If you suspect that you have termites in your home, you should get a termite inspection report.

Costing around $250 to $550, termite pest inspections are an inexpensive means of monitoring your home for the presence of these destructive pests and the best chance of identifying an infestation in the early stages. Termite infestations are common in the Sydney suburban region and can be devastating in their effects. In fact, termites have been known to chew their way through a house within a matter of months!

Signs that indicate the presence of termite activity include holes in timber, "bubbling" effect in Gyprock, sagging doors, and "honeycomb" effect in wood, blistered paint, discolouration, and mud "tubes" – which are used by termites for clandestine travel. However, only professional pest inspections will indicate the degree of termite infestation. In addition, if you find the actual termite nest near your home it is important not to disturb it but to contact a pest control professional straight away.

Termite pest inspections need to comply with Australian Standard AS3660 and must be very thorough. Reports from pest inspections should (in the unfortunate event termites are found on your property) contain information on the species of termite, location and extent of the problem, and give advice as to the best solution for eradication and control. The pest control expert should also tell you what preventive measures you can take to avoid further infestations on your property. Pest inspection reports should also indicate if there were inaccessible areas that could not be properly checked.

The pest inspections may be done visually, or with use of thermal technology. The latter method costs a bit more but is less invasive and also better designed to pin-point the exact location of termites through moisture and heat measurements, as well as the direction of their movements. Thermal pest inspections take the guesswork out of the equation and it may be worthwhile spending about $200 extra to get a more accurate reading for termite activity.

There is no home insurance cover for termite activity, so if your house is damaged by termites, you could have a big bill to pay. As soon as you have the slightest suspicion of a termite problem, you should act immediately. Scheduling regular pest inspections is an excellent way to safeguard yourself from the potentially costly exercise of repairing major termite damage to the structure of your home. For professional pest inspections, contact A1 pest controller Bob Waters on 0407 065 413.