How a Termite Barrier Treatment Is Applied to a Perth Home
A termite barrier treatment puts termite product into the soil around your home, and knowing what happens on the day makes it easier to plan for. Here is how we apply a barrier on Perth homes, what you will see, and what to do before and after.
What Is a Termite Barrier Treatment?
A termite barrier is termiticide applied to the soil around the outside of a building, and under it where we can reach, to help stop termites getting into the structure. We apply it by drilling and injecting, or trenching and injecting, the product you choose into the soil around your home. It is one part of our termite control and treatment service. It suits homes with no sign of termites, and homes where termites, or white ants, have already been found.
What Happens from the First Visit to the Follow Up?
We assess and measure your property first, you choose a product, and then we treat the soil around your home on a set day. The visits after that keep the treatment under review. In order, the job runs like this:
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We start with an assessment. We attend your home free of charge and with no obligation, check the structure (including whether internal drilling is needed) and measure the linear metres around the perimeter. If your home has a subfloor, we measure that too, and sometimes traps need to be cut to reach it.
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You receive a quote and choose a product. The quote has several product options, and you also get a booklet on how termite treatments are applied and advice on the preparation needed. Once you choose, we confirm the preparation again before treatment day.
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We treat the soil around your home. On the day we drill and inject, or trench and inject, your chosen product, and we complete a full visual termite inspection of all accessible areas.
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You receive your paperwork. That is a Certificate of Treatment and a 12 page Visual Termite Inspection Report.
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We follow up if termites are active. Depending on the product and the management plan, active termites may not be treated directly on the day. If they are inside the structure, we come back at a later date to check on them under your service agreement.
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Your service agreement begins. We contact you when your 6 or 12 monthly visual termite inspection is due, and that inspection renews the agreement.
Will You Drill or Trench Around My Home?
Both, and which method we use depends on your property and the product you choose. Using Biflex as an example, we inject at 300 mm intervals around the structure. We trench or flood under suspended floors, and we drill and inject where paved or concrete areas sit against the external walls.
How Is a Slab Home Treated?
On a concrete slab home, the product goes into the soil around the outside of the building. Where concrete or paving sits against your external walls, we drill and inject through it, and we plug the holes in concrete afterwards.
How Is a Home with a Subfloor Treated?
If your home has a wooden floor with space underneath, we measure the subfloor at the assessment and treat under the floor where we can reach it. Sometimes we need to cut traps to get access.
When Does a Home Need Drilling Inside?
Internal drilling and injection is needed when there is a gap in the concrete slab that termites could use to reach the home. This mostly happens after an extension, when a garage has been enclosed, or when a crack has developed in the slab over time. An extension can be large, with new roofing added, or small, such as a wardrobe built out past the original external wall under an eave.
We are pest controllers, not builders, so it can be hard for us to tell whether a building has been extended or where a slab has cracked. If you know your home has been extended or a garage enclosed, tell us at the assessment and we will check for it.
Which Termite Barrier Product Should I Choose?
We apply three products as a barrier: Biflex, Imiforce and Termidor. Biflex mainly repels termites, Imiforce and Termidor are non-repellent, and each has its own longest life on the product label. Here is how the four options compare on how they work and how long they last:
| Product | How it works | Longest life (per label) |
|---|---|---|
| Biflex at 0.25% | Repellent that drives termites away from treated areas and kills those that touch it | Up to 3 years |
| Biflex at 0.5% | Repellent, at a higher concentration than the 0.25% product | Up to 10 years |
| Imiforce at 0.25% | Non-repellent that termites cannot detect, so they are controlled by touching or eating it | Up to 5 years |
| Termidor at 0.6% | Non-repellent that termites carry back to the nest and pass on through feeding and grooming | Up to 8 years |
If termites are active on your property, in the garden or in a structure, we recommend Imiforce or Termidor because they are non-repellent. A repellent keeps termites out of the treated zone but does not reduce the number of termites in the nest. Soil, rain and digging near your walls all affect how long any barrier lasts, as covered in how long termite treatment lasts. If anyone in your home is sensitive to chemicals, tell us at the assessment and we will advise you on the options.
If you are deciding which product suits your home, request an onsite assessment and we will measure your property and talk you through the options, with no obligation.
What Should I Do Before Treatment Day?
A few simple jobs help the day run smoothly, and our termite treatment preparation guide has the full checklist. Before we arrive:
- Move pot plants, stored items and furniture 1 m away from your external walls and the double brick wall of the garage.
- Make sure we can use power and water on the day.
- Secure your dogs and other pets in a separate room or on a lead, and tell the technician, even if your dog is friendly.
- Switch the mains power off before the technician goes into the roof space, as WA rules require.
- Tell us about any extension, enclosed garage, or piping or irrigation that was not installed to the Australian Standards.
What Will I See on the Day?
You will see a technician drilling, trenching and injecting around the outside of your home, and the time this takes depends on the property. Some treatments take a couple of hours and some take up to two working days, and we sometimes send two technicians to speed things up.
Where we drill into concrete you will see small holes, and we fill them with plugs close to the colour of your concrete. We use a smaller drill bit where we can to avoid chipping, although aggregate floors can still chip when the drill hits small rocks. Afterwards the technician’s inspection report goes back to our office, and our staff email it to you with any extra information.
What Happens If Termites Are Already Active?
We can apply a barrier to a home with active termites, and the active areas are handled according to the product you choose and the management plan we agree with you. We typically re-inspect 2 to 5 weeks after the treatment, and we may keep visiting until we are confident the termites are no longer active.
If you find termites yourself, please do not disturb them or treat them. We need live, feeding termites to apply a product that they carry back to the nest, so call us and we will attend while your service agreement is current, free of charge. For termite activity in the garden, in-ground baiting stations can be installed alongside a barrier to lower the termite population, although they do not stop termites reaching your home. You can read more about termite baiting and monitoring stations.
Can Termites Still Get Past a Barrier?
Yes, they can, which is why we pair a barrier with regular visual inspections under a service agreement. A termite barrier helps protect your home, but it cannot promise you will never see termite activity. Termites can build mud tubes over termite caps on stumps, find tiny cracks in a concrete slab, and use access points such as tree roots and faults in the building.
Work around your home can also disturb the treated soil. If soil against the external walls is dug up, for example during plumbing work, new downpipes or soakwells, new paving or garden work, that area needs to be re-treated. If you have had any of this work done, give us a call and we will advise you.
That is why we recommend a visual termite inspection at least once a year, in line with the Australian Standards. If you choose not to have the inspection, your service agreement for the termite treatment is cancelled.
What’s Next
The next step is to arrange an onsite assessment with Stewarts Pest Control, where we measure your property, check whether internal drilling is needed and talk you through the product options.
We are a family owned and operated Perth business, established in 1954, and we service Perth and the surrounding suburbs, including areas up to and past Two Rocks, Northam, Pingelly and Bunbury. You can check your suburb on the Areas We Service page, or contact the Stewarts team with any questions.
Licence: PHD LIC 27.
To arrange an onsite assessment, call Stewarts on (08) 9479 1111 or send your details through the booking form on our website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Leave My Home During a Termite Barrier Treatment?
It depends on your floor. If your home is on a concrete slab, you are welcome to stay while we apply the treatment. For a home with a wooden floor over a subfloor, we recommend a 2 hour vacate period during and after the treatment, unless you have chosen Imiforce. If we need people or pets to be away, we will tell you before we attend.
How Deep Do You Drill, and Will You Hit Pipes?
We only drill down to 200 to 300 mm, so that we do not hit piping installed to the Australian Standards. Piping that was not installed to the standard can sometimes be hit, so tell the technician about any piping or irrigation you think is shallow and we will take extra care.
Can You Apply a Termite Barrier in the Rain?
Yes, in most cases. Rain does not usually reduce how well the treatment works, and we can still complete it. If the rain is heavy enough to affect the treatment, we stop and advise you, which is rare and usually linked to specific soil types.
Why Aren’t the Holes in My Pavers Plugged?
Plugs only cover the holes and do not protect the product. We usually do not plug paving because the plugs can pop out as the pavers move. If you would like your paving plugged, tell the technician on the day and we will do it.
How Long Does a Termite Barrier Last?
It depends on the product you choose and the conditions around your home. The products we apply have a longest life on the label of 3 to 10 years, and soil, rain and digging near your walls can shorten it.
