier forces termites into the visible inspection zone; the annual inspection is how you see them before they get into the building.

For properties that have had previous activity, or that carry persistent conducive conditions — older timber-framed construction, proximity to waterways or clay subsoils that hold moisture, limited subfloor clearance — the recommendation is often 6-monthly inspections rather than annual. The inspection frequency is a risk-based decision, not a one-size rule. Annual Termite Service Plans

Next step

If you've found termites — or you've just had an inspection and want to understand what comes next — get in touch. The sequence is clear, and getting started quickly matters.

Termite TreatmentsTermite Chemical BarriersAnnual Termite Service Plans