March 2008 / Vol.5 / Issue 3

Hello and Welcome to the March Greenpest News. Each month we aim to provide you with some useful information, keeping it short, sweet and pertinent.

Contents

1. Pest Talk - Launching our 2008 Model Green Termite Bait.
2. Statistics.
3. Customer Question of the Month.
4. Monthly Special.

Pest Talk

It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of the all new 2008 Green Termite Bait top featuring enhanced viewing through larger Ec2c Windows and a unique under-surface O-ring that seals in moisture and locks regular garden ants out.

As you can see, the new top is similar to the old, but it does incorporate many refinements that add up to an even better baiting system.

New features include:

• Changed from polypropylene top to tougher, stiffer polycarbonate.
• Changed to a one piece top.
• Changed to a totally clear top.
• Features multi-choice colour options:
  • Leave it clear for an all natural finish.
  • Add a special plastic dark green insert for lawns and other areas where you may be looking to blend in the bait with its surroundings.
  • Flip the green insert and use the white side to highlight the bait in hard to spot areas.
  • Colour in the white side to any colour of your choice to blend in with coloured pavers, tiles etc.
• Special under-surface O-ring that:
  • Seals out ants
  • And seals in moisture.
• New identical single piece dark green treatment top that improves termite retention after the termiticide is applied to an active bait.
• Specially raised Ec2c termite windows on the outside to reduce dirt and water build up ensuring quick easy viewing of the termite tubes under the windows.
• New reflective beans that sit in the bottom of the termite tubes providing even easier positive identification that the bait is either active or inactive.
• Even simpler to install and to treat.
• Tops can easily be removed and washed under a tap if for some reason they do get covered in dirt, dust or other debris.
• Tops are fully recyclable.

The following pictures show the top close up.

Once you install the new tops, you will notice that they lock in the moisture better than ever before and subsequently you will find that condensation builds up inside the Ec2c Termite Windows from time to time. This condensation occurs because the timber bait has absorbed ground moisture (perfect for termites) and when the sun heats the bait, water droplets form under the window. It later evaporates when the bait dries out. This is a highly desirable feature because termites are drawn to moisture for their survival.

When termites penetrate the bait and enter into the termite tubes under the Ec2c windows, they will use the moisture to build their mud as seen below:

The timber of the bait is like a sponge and will absorb or expire the moisture around it as the soil changes from moist to dry. When the Ec2c termite windows show condensation, it means that the bait is NOT active.

CONDENSATION = INACTIVE, no termites in the bait yet.

Once the bait dries out, then the new reflective beans help to give you a clear view of the termite tubes under the windows. If you can see the beans in both windows, then the bait is inactive.

Summing up: Condensation or a clear window means that the bait is all clear for the moment.

 

For those or our readers who have the 2007 model bait, the treatment for the new 2008 bait (when it is active) is the same as for the 2007 model, only you replace the clear top with a dark green top instead of clicking in the small dark green windows.

The new baits sell for $2.50 more than the previous model and we would like to point out that this is the first price change for the bait product itself in over five years. The good news is that anyone with the 2007 model Green Termite Bait can upgrade to the new tops for just $1 per top plus $4 postage anywhere in Australia. So, if you have 12 baits that you want to upgrade it only costs $16 and we will pack and send your new tops to you straight away. The regular price for the tops is $3.30 each so this special change over price is only available for existing customers wishing to update their 2007 model baits during the month of April.

We will also include at no additional cost, the reflective beans (6 per bait), 1 dual colour plastic insert per bait, 2 x Dark Green Treatment Tops per 6 baits as well as an updated instruction manual. Please call 1800 6 12345 to order your tops and pay by credit card, or you can send a cheque with an written order to PO Box 653 Mudgeeraba, QLD 4213.

Please note that the upgrade is optional. The 2007 model baits are fine as they are. There is no need to change up if you don’t want to.

If you are in South East Queensland and on a full service contract with Green Pest Control you will be pleased to hear that your 2007 model baits will be upgraded automatically over the next few months for FREE. 2006 and other earlier models will be upgraded as per normal either when they are worn out or when they are replaced after a termite treatment.

 

The actual timber base of the bait is still the same. It hasn’t changed its basic style since its first inception in 1996. It’s the heart of the Green Termite Bait System and has proven itself over and over again in literally thousands upon thousands of treatments.

Check out our termite city here.

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Statistics

Last month we promised to provide you with some statistics from our full service bait customers. Our senior termite manager, John Fleming has been gathering the information whenever he has had a spare moment and entering it into an Excel spreadsheet. He still has quite a number to go, but there is one trend (from a hundred samples so far) that is quite clear. The data is shown below:

As you can see, the month when termites are most active is February – March and the least active months are August – September – October. It must be noted that this graph is produced from a small field of data and may change as more data is entered. More importantly, all of this data is gathered from homes in S.E. Qld and it may not translate to other areas of Australia.

It would be reasonably likely to expect that temperate regions in Australia that experience defined seasons will have similar data if someone was to gather it, but in places like tropical Darwin where they have one long summer season either wet or dry, it’s doubtful if these stats would hold up.

During last year’s APVMA conference held in Coff’s Harbour, Dr Theo Evans from the Termite Research Group at the CSIRO department of Entomology discussed some interesting findings about the eating habits of Coptotermes spp. A comparison was made between the termite activity in Canberra versus Darwin. One would think that the termites in Darwin would do far more damage in a year than those in Canberra simply because the ones in Darwin can comfortably feed all year long due to the ideal weather; it is always warm and humid, whereas the termites in Canberra can only get out and about during the summer months. That’s logical reasoning, but the results of the experiment were surprising to everyone.

It turns out that both divergent areas experience the same amount of termite damage. The termites in Darwin eat slow and steady all year round, where-as the ones in Canberra pig-out during the summer months so they have enough food in storage to survive the winter months.

Termites are fascinating creatures and even though they are a pest, you have to admire them for their ingenuity.

We needn’t feel bad about eradicating the ones around your home, because there are millions more where they came from. It’s either your home or theirs, and the Green Termite Bait System helps to ensure that you win the battle and the termites lose.

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Customer Question of the Month.

Question:

Hi Jerry,

I was just wondering if termites eat anything other than wood? A friend at work said that they shorted out her phone lines. Is this possible?

Petina J MACKAY QLD

Answer:

Thank you Petina for an interesting question.

Your friend is quite right. We have seen termites chew the plastic sheathing around telephone and power cables and cause electrical shorts. Whether they are actually eating it or simply chewing it isn't known.

We've also seen them chew the polystyrene foam used in some forms of building construction.

They also chew through foam underlay (under carpets).

Sometimes they cause damage to other valuables other than your home. Several times we have seen volumes of books in bookcases decimated by termites. Once we saw a large stockpile of cardboard boxes worth over $2,000 destroyed by termites. They had been stored in a corner of a large warehouse at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. Although the warehouse was on a concrete slab and built from all steel construction, the termites simply slipped in through a crack in the slab and went to work on the new, unused folded up boxes.

We've seen a valuable collection of antiques stored in a shed (for safe-keeping!) destroyed by termites as well as a very valuable stamp album stored on the top shelf of a closet.

And... if this is funny, we've even seen a box full of tax papers eaten by termites.

Kids note: Don't try this at school, "Sorry Miss, but termites ate my homework."

Basically, if it is organic and termites find it, there is a strong chance of them eating it.

Cheers,
Jerry

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Termites in the Sub-Floor. Continued...

You might remember the following photo and story from last month's newsletter:

Well, it's been four weeks and our return visit has been interesting.

All 5 areas that we treated are now inactive, as you can see in the photos below:

We deliberately left one small area of activity untreated to test our results as shown below:

As expected, it still had some slight activity but it was greatly reduced from just a few weeks ago - another good sign that the Termidor Dust is working.  We will follow it up again in another 4 weeks.  It's important to remember that this was a very large colony to begin with, so a few stragglers is not unusual.

The ground is extremely wet and clayey due to subterranean water flow from further up the hill.  Ideal for termites and very difficult to treat.  A chemical soil treatment isn't practical because of the permanent moisture content of the soil.

Tip on good termite treatment practice: When we treat termites in a house or out in a yard, we usually try to leave one active area untreated. Once the termites are completely gone from the untreated area, then we can be reasonably certain of nest eradication.

Monthly Special Promotion.

This special is no longer available. Please go to our current newsletter for this month's special.

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The Greenpest News is Published by J & A Furnell Nominees P/L; Shop 23a Franklin Square, 60 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of Jerry Furnell. The reader is encouraged to seek further information from appropriate government and statutory departments before taking any action based on this material alone.

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See you again next month.

Always... At your service,

Jerry Furnell
Green Pest Control & Green Termite Bait Systems.
Phone 1800 6 12345.

Copyright 2008 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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