If you don’t know much about termite baits, or the various DIY termite bait kits on the market, then you’ll realise that most DIY termite bait kits are just timber. There is no poison, no pre mixed bait matrix to kill the colony integrated into the stations. In many terms, the DIY termite bait industry is bordering on a scam…

Enter Termicure and the Sentricon ‘Always Active’ Termiticide Rods. The ‘Always Active’ Rods, replace the timber as the product which attracts the termites. Being ‘laced’ with an insect growth regulator called Hexaflumuron, the Always Active Rods have revolutionised termite baiting. These Termiticide Rods are designed to kill attacking termite colonies as they feed on them. The termites become unable to feed on other products and become dependent on the food source that’s going to kill off the nest.

Currently, the Sentricon Rods are only available from commercial Pest Control Suppliers and their sale is restricted to termite professionals. Being such a simple procedure to successfully protect property, we developed our packs which include these rods, and we supply them directly to the homeowner. Basically, these are a pre packaged professional termite bait kits which can be easily used and successfully installed to kill termites as they make their way around your property.

The process is simple. Just install your Termicure termite bait stations, and drop the rods in. One rod in each station, and clip the lid into place. Now its a matter of just checking the stations about every 8 weeks. The rods will last up to (likely in excess of) 5 years unless depleted by termites.

At Termicure, we provide you with full phone and email support through the entire process. If there is anything you’re uncertain of, then we’re happy to talk to you. Our professional and experienced technical support will be happy to make sure you know what’s going on at all times.

Call us on 1300283764, or email info@termicure.com.au

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Like most other insects, peak termite activity occurs during times of high humidity, such as spring and summer. From about October, we start to see a major increase in termite activity, through their colonising flights. Flying termites are a real phenomenon which occurs when a termite colony releases reproductives. The reproductives are simply termites with wings, which fly out of the nest in swarms, and are blown around on the wind into areas where they drop their wings and find a mate….and this is how new colonies are formed.

During the termite season, the winged termites will often be found in fly screens, on the front patio or inside your roof. They swarm from the nest in huge numbers and are at the mercy of the wind as to where they land. One major identifying feature of  flying termites (known as alates), is the presence of two pairs of wings, which are equal in size. They are quite cumbersome in the air, and will appear to be flapping their wings quite slowly in comparison to other insects of similar size. They are usually honey coloured, to a darker, almost black with pale see through wings.

If you are finding the winged critters around your home, then it’s almost a certainty that there is an active termite colony on your property, or a neighbours so you need to be vigilant. While termites are active at all times of year, we find that they are most active during the warmest months, and they are responsible for larger amounts of damage, much faster than at other times of the year.

Wings are often the only remnants found after a colonising flight, which can mean that a mating pair have managed to sneak away into a sheltered area to begin the reproduction of the next homeowners disaster. Finding wings does not necessarily mean that you’ll have a termite colony starting on your property, but it’s a damned good reason to get your property checked out and your termite management system in order.

Due to the increased termite activity over the spring and summer, there are often more instances of their presence found by homeowners during gardening and other household chores. Termites are an extremely important part of our ecosystem, but we simply have to manage their presence to keep them from damaging our property. Get your home inspected on an annual basis (as a minimum) and have a termite barrier, or a termite baiting system installed to help reduce the risk of your home being attacked. Termites attack up to 30% of all homes in some areas of Australia. Tasmania has the least amount of registered termite activity of any Australian state, with certain pockets of Victoria, NSW and the Eastern Seaboard of Australia being areas of some of the highest risk of termite attack. Every state has extremely high risk areas, so wherever you are, get a professional to inspect your home, and have a quality termite management system installed.

For the best Termite Baiting System on the market, click through to our shop to see our range of products which have been designed for installation and management by the homeowner.

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A quality inspector will usually have a minimum of 5 years experience, and have a good understanding of construction methods. This knowledge helps them identify possible termite entry pathways and provide a homeowner with methods to reduce the risk of termite attack. Quality equipment is also an important part of the termite professionals arsenal. A good LED torch, a quality moisture meter and Microwave devices such as a Termtrac T3i are valuable to an inspector. Thermal cameras can be helpful at times, but most of the time, these items are simply a tool which looks more valuable than it really is. A knowledgeable inspector will have all the right equipment and provide sound advice. Australian Standards require a minimum list of items required by an inspector.

You have a termite inspection done annually-at the very least. In areas of high risk, or at properties with conditions conducive to termite attack, a termite inspection every 6 months or less would be recommended. Your termite inspector should evaluate the risk of your property with conducive conditions (such as drainage and moisture levels mind), existing termite management (ie termite baits and/or barriers), termite pressure on the property, and an overall risk of termite presence in the area.

Some areas carry a higher prevalence of termite presence than others…For example, The Eastern Seaboard of Australia, from Port Maquarie North is considered a high risk zone for termite activity. Areas like The Northern Rivers, Tweed Valley and Tweed Coast, Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are all hotspots which see high levels of population, and a high incidence of termite attack on property. There are lots of other areas also, and the risk is just as high in areas where population levels are lower but there is just not the amount of reported damage.

So, getting a smaller, boutique company with a bit more accountability is recommended, and while you have your inspector on site, use their knowledge. Ask questions and clarify anything you might want to know. Get their recommendations on how to best protect your property and possibly the best question to ask, starts with… “So, if this was your home….”

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Within the termite management industry, there are only a few products which professionals use confidently to protect their customers homes.

In terms of chemical treatment, ‘fiprinol’ is the most now commonly used product for spot treatment of live termites and chemical treated zones. It’s non repellency properties mean that termites are not deterred by its presence, and so termites are unknowingly infecting themselves with the lethal product 24 hrs a day, which is a simple but laborious task to implement.

In terms of professional termite baits, the main 4 professionally used systems are Sentricon ‘Always Active’, Exterra, Termatrix, and Nemisis. Sentricon has released an industry changing product which has simplified the baiting process for professionals, and provides ongoing 24hr termite protection with their ‘Always Active’ Termiticide rods, which are the attractant, AND the poison all in one product. Incidentally, this is the product which Termicure has adopted for the Termicure ‘Active’ Packs.

Exterra, has been the biggest player in professional termite baiting for some time. The stations are large, which allows for good volume of termite bait matrix to be applied, and they are easy to inspect. The Exterra Bait matrix is of the best quality, so there are limited failures which has haunted many other multinational bait producers.

Termitrix is a good product also, with large stations and a good termite bait matrix. This product has been closely modelled off many of the good features with the Exterra System, and are at a price point for the professional.

Nemisis, are a small termite bait station, with unknown bait matrix quality. Often, the matrix is fine, but then there are also instances where termites will vacate the station for no apparent reason, which can put doubt in the mind of the pest manager. This can happen with any bait matrix. The stations are also small, which limits the amount of bait which can be applied to the station, and they are also flimsy in construction. The Nemisis product is the cheaper option of the four main ones, and is often used by the less meticulous termite manager.

In any case, all of the above systems work to some degree, although some better than others.

The best advancement in the termite protection industry in the last 10 years has certainly been the introduction of the termiticide rod. Sentricon ‘Always Active’ Rods can be retrofitted into any existing Sentricon termite bait station, Exterra or Termatrix. The Nemisis bait termite stations are too small to install the ‘Always Active’ Rods, and so some modification has to be undertaken to retrofit with these baits.

The key advantage of the termiticide rods is that termites do not have to be identified in a station to begin applying the poison. The process is automated, with the termiticide rods attracting termites to them for feeding, and then also poisoning the colony for eradication. This removes the key step of having to apply a bait matrix to active termite bait stations. The process may well be already underway before you are even aware that the stations are being attacked. This removes many of the pitfalls which haunt professionals, such as contaminated bait matrix, inconsistent bait matrix, contaminated water, accidental contamination by the termite manager etc…

Once the Termiticide Rods are installed, termite protection is underway.

This is the reason that Termicure has combined their termite baiting product with the ‘Always Active’ Rods. As a well known DIY Termite Baiting product, we saw the opportunity to make the termite baiting process as fool proof as possible for the homeowner. The Termicure ‘Active Packs’ are specifically designed for the most simple termite baiting process available for the homeowner to save money.

The introduction of the revolution in termiticide rods has been a breakthrough for the homeowner, and we are riding the wave. Sentricon has changed the playing field with termite baiting, and we couldn’t be happier to be providing suitable advances directly to the homeowner at a fraction of the cost charged by the professionals.

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The revolution in Termite Baiting, is the introduction of the Termiticide Rod, by Sentricon. Cleverly, we have integrated our successful Termicure Termite Bait Stations, with the Sentricon ‘Always Active’ Rods, to make termite baiting simple for the homeowner as a DIY termite product. Being anything but ametuer, the Sentricon Always Active Termiticide Rods, contain both the attractant to draw the termites to the rods for feeding, but also the toxins to wipe out the colony, helping to protect your property.

Almost any cavity style termite baiting system (external in ground systems with a cavity for installation of attractant timbers), such as Exterra, Termicure, Sentricon, Termiatrix, Nemesis (with some modification) can be upgraded by simply removing the timber attractant materials and replacing them with Termiticide Rods.

Most Termite Baiting Systems use the cavity style principle so a termite bait matrix can be added when active termites are identified in a station. The conventional system of continual baiting until colony eradication has taken a big hit in popularity, with the Sentricon Always Active product having been released to the market. Now, instead of having to purchase attractant materials, timber, bait matrix and other cellulose products to fit suitably into whichever station you own, a termiticide rod can now replace it. It’s an attractant and a poison in one, which eradicates termite colonies.

So don’t feel trapped with your current termite baiting system. It can almost certainly be upgraded to make life even simple and a whole lot cheaper.

For further information on whether your system is suitable, simply email us the details at info@termicure.com.au

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Bunnings Termite Baits, or more accurately, the product Bunnings currently stocks as a termite bait, is simply a monitoring tool. Wedges of timber installed into the ground which are palatable food source for foraging termites. Research has shown that the most common treatment methods used for termite eradication, are simply not possible with the termite baits currently on the shelves at Bunnings. We are not going to mention the brand of the product, but we’ll give you the rundown…

Sold as a ‘…Termite Bait Systems Termite Detection-6Pack’ the product is a simple piece of timber cut into a wedge shape for easy installation into the soils around the home (simply hammer it into the ground). There are two holes drilled into the top which create  ‘windows’ which are mudded up by termites when they eat their way through to the holes. A clever plastic cap seals the top.

This product has been around for at least 10 years, and I’ve seen it on site at multiple homes around NSW and Qld. They are great for monitoring the presence of termite, but for successful treatment of termite, with the aim of colony eradication, they are almost a complete waste of time and money.

Due to their simple design, they are cheap to manufacture, and have been cleverly marketed. The issue only arises when the timber wedges become active with live termites, and treatment needs to be undertaken. Now conventional termite baits are an inground station, which create a cavity, which termites enter to feed on timber inserted into the unit. When activity has been found, a termite bait matrix is added and the activity feeds on the bait matrix until certain conditions indicate that the colony is in decline. Major Professional Termite Baiting systems which use this method are Exterra, Termitrix, the original Sentricon, and the Original Termicure termite baits.

Recent advancements in the industry have seen the introduction of the Sentricon ‘Always Active’ Termiticide rod, which removes the step of having to add a bait matrix for colony eradication. The Termiticide rod provides an attractive food source to attract termites, and eradicate the colony in 1 step.

Other, less successful methods of termite colony eradication with termite baits is with the application of a termiticide liquid or foam applied to the station. The problem with this method, is that the foam rarely contacts enough termites to take out the colony.

Finally, there is termite dusting. This is the method which I believe is the most viable for the Bunnings termite baits. Dusting can be successful in certain situations, however termites produce humidity within their workings, and when those workings are inside a damp piece of timber, inserted directly into the ground, the humidity and moisture content within the workings can significantly effect the dust. The dust is fine, much like talc powered and is applied using a hand puffer. Now if you can imagine talcum poweder picking up moisture as it is blown through tiny tunnels in the ground, you’ll probably figure that it’s likely to clump, and not gain the desired travel required to gain contact with any significant number of termites. Dusting is a fine art at the best of times, and is a skill which takes years to perfect. Even then, moisture is the enemy of dust treatments which is why it is not used as often as other methods.

Please don’t misunderstand us with our assessment of this product which is stocked and offered on the Bunnings website at time of writing this. This its can be successfully used to monitor termites on your property. The point being, that if you were going to monitor them, would you not want to eradicate them as simply as you can once you found termites in them?

That’s where we come in. The Termicure ‘Active’ Packs provide all you need to monitor and eradicate termites and protect your home

If you have an issue at your home, or are curious about what options are suitable for you, then please email us at info@termicure.com.au and we’ll help you through or put you in touch with a local expert who can provide you with alternative options.

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For example, many Gold Coast Termite Protection ‘specialists’ will encourage you to install a fully service termite baiting system, which is fine if your home is built on a hill, with multiple split level sections and concealed slab joins or inaccessible areas, but if your home is slab on ground, then it’s lily that your pest manager is simply swaying your opinion to suit their own agenda. with a slab on ground home, the most common point of entry for active termites, is via the perimeter, in which case, a chemical soil treatment to the perimeter of the building would provide you with the best all round termite protection.

Many Gold Coast Termite Protection ‘specialists’, simply have not invested in the expensive spray rigs to undertake chemical soil treatments, so they’ll offer a termite baiting system and rely on their sales skills to sell it to the customer as the best option.

A termite baiting system does not require any specific training or qualifications. Guidelines do need to be followed in order the achieve a good level of coverage, but this information is quite simple to obtain. The basic principle is that termite bait stations should be placed at 3 metre intervals about the ‘drip line’ of a structure. A good explanation of termite bait placement is provided in the installation and maintenance guide in every Termicure ‘Active’ Pack.

Termite Baiting system installation CAN be a cash cow for termite professionals, however when done correctly, and properly maintained, they can provide an exceptional level of termite protection to specific structures and homes.

The basic principle of termite baiting is to provide attractive food sources at specific intervals about the property, which encourage them to feed and in turn, feeding on an impregnated food source capable of full termite colony eradication.

For further information, or assistance in making the right decision, just send us an email at info@termicure.com.au for a qualified, and professional perspective.

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Termite Bait Protection can be successfully installed and managed as a DIY project, and you can literally save $thousands of $$.

We will never discount the value of having a professional termite manager service your home, but when it comes to termite bait protection, the homeowner is as capable of installing a successful system as any Termite Professional, provided that suitable products are used and that the correct guidelines are followed for bait station placement.

Lets look at the sums.  So, based off an actual quote for the installation of 24 termite bait stations and the first year of bait station servicing provided to a 4 bedroom home in Buderim, you’ll see the significant cost saving available for the savvy homeowner. The system quoted is a Termitrix system, combining the Sentricon ‘Always Active’ Termiticide Rods. (Please note that many Termite Professionals still use conventional termite bait systems, which exclude the Termiticide Rods. These systems do not contain the expensive products which attract and eradicate termites in one. They simply contain timber to attract termites to the stations. Further additional of a bait matrix is required for termite eradication, which can be difficult and time consuming-more expensive)

The combined cost of the installation and 12 months initial serving totals $2904GST Inclusive for 24 Termite Bait Stations installed into soil areas at approximately 3 metre intervals about the perimeter of the home. Included is 12 months service and maintenance on the termite bait stations with a replacement cost of $77 per termiticide rod as consumed by termites. Maintenance visits are at 12 week intervals, which means that an employee will visit 4 times in the first year to check on the stations.

This is a very competitive quote, with many Pest Managers charging well over $3500 for a similar installation.

On the other hand, the DIY Installation with a Termicure ‘Active’ System including the same Sentricon Termiticide Rods comes in at a far more manageable figure of $1320. Yes, there is going to be some elbow grease required to install the stations, and a 3 monthly station check is required. A guide for station placement and servicing is provided with experienced and qualified online and phone support at hand if you are uncertain about anything.

Even if you are not interested in doing the installation yourself, but decide employ a labourer of handyman to do the job at $50 per hour (a more than fair rate for the task), and the job was to take 4 hours, the additional $200 spent is still around half of what you would pay for the same termite bait protection.

One of the misconceptions about termite baiting is that you need to be qualified to install them-you don’t. Many professionals use unskilled labour for installs, and often servicing. This simply creates a huge cost saving and free’s up a qualified technician to earn the pest control business on other inspection or treatment work.

So, if you are considering Termite Bait Protection, then do your sums and ask LOTS of questions.

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