Termite management and stumps

Two disciplines, not one

The most useful thing on this page is the clearest. Termite management and structural repair are separately licensed activities in Queensland, done by different people, and confusing them causes real problems.

A licensed pest inspector or pest manager assesses whether activity is live, identifies the species and the likely nest location, recommends treatment or management, and installs and monitors management systems. Pest management licensing in Queensland is administered by Queensland Health.

A licensed builder replaces damaged structural timber. Building work licensing sits with the Queensland Building and Construction Commission.

Neither can do the other's job, and neither should be asked to. A restumping contractor is not qualified to tell you whether a colony is active, and a pest manager is not the person to replace your bearers.

Why timber stumps are such a common entry point

Subterranean termites live in the ground and need to maintain moisture and shelter as they travel. A timber post set directly into damp soil, running from the ground up to the bearers, is a protected path from their environment into your house with no exposure along the way.

South East Queensland has among the highest termite pressure in the country. Warm, humid, high rainfall, and a great deal of older timber housing stock. That combination is why so many Gold Coast restumping jobs turn out to have a pest component.

What ant caps actually do

This is widely misunderstood and it matters.

An ant cap is a galvanised steel plate between the stump head and the bearer, with the edges turned down. It does not stop termites. Termites can build over the edge of it.

What it does is force them to build that path around the outside, in the open, where an inspector with a torch can see the mud track. It converts a hidden entry into a visible one. It is a detection device rather than a barrier.

Which is why the following are genuine problems and not cosmetic ones:

• Missing ant caps
• Corroded or perforated caps
• Caps bridged by soil, mulch, paving or concrete built up against the stump
• Caps bridged by stored timber leaning against the stump

Replacing ant caps during a restump costs very little because the house is already supported. Doing it as a standalone job later is far more expensive.

The order of work when termites are involved

1. Do not disturb anything. If you find mud tunnels, leave them intact. Breaking them open or spraying them can scatter activity and makes the inspection less informative.
2. Licensed pest inspection. Establishes whether activity is live and how far it extends.
3. Treatment or management on the inspector's recommendation.
4. Structural assessment of how much timber needs replacing. This routinely goes beyond the stumps into bearers, joists and sometimes wall framing.
5. Structural repair by a licensed builder, replacing stumps with concrete or galvanised steel and repairing or replacing damaged frame members.
6. Ongoing management. Treating once does not confer permanent immunity.

Ongoing management, in general terms

Which approach suits a property depends on its construction, its surroundings, its history and what the inspector finds. That decision belongs with the pest professional. In broad terms the options fall into chemical soil treatments, monitoring and baiting systems, and physical barriers installed during construction or major works.

What is worth knowing as a homeowner is that management is ongoing rather than a single event, that systems need periodic inspection to work as intended, and that a lapsed monitoring regime provides much less protection than an active one.

Reducing the conditions termites prefer

None of this replaces professional management, but all of it reduces pressure and costs almost nothing.

• Keep soil, mulch, paving and concrete well below the ant cap line so nothing bridges it
• Keep subfloor vents clear and unobstructed so the space dries out between rain events
• Fix leaking taps, pipes, air conditioning condensate and downpipes discharging beside the house
• Do not store firewood, timber, cardboard or garden waste under or against the house
• Clear offcuts and formwork left behind under the house by previous work
• Keep the ground falling away from the building rather than toward it
• Have the property inspected on the schedule your inspector recommends

Insurance

Australian home insurance policies commonly exclude damage caused by termites and other insects, on the basis that it is treated as a maintenance matter rather than a sudden insurable event. Do not assume you are covered. Check your specific policy wording, and if a claim seems arguable, report it and let the insurer assess rather than commissioning repairs first.