According to recent survey, 30% of Australian homeowners have feared a termite infestation in their home at one stage or another.
 
But many have thoughts about termites that are actually untrue.
There are only a few places in Australia that don’t get affected by termites and the majority of Australian homes are located close to a termite colony. Termites are a popular subject on the internet but many people are still confused about the risks. We have selected three of the biggest things that people thought were true but are in fact false…

1. You can bring termites near or inside your home through firewood.

(This is false because termites die if isolated from their queen) During Autumn and the winter months, it’s useful for people in colder climates to bring their firewood into the house to keep it dry. However, this practice can bring termites in your house by carrying them in on the firewood. Nevertheless, the termites don’t live for so long and they won’t attack your home due to being separated from their queen. They are not used to being separated from the colony and they won’t survive away from their nest.
 
But don’t be reckless in storing your firewood inside or near your home. It can encourage termites if stored incorrectly. The best thing for you to do is store your firewood on corrugated iron or concrete. In addition, you can also stack your wood on top of tarps outside the house or in a woodshed built from plastic or metal. This discourages hiding places for colonies.

2. Termites can only attack wooden houses and not concrete or brick.

(This is actually false because they also eat the wooden materials used in the construction of concrete and brick houses.) All houses are usually made with a wooden frame. There’re wooden joists and foundations that can be subject to termites. It’s wrong to think that your house is safe from termites just because it is built of bricks or concrete. Termites will crawl through tiny cracks in concrete or bricks to get at interior wooden joists.Even if your house is made of brick or concrete you still need protection against internal termite damage.

3. Flyspray can kill termites.

(Flyspray does kill termites yes but only the ones it contacts. The rest warn the colony causing it to move to another part of your home.) Termites live in big colonies. Thus, the best and only way to get rid of them is by annihilating the colony and most especially the sole breeder of the problem, which is the queen. You have to attack the main cause of the problem to solve your termite issue.
 

There you have it.
Three big myths busted about termites. If you have anything you would like to add to this article please let us know in the comments below.