- Risk level
- High
- Peak season
- All year · swarms in spring & early summer
- Where you’ll find them
- Hidden inside timber, wall cavities and sub-floors
- DIY?
- Not recommended
Overview
Subterranean termites are Australia’s most destructive timber pest. Colonies can number in the millions and work silently inside walls, floors and roof frames for years before anyone notices. Most Melbourne home insurance policies exclude termite damage, so early detection is everything.
How to identify termites
Giant northern / Coptotermes acinaciformis
The most economically damaging species in Australia. Milky-white soldiers that exude a white latex when disturbed. Builds nests in tree trunks, stumps and under slabs.
Coptotermes frenchi
Common in south-eastern Australia including Melbourne. Frequently nests in eucalypts and attacks structural timber nearby.
Schedorhinotermes & Heterotermes
Opportunistic subterranean species that attack timber in contact with damp soil — garden edging, fence posts, sleepers and sub-floor framing.
Signs you have a problem
- Mud “leads” or shelter tubes running up stumps, slab edges, piers or brickwork
- Skirting boards, door frames or floorboards that sound hollow or feel soft when pressed
- Bubbling or blistered paint, and wallpaper that looks wavy
- Doors and windows that suddenly jam or stick
- Small piles of discarded wings near windowsills after a warm, humid evening
- Mud packed into cracks in plaster, cornices or architraves
Why it matters
- Structural damage to load-bearing timber, often costing tens of thousands to repair
- Typically excluded from home and contents insurance policies
- Can affect the sale price or sale of a property after a pre-purchase inspection
How we treat termites
- 1
Non-invasive inspection
We inspect to AS 3660.2 / AS 4349.3 using a moisture meter, thermal imaging and motion detection to locate activity without damaging walls.
- 2
Colony elimination
Where activity is found, we use baiting or targeted dusting so worker termites carry the active back to the nest and eliminate the colony — not just the termites you can see.
- 3
Chemical soil treated zone
A continuous non-repellent termiticide zone is installed around and under the building (trenching, rodding or drilling through concrete) to stop re-entry.
- 4
Ongoing monitoring & certificate
Bait/monitor stations are checked on schedule, and you receive a written report and a durable notice in the meter box as required by the Australian Standard.
Prevention tips you can do today
- Book a professional timber pest inspection at least every 12 months (more often in high-risk areas)
- Keep garden beds, mulch and soil below the slab edge or weep holes — never bridge a termite barrier
- Fix leaking taps, hot water relief lines, AC drains and downpipes — moisture attracts termites
- Remove old stumps, sleepers and timber stored against the house
- Keep sub-floor vents clear so the area stays dry and ventilated