Termite Treatment Sydney

You don't always see termites. They work from the inside out, so the timber can look fine on the surface while it's hollow behind. Here's what's worth watching for.

• Mud tubes. Pencil-width tunnels of brown mud running up brick piers, foundation walls, or the slab edge. That's how subterranean termites travel between the soil and your house. Fresh, damp mud means live activity.
• Hollow or soft timber. Tap along skirting boards, door frames, and architraves. A hollow sound, or timber that gives under light pressure, can mean termites have eaten it from behind.
• Dust on the floor. People find fine dust and assume the worst. Ant frass is fine, black, and dusty, like ground pepper. Termite workings are brown mud, solid, not powder. If it's brown mud, get it looked at.
• Discarded wings. Small piles of equal-length wings near windows or lights on a warm spring evening. That's swarmers leaving a nearby colony.

If you spot any of this, don't disturb it. Knocking into a live nest can split the colony and send it somewhere else in the house. Leave it alone and call me. A termite inspection tells us what's actually going on.

What I do, step by step

I don't recommend a treatment over the phone, and I don't sell a one-size package. Here's how a job actually runs.

First, I inspect. I go through the whole property: the subfloor, the roof void, every room, and the full outside perimeter. I bring a thermal imaging camera and a moisture meter on every job. The thermal camera picks up moisture and termite activity behind walls and floors where you can't see it. The moisture meter gives me a direct reading inside the timber, which matters because moisture is what draws termites in.

Then I map what's there. Before I touch anything, I work out how far the activity has spread and how the termites are getting in. Disturb a live colony before you know the full picture and it can split, then re-establish somewhere else in the house. That's a worse problem than the one you started with.

I write the report on-site, before I leave. You get it in your hand the same visit: what I found, where, and what the options are. It doesn't sit in an email queue.

Then I give you a straight quote. I'll talk you through the treatment options for your property, in writing, with the cost, and you decide. Nothing starts until you're happy with the plan. After treatment you get documentation of what was done, the products used, the warranty that applies, and what to keep an eye on.

The three treatment approaches

The right treatment depends on your property, the species, and how far the activity has gone. I use three main approaches.

Chemical barriers

A chemical barrier puts a treated zone in the soil around your home so termites can't reach the structure. I use Termidor. It's non-repellent, so the termites can't detect it. They walk through it, pick it up, and carry it back to the nest through grooming and feeding, which takes out the colony instead of pushing it next door. On an existing home I trench around the perimeter, a 300 × 300 mm trench treated and backfilled in layers, and drill through any concrete at the entry points. Post-construction chemical barriers carry an 8-year warranty. Suited to established homes where activity has been found or the risk is high. Learn more about chemical barriers →

Monitoring and baiting systems

Bait stations go into the soil around the perimeter. Termites find them while they're foraging, feed on the bait, and carry it back to the colony, where it stops them moulting and the colony dies off over time. No trenching, no drilling, no chemical in the soil. I use Trelona and Nemesis depending on the site. It suits properties with established gardens, tight slab access, or anywhere soil treatment isn't practical. The stations get checked and topped up on a regular service. Suited to lower-risk properties or long-term monitoring. Learn more about baiting and monitoring →

Pre-construction physical barriers

If you're building, a physical barrier goes in before the slab is poured: sheeting under the slab and collars around every pipe penetration, so termites can't get through. I install TermSeal, which carries a 50-year warranty. This one is pre-construction only. Once the slab is down it can't be retrofitted, so raise it with your builder before the formwork goes up. Suited to new builds. Learn more about pre-construction barriers →

How I work

Every job is done by me. You're not getting a call centre or a different technician each visit. You call the number, and I'm the one who turns up and does the work. I've been doing this since 2015, across all sorts of houses and situations.

I'll give you an honest picture. If you've got termites, I'll tell you what's there and what it'll take to sort it. If it turns out to be nothing, and sometimes it is, I'll tell you that too, and I won't sell you a treatment you don't need.

The thermal camera and moisture meter come on every visit, not as a paid extra. And you get your inspection report on-site, before I leave, so you're not waiting days to find out what's happening in your own house.

Warranties

All my termite treatments come with a 6-month guarantee. The barrier treatments carry their own longer warranties on top: 8 years on post-construction chemical barriers, and 50 years on pre-construction physical barriers. Those are separate things. The 6-month guarantee covers the treatment; the barrier warranties cover the barrier. The longer warranties run on the condition that you keep up your annual inspections — that's how the cover stays valid, so it's worth staying on top of them.

Common questions

What actually kills the termites?
With a chemical barrier, it's Termidor in the soil. The termites can't detect it, so they cross it, pick it up, and carry it back to the nest, which takes out the colony over time. With baiting, the bait does the same job a different way: the termites carry it back to the colony and it stops them breeding and moulting until the colony collapses. Both go after the whole colony, not just the termites you can see.

Why not just spray the termites I can find?
Spraying the ones you can see, or knocking into the nest, usually makes things worse. The colony senses the disturbance and splits, then sets up somewhere else in the house where you can't see it. The proper treatments work because the termites carry them back to the colony themselves. That's why I map the activity first and treat it properly instead of reaching for a can of spray.

Do bait stations actually work?
Yes, when they're installed and serviced properly. The servicing is the key part. The stations have to be checked and topped up on a regular cycle so the colony keeps feeding until it's gone. Baiting is a good fit where trenching isn't practical, like properties with established gardens or tight access.

How much does termite treatment cost?
It depends on the property: the size, the access, the species, and how far the activity has spread. Every house is different. I'll inspect first, then give you a straight quote in writing with the options, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.

How long until the termites are gone?
A chemical barrier goes in over a day or so, depending on the property. Baiting works more gradually, with the colony declining over weeks to months as the termites keep taking the bait back. I'll tell you what to expect for your situation when I quote it.

Related reading:Termite Management Plans explained and subterranean vs drywood termites in Sydney.