Termite treatment Perth.
Designed for your house, certified in writing.

What a termite management system is

The Australian Standard for termite management in existing buildings, AS 3660.2:2017, does not talk about "barriers". It talks about management systems: a designed set of measures that reduce the risk of concealed termite entry to the building and make any entry detectable at the next inspection. The distinction matters. Nothing stops termites. A well-designed system makes them either die trying or show themselves where an inspector will see them.

For existing homes in Perth's northern suburbs there are two families of system, and a good treatment is often one with a little of the other.

Non-repellent chemical treated zones

A continuous treated zone of soil is created around and, where needed, beneath the building. Where soil is exposed, a trench is dug against the footing to the required depth, flooded with the product at label rate and backfilled with treated soil. Where the perimeter is covered by paving, a concrete path, a patio slab or a garage floor, holes are drilled at close spacing and the product is injected beneath, then the holes are plugged. Slab penetrations, piers and pipe entries are treated individually.

We use non-repellent actives such as fipronil. Termites cannot detect a non-repellent zone, so they tunnel through it, pick up the active on their bodies and transfer it through the colony by contact and grooming. Repellent products work differently: termites sense them and go around, which sounds helpful until they find the one gap the repellent did not reach. That is why we do not use repellent chemistry for termite work and never mix a repellent and a non-repellent in the same zone.

Baiting and monitoring systems

In-ground stations are installed at intervals around the building and checked on a schedule. When termites are found feeding in a station, a bait containing a slow-acting insect growth regulator replaces the timber. Workers carry it back to the colony, where it disrupts moulting. Over weeks the colony declines and, in the better outcomes, is eliminated.

Baiting is slower than a chemical zone and depends on termites finding the stations, but it has real advantages: no soil treatment, minimal disturbance to paving, and a direct path to the colony when there is live activity. On homes with a treated zone that cannot be made continuous, a small set of monitoring stations across the gap is often the honest answer.

How we choose between them

• Live activity in the house. We usually bait the active workings first, or apply a non-repellent directly to them, then install the perimeter system once the colony pressure drops. Disturbing active termites with a repellent sends them elsewhere in the building.
• Construction. A slab-on-ground brick veneer home with an accessible perimeter suits a chemical zone. A timber-floored home with a sub-floor gets a sub-floor treatment as well. Extensions, split slabs and pavers laid to the wall increase drilling and can tip the balance toward baiting.
• Soil and water. Coastal sands drain fast and take product well. Limestone pockets in Greenwood, Warwick and Kingsley need more drilling. Sites near bores, wells or a soakwell that discharges to a waterway need label setbacks respected, which sometimes rules out soil treatment along one side.
• Your preferences. Some owners want no soil chemical near a vegetable garden or a bore. We design around it and say plainly what that does to the level of protection.

The decision and the reasons are written on the quote, not delivered as a verdict.

The annual inspection condition

AS 3660.2 sets an inspection interval not exceeding 12 months for every management system, and more frequent inspections where the risk is high. This is not a sales device. A treated zone is only as good as its weakest point, and the weakest point is usually created after installation: a raised garden bed bridging the slab edge, a new deck footing punched through the zone, a trench for a retic line. The annual inspection finds those breaches and finds any termite entry while it is still a small repair.

Our re-treatment promise on a termite management system is set out on your AS 3660.2 certificate and is conditional on the annual inspections being carried out. Miss one and the promise lapses. We remind you before each is due and price it with the system so there is no surprise.

What the certificate covers

• The type of system installed and the product used, with its APVMA registration and the rate applied.
• A site plan showing treated zones, drill lines, bait or monitoring station positions and any areas that could not be treated, with the reason.
• The date of installation, the licensed technician who installed it and our WA business registration.
• The inspection interval and the conditions of the re-treatment promise.
• Durable notice details for the meter box as the Standard requires, so the next owner or tradesperson knows a system is in place.

The treatment record is kept for three years as the Health (Pesticides) Regulations 2011 (WA) require. If you sell the house, the certificate and site plan go to the buyer and save everyone an argument.