October 2004 / Vol.1 / Issue 5

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

Contents

1. Pest Talk
2. How can I check my home for termites myself?
3. Customer Question of the Month.
4. Monthly Special

Pest Talk

We are very pleased to announce the launch of a new FREE feature for our full service customers who have the Green Termite Bait System installed around their homes.  It is a unique Service History Book which is filled out every month by our servicemen.  We'll be placing it in your meter box during the months of October and November.  We have hundreds of homes to supply so we are rolling this out over 5 weeks.  When you receive your service history book you will notice that we have backdated it to when your bait system was first started.

It has tremendous value when you decide to sell your house because it shows a pro-active approach to termite control, along with a complete history of your inspections, termite and bait activity including the results of successful nest eradications as well as ongoing treatments.

Termite savvy purchasers will recognise the benefit of buying a home with a fully serviced and up-to-date termite risk reduction program in place. So too will the better termite inspectors who conduct the pre-purchase pest report on the house.

It could well make the difference between a sale or a no-sale.

Many pre-purchase termite inspections cause sales to fall through or prices to come down. Your Green Termite Bait System should greatly reduce the chances of this happening which means that it should pay for itself many times over.

Your bait system not only improves the value of your home when you decide to sell, but it may well save you from expensive termite damage in the present. YOU REAP THE BENEFIT TWICE.

It truly makes sense.  Wouldn't you sooner buy a home with a fully maintained and up-to-date termite management system in place OR the same house with no termite protection?

You can view the Service History Book here.

D.I.Y customers should continue to use the special section in the back of their D.I.Y instruction manual to keep records of relevant termite bait treatments.

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How can I check my home for termites myself?

Answer:

It's a good idea to learn a few simple things that can easily be done to spot termite activity in your home.  If termites are detected early then major repair bills can often be avoided.

• When vacuuming or sweeping, give skirting boards a gentle bump.  If there are termites you may see a soft or spongy section, or it might just pop open revealing the termites.

• When dusting or cleaning windows, give the timber frame around the window a tap or a press, again looking for weakened areas.

• Press or tap other timber trim around wardrobes and doors.

• Have you noticed any small brown marks about the size of a match-head appearing on your walls or on any exposed beams?  These may be flight holes from termite alates leaving a nest in the wall.  The marks are usually in clusters of a dozen.

• Have you noticed any mud tracking appearing in timber joins or tiled areas in the bathroom?  Do small amounts of mud build up in the shower?  Please don't confuse mud with ant dirt.  Little piles of black dirt appearing around your carpet edging is ant activity and can easily be fixed with a regular internal ant treatment.

• Are any internal doors not closing properly?  Termites may have weakened the wood that the hinges are in.

• When it is very very quiet at night can you hear any faint sounds like "crinkling of cellophane"?

Anytime you are unsure you should investigate further or have a licenced pest controller take a closer look.  What we have outlined above are the more obvious signs of termites.  We still strongly recommend that you have your home inspected annually for termites by a competent termite inspector because they are more likely to find what you might miss.

Ha!  Now I know that some of you are scoffing right now.  You've probably experienced a poor inspection from a not so competent termite inspector, but there are poor operators in every industry; mechanics, doctors, lawyers, you name it, so it's important that you find a good termite inspector.  Ask for referrals, ask your friends, and shop around to give yourself a choice.  Expect to pay at least $200.  Try to be there when they call and then take the time to watch them work.  Feel free to ask questions.  A competent termite inspector won't have any problem with this.

One last note, although we have done termite inspections for the past 15 years without complaint from any clients, we no longer offer written reports ourselves.  This is due to liability and insurance issues as well as finding enough experienced staff to service the many inspection enquiries we receive.  We will however try to advise you as best we can or refer you on to a reputable company.

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Customer Question of the Month.

Question:

Dear Jerry,
I recently found a redback spider in my child's toy box!  I have insect screens on all my windows.  How did it get there?
Your help is appreciated,
Lonie G.  -  Maroochydore.

Answer:

Redbacks are a member of the Black Widow family of spiders.  They like to set their messy looking web in places that offer the spider a good chance of a passing meal as well as a safe place for the spider to hide.  There are two main areas in homes where redbacks like to settle.

• Nooks and crannies such as weep holes, under the upper rim of wheelie bins, under bicycle seats, under outdoor BBQ's, and in your gardening boots or other shoes left outside the home.

• In your roof void (the cavity above your ceiling).

Roof voids offer protection and darkness.  Redbacks are especially attracted to downlights where they can easily pounce on other insects that are drawn to the light such as silverfish, cockroaches and moths.  Of course it is foolish to think, "Oh good, I've got redbacks in my roof so I won't have a problem with cockies and silverfish!"  Insects generally get along together in a harmonious balance, ensuring survival for all.

The problem with redbacks in your roof void occurs when your house has downlights installed, or ceiling fans above showers.  Redbacks very often choose to drop in on a thread of web.  They are simply looking for a new place to hide and set up home.  They are looking for another crack or crevice and if the toy box seems to offer a home that is where they go.

Of course they are not planning to meet us, in fact they greatly want to avoid us, so much so that they do try to hide away from us.  I've teased many a redback with a stick, and they will retreat as their first choice, however if we get too close and they feel threatened (no escape) they will opt to bite us.

What to do.   If you see a redback spider, simply give it a quick squirt with any brand of fly spray (shake the tin first) and then leave it to die.  Clean it up later when it is well and truly dead.  Most bites occur when people "stuff around" with the spider.  Redbacks can move quickly when they want to.

Be vigilant, both inside and outside if you have little children.  I suggest you teach your children to respect spiders and to never touch them.  Teaching them to fear spiders is foolish and can lead to arachnophobia as an adult, which is not very pleasant.

If you are going to leave children's toys outside, then make a habit of checking them first before the toddlers start playing.

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Monthly Special Promotion - For Newsletter Subscribers Only.

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 2004 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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