News and Information - Redlands Pest Control Services: Termite Control; Treatment & Pest Control. Your Protection against Termites & Pests.

Bed Bug Tips for travellers

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Tips for Travellers

Everyone knows the saying, “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

When travelling, here are tips from Redlands Pest Control to help you SLEEP tighter.

Survey any and every hotel room for signs of a bed bugs infestation. Bed bugs are not a sanitation issue, which means they can be found in any hotel or motel – from a one-star to five-star location.

Signs they are present?

Large infestations of bed bugs can create a musty, sweet odour, like soda pop syrup. They leave behind brown or red spots on sheets. While not known to spread disease like many other pests, bed bugs can leave itchy, bloody welts on the skin. (Welts more commonly appear when the victim is sensitive to insect bites.)

Lift and look. Bed bugs tend to settle in close proximity to their food source – you! During the day these nocturnal insects disappear in crevices associated with mattresses, box springs, sheets, furniture, upholstery and hollow bedposts, as well as crevices behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper. Make sure to lift and look around all possible hiding spots for bed bugs in the hotel room, not just the mattress.

Elevate your luggage and other items. Carefully inspect the hotel’s luggage rack. If there are no signs of bed bugs on it, use it to keep your suitcase off the floor and away from the bed. Also pull the luggage rack away from the wall. This will reduce the likelihood of the insect crawling up the wall and getting into your things.

Examine your luggage while repacking and once you return home, to ensure you haven’t picked up unwelcome visitors. Bed bugs are great hitchhikers, so be sure to check your luggage and clothing for bed bugs before bringing luggage back into the bedroom. Redlands Pest Control recommends unpacking in your garage or utility room.

Professional help is out there – use it! Because bed bugs can survive extreme temperatures and are extremely difficult to kill, treating for an infestation requires the use of a licensed, professional pest control operator with specific experience treating for these pests.

Call Redlands Pest Control for professional service and advice.

Guide to Assessment & Repair of Flood Damaged Timber and Timber Framed Houses

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -1100

TERMITE MANAGEMENT

Traditional Queensland highsets and lightweight timber homes with suspended floors on stumps

Termite management of these traditional forms of construction (unless built in underneath) is usually by means of ground separation and the use of physical barriers such as ant caps and metal termite shields. These barriers and shields should be inspected to ensure they are not damaged or covered by silt or mud etc and that the building and any attachments do not provide concealed access for termites to get into the house.

Single or two storey houses on slabs or where houses have been built in under on a slab

A licensed pest controller should carry out an inspection and assessment of the termite management system used and reinstate this in accordance with the requirements of the BCA, relevant Australian Standard (AS 3660.1) and manufacturer’s recommendations. Systems that are likely to have been compromised due to water, silt and mud build up etc include all chemical barriers and physical barriers such as stainless steel mesh (‘Termimesh’) and graded stone (‘Graniteguard’).

Termite treated framing

Some homes and buildings may have been constructed using H2 termite treated framing (‘T2’, ‘True Blue’ and other similar trade names may apply to these timber products) as a primary means of termite protection. Some of these treatments rely upon an envelope of the termiticide preservative that is applied to the timber at the time of manufacture. As water inundation is likely to have compromised this envelope, a licensed pest controller should carry out reinstatement of termite protection using an alternative physical or chemical termite barrier system as noted above.

Extracted from TIMBER QUEENSLAND Guide to Assessment & Repair of Flood Damaged Timber and Timber Framed Houses.

USEFUL TIPS ON HOW TO GET RID OF MOSQUITOS

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Summer is here, and it’s time to get prepared for barbeques, time spent lounging on the beach and other outdoor gatherings by taking care of the two biggest spoilers of summer fun – sunburn and mosquito bites. While sunscreen will take care of that sunburn problem for you, getting rid of mosquitoes isn’t quite as easy.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, and that’s where the larvae develop – moving water usually isn’t an issue. The first step is to check your property, looking for sources of standing water – no matter how small – and eliminating them. Even a bit of standing water in a flower pot can be a mosquito nursery, so be ruthless in your efforts. Look also for areas that remain damp for several days, and see if you can improve drainage in the area to eliminate moisture.

If you have an outdoor pond or water garden, invest in a few fish, and they will happily eat any mosquito eggs or larvae that try to breed there. If you have a source of moisture that can’t be eliminated, there are products you can purchase that will kill the developing mosquito larvae. The most effective ones release the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis into the water to eliminate the larvae.

Once you’ve eliminated any possible mosquito nurseries, focus on favorite adult mosquito habitats, which include tall grass and underbrush. Keep your grass mowed and remove any dead plant material and brush as soon as possible after cuttings. Your yard can be treated with an insecticide, which kills mosquitoes, or with a repellent, which works to keep them away. There are a number of different chemical products available, and you’ll need to follow the directions carefully in terms of how you apply them and the frequency of application. Always keep insecticides and repellents away from children.

You might also consider a device called a mosquito magnet, which uses a propane flame to produce carbon dioxide gas. Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide and are then captured inside a net where they then die from dehydration.

If you’re looking for a home-based mosquito remedy, try some of the following suggestions:

Grow plants mosquitoes don’t like, including lemon balm, citronella, cat nip, marigolds, geraniums with scented leaves, and rosemary.
Try growing flowers that attract dragonflies and birds, both of whom will eat mosquitoes when they happen upon them. Consider installing a few bird houses to attract these helpful predators.
Some people have reported success with using Listerine brand mouthwash as a repellent spray in outdoor areas.
Make sure your screens are secure to keep mosquitoes out of your house.
You can purchase mosquito netting to cover strollers, cribs, and play yards to keep your children safe from mosquitoes.

If you want to use a natural repellent on yourself, these are some options:

It’s said that drinking 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar each day will keep the mosquitoes away.
Some people have reported great success by using a fabric softener dryer sheet to lightly rub their exposed skin.
If you plan to use a commercial repellent that’s applied to the skin, try rubbing on a thin layer of lotion first. This may help minimize the absorption of the chemicals in the commercial product into your skin.

http://www.mosquitoinfo.info/how-to-get-rid-of-mosquitoes/

Naphthalene in Moth Balls and Toilet Deodorant Cakes

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

What is Naphthalene?

Some moth balls and toilet deodorant cakes contain a substance called naphthalene. Naphthalene is a solid, white material with a distinctive odour, and it is found naturally in fossil fuels like coal and oil.

How can I be exposed to Naphthalene?

Naphthalene exposure can occur if you breathe air that contains naphthalene, if you drink liquids containing naphthalene, or if products containing naphthalene are touched or accidentally eaten.

Be aware that you can also breathe in naphthalene vapours from clothes that have been stored in moth balls.

What effect can naphthalene have on health?

Exposure to very large amounts of naphthalene can cause damage to blood cells, leading to a condition called haemolytic anaemia. This condition has been seen in people, particularly children, after they have eaten moth balls containing naphthalene. Some of the symptoms that may occur after exposure to large quantities of naphthalene are fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. The skin may become pale or yellow-coloured.

Newborn babies are particularly at risk of damaging their blood cells if they are exposed to naphthalene. The damage to their blood cells releases a product (bilirubin) that makes the baby go yellow and in very severe cases can cause brain damage.

Some people are born with a genetic blood condition (G6PD deficiency) which makes them more susceptible to the effects of naphthalene, so symptoms can be seen after exposure to even only small amounts of naphthalene.

If any of these symptoms occur after exposure to naphthalene, you should immediately consult a doctor.

There is no direct evidence that naphthalene can cause cancer in people.

How should naphthalene be used safely?

Moth balls containing naphthalene are generally safe for use around adults and older children, if used correctly and in the right quantity.

Australian guidelines recommend that the use of naphthalene is restricted around children under three years of age.

This means that children's blankets and clothes should not be stored with mothballs containing naphthalene, and moth balls should not be used in young children's rooms or in areas where young children may be present or have access to.

If children's blankets and clothing have inadvertently been stored with naphthalene moth balls, they should be aired outdoors to remove any odour and washed before they are used.

It can be very dangerous if moth balls are eaten, so it is especially important that mothballs are stored well out of the reach of small children and pets.

Additionally, if you or one of your direct family members has been diagnosed with a genetic disorder of the blood, products containing naphthalene should be avoided.

Further Information

Further advice concerning the health risks of naphthalene can be obtained 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Australia wide from the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26, or from local Public Health Units.

Termite Barriers and Flooding Impact Advice

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

NEWS INFORMATION JANUARY 28, 2011
FLOODING IMPACT ON TERMITE BARRIERS

Recent flooding throughout Australia has created concern amongst home-owners who have installed a termite barrier system previously in their home/property. Flooding could not only have a negative impact on the efficacy of a liquid termite barrier, but could also affect physical termite barrier installations.

Termites will be prolific with the high water levels encouraging their foraging for food sources, combined with the washed away soil and possibly barriers (physical barriers covered over with soil will encourage termites into entry points).

Professional Pest Controllers involved in the eradication and on-going maintenance of properties for termites, are already well aware that water, whether it be normal surface water, let alone flood conditions, will have an effect on termite treatments to varying degrees.

The very first consideration for a home-owner is to seek the advice of a Professional Termite Control person. It is well known that there are those who do specialise in termite control and those that do not.
Therefore, Bayer recommends that home-owners should take this into consideration when selecting just which Company they engage to deal with this extremely important issue.

Neville Hedge, National Termite Manager at Bayer Environmental Science has identified a number of scenarios where he recommends inspection and possible re-treatment. These are:

External soil barriers: if the soil has been removed, displaced, washed away; removal of the soil would result in the removal of the treatment.
External soil barriers (by drilling and injection): the effect of water in this situation may be difficult to determine and would depend on just what soil was actually washed away.
Soil, silt washed and is seen to cover the existing treated soil could allow termite access. It should be noted that physical termite barrier systems rely entirely on a physical inspection zone of a minimum 75mm around structures so that subterranean termites can be detected during regular inspections (as recommended by Australian Standards). Flooding that has resulted in soil and silt covering up these inspection zones must be addressed by lowering the soil levels back to the required 75mm level.
Reticulation Systems: a thorough inspection will reveal whether the system is either still in place or may have been severely compromised by damage to the actual system, including the treated soil and chemical injection stations.

Mr. Hedge said “There may well be other circumstances which need consideration.

An effective Termite Maintenance program can only by formulated following a thorough inspection, by a competent termite control person. Bayer advises home-owners to seek more than one opinion.
“Home-owners seeking more advice are welcome to call me on 1800 634 913”, Mr. Hedge added.

For Further Information:
Neville Hedge
National Termite Manager
Bayer Environmental Science
Tel: (07) 5586 2444 or 0417 362 488
Email: neville.hedge@bayer.com

How to get Rid of Ants

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

How To Get Rid of Ants

How To Control Ants

First of all, ants serve an important function out of doors. Ants aerate the soil, break down organic matter and control the population of other insects. So your goal should not be to destroy them altogether, just to control them and keep them out of your home.

There are several varieties of ants found in Australia.

Ants establish colonies and they send out scouts to find resources (food and water). The scouts leave a scent trail enabling them to return to the colony with news of found resources. Other members of the colony will follow the scent trails to collect resources and bring them back to the colony. Depending upon the variety of ant, colonies will also establish sub colonies near resources or they will send out queens to establish new independent colonies.

With argentine ants and some other varieties, you see heavily traveled trails as the ants make their way to and from the colony. Other varieties of ants look less like a traffic jam and more like the occasional strolling ant. In both cases they are following the scent trail layed down by members of their colony who passed by there before.

The Key to Controlling Ants is:

Erase their scent trails
Eliminate the food source
Seal their entrance to your home
Use natural and low-toxicity compounds to destroy colonies as necessary

Eliminate Ants Scent Trail

When you see scouts, kill them and wipe down the area. This important step will prevent major scent trails from being formed and will prevent the scout from reporting back to the colony about any found food. Once a trail has already been established, start from the food source and wipe backwards to the trail entrance. Use a sponge with soapy water. Plain water will not completely eliminate the trail. If you cannot get the trail all the way to the entrance to your home, block the trail at the point you can get to. They will seek a way around, but if you act quickly and are persistent, the ants will likely give up after anywhere from a day to a week.

Seal the Ants Entrance to Your Home

As temporary blockades for ants there a variety of things that will discourage ants. Ants will not cross vaseline or various sticky substances. Chili powder, cinnamon and boric acid are also avoided by ants. Block a trail entrance with any of these substances. For a more permanent blo

Eliminate the Food Source

Ants send out scouts to search for food, the scouts will wander endlessly and there seems to be an endless supply of scouts. Given time, ants will nearly always find any food in your home. Ants may seem disinterested in some foods, but it really depends on what the colony needs. Something ignored this time month may be their food of choice a month later.

To cut off the supply of food, place open foods into tightly sealed containers or store them in your refrigerator. Wipe down counters and sweep floors nightly. Clean cabinets drawers and shelves to remove crumbs and stains. Ants also need water, so keep sinks and counters dry to discourage them. This is typically only a problem during the hot or dry seasons.

If ants are eating pet food from your pet's bowl, create a moat around the bowl. To do this, place the food bowl into a pie tin or similar low pan and add soapy water to create a barrier around the bowl.

Redlands Pest Control has developed successful ant treatments for residential and commercial properties, please call 1300 361814 or enquire or book online for further information.

Flying & Swarming Termites or Ants?

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

Spring & Summer is the season for termites.

We get many calls at this time of year, when the termites commence their social swarming.

In order to create a social swarm, the colony has probably been in the ground for at least three years.

However just remember that termites are active 365 days & nights a year!

The damage that termites do is gradual and methodical.

The flying termite is the short-lived reproductive stage and cannot harm your home. If you see "flying ants" in the home, look for a dark-black body with four clear wings of equal length. A flying ant is similar to a termite, but is red or brown in color and has smaller wings.

The best strategy is to maintain annual termite inspections from a qualified and experienced Pest Management Technician.

If you do see alot of flying insects under these climatic conditions have a good look around the building & yard to see if you can find out where they are coming from as it might mean you have a nest of termites nearby. We recommend marking the spot & contact us at Redlands Pest Control.

CSIRO Termite News

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

TROUBLE WITH TERMITES

By Roger Beckmann

When you think of architects and builders, you expect them to be human, don't you? Well, think again . . . there are large, highly organised structures on Earth that weren't built by humans. There are even plenty of them right here in Australia. They can be more than three times the height of a person, and some even have covered walkways radiating out from them. So where are these things, and how did they get there? The answer is that they're the work of tiny termites, responsible for building the skyscrapers of the insect world.

But that's not all these little insects can do. It's no difficulty for them to fell large trees, chew up electric cables and demolish houses! Considering most of us rarely see them, termites are pretty important - in fact, despite their small size, they're some of the most important living things in many of our tropical and arid ecosystems. But at the same time they're one of the most feared of all insect pests.

Castes of thousands

Termites are called social insects because they live in complicated societies with thousands or even millions of individuals working together for the benefit of the colony. Each termite species forms its own colonies, and within a colony there are several forms of termites. These forms are called castes, and different castes have different functions.

Caption: The four castes of termites (clockwise from top left): queen, king, worker and soldier.

Ants, bees and wasps also live in colonies with castes. Most people would know that the most important individual in all these colonies is the queen. The same is true of termites, though at the start there's also a king. The future king and queen termite have wings when they're born and are sometimes called the reproductive caste. They emerge from mounds and fly around to find a mate. This is known as the colonising flight - but it's more like a death flight because very few termites survive the flight to go on and produce a colony. After they have paired up, the termites shed their wings. Each pair will then try to set up home in a suitable spot - somewhere moist and protected, such as a piece of decaying wood on the ground. They hollow out a small, cosy space in which they mate and shortly thereafter the female lays her first batch of eggs. When these hatch, the king and queen are the ideal parents, carefully feeding and caring for their offspring.

The Queen Mum

The first young grow up to become the workers of the colony, and a new society begins. The queen lays more and more eggs. However, it takes quite a while (up to a few years, depending on the species) for the colony to have enough termites to be noticeable. At first the queen helps with various tasks, but as the number of workers increases they feed her and also tend all the young. The queen is the mother of all the other termites in the colony apart from the king. She lives (sometimes for up to 50 years) while hundreds of generations of her workers and personal attendants die and are replaced.

The queen is fertilised from time to time by the smaller king. He is long-lived compared to the workers, but doesn't usually last as long as the queen. Extra 'kings' may take his place when the colony is large enough to begin producing reproductives. If so, these kings will stay in the colony and mate with their own mother!

If the queen dies the colony can still continue. Supplementary queens from the reproductive caste may take over as egg-layers. They're not usually as large or productive as the primary queen, but several of them may work together to replenish the population.

Workers and soldiers

The real hard slog of making a termite mound falls to the workers. Usually the great majority of termites belongs to this caste. Every day some leave the colony to gather food, while others build and repair any damage or feed the young or the queen.

Soldiers may have powerful jaws with which they cut or stab intruders, or a long tube on their heads from which they squirt chemical weapons - sticky stuff to trap invaders or toxic chemicals to deter them. In some species the soldiers can squirt their toxic brew with great accuracy for a distance of several centimetres.

The soldiers' job is obviously to defend the colony against invaders, which usually means ants. When workers are repairing damage on the edge of the mound, soldiers are usually present to guard them, their heads facing outward to counter any threat. The soldiers, despite being prepared to sacrifice their own lives, often simply aren't powerful enough when they're pitted against large numbers of ferocious ants, larger insects or other animals. The main defence is really the enormous mound itself. This ensures that the core of the termite society is protected from almost every conceivable threat, even though individual termites will inevitably be crushed or eaten as they leave the mound or work on its edges.

Although most termite species in Australia don't build above-ground mounds - preferring instead to nest below ground or in wood - those that do tend to produce spectacular structures. If you've ever pulled a bit off the outside of a mound, the chances are that you'd have seen a few workers and perhaps soldiers. You wouldn't have seen the millions of busy workers or the real heart of the society, which lies deep inside the mound and partly underground. Some termite species even keep farms inside to help feed their society. They lay out wet, chewed up plant matter, inoculate it with fungus, and then harvest and eat the mould. Busy workers tend these gardens and take the food for others in the colony to eat.

The giant mounds of the Cathedral Termite (Nasutitermes triodae) are among the largest in the world.

A termite colony typically lasts for 10-20 years, but some are known to be 60 years old. The mounds are built to last! And if they are damaged - by heavy rain, flooding or fire, for example - the hard-working citizens quickly repair them!

Magnetic mounds

Some of the oddest mounds are the so-called magnetic mounds in the Top End, which occur in groups, with each two-metre tall mound being the same shape and with all of them positioned accurately to face in the same direction. A collection of these mounds looks frighteningly alien at first sight. How could they all be aligned in the same way? And why?

Research suggests the alignment of the mounds is designed to help the termites avoid unfavourable temperatures. Usually, termites can withdraw into the inner galleries of a mound when conditions outside are too cold, wet, hot or dry, but the species that build the magnetic mounds live in areas that are flooded during the wet season. The ground is completely underwater for weeks, so the bottom of the mound is flooded. Temperature regulation within the above-ground portion is therefore very important. The eastern face of the mound then becomes the part of the colony that's kept at a reasonable temperature. In the early morning it's heated by the sun, but soon the sun moves and this face remains in the shade and at a reasonable temperature for the rest of the day, while the north-facing side takes the heat.

Magnetic mounds are believed to be designed to help regulate temperature.credit: Photo by David Curl

In areas where windy conditions mean the east faces of mounds take longer to warm, scientists have found the mounds may be positioned so the sun remains for longer on the eastern face. The mounds are not an exact and rigid compass, but vary in different places to benefit the termites. It seems very carefully calculated! The termites may be using the Earth's magnetic field to decide on the positioning of their mounds, but we don't yet know for sure.

Teeming with termites

CSIRO scientists estimate that there are about 350 termite species in Australia. Most species occur in the hotter parts of the country, with more than 100 species occurring in the Top End of the Northern Territory. Scientists haven't even got around to naming most of these species, but they've established that the great majority of termites fall into one of four groups: wood-eaters, soil-eaters, debris-feeders (which eat plant litter and dung) and harvesters (which cut down living grasses and herbs). Only about half a dozen or so are serious pests. Wood-eaters are quite harmless if you find them - even the soldiers' jaws don't do much to us - but their craving for wood can ruin our furniture, houses or even bridges.

There are about 350 different species of termites in Australia.

A survey of hundreds of houses in New South Wales in the 1980s showed that about one in five houses had active wood-eating termites around or had had a problem with them in the past. The results of the termites' huge appetite for wood can be very dangerous, but often go unnoticed because the workers tend to shun light and dry air. They build covered tunnels or galleries from their nest and eat wooden structures from the inside - so roof timbers and doors may seem intact when in reality they're just a thin shell with nothing but dust and termites inside. Then, suddenly, they can collapse.

Termites eat wood from the inside out, so damage can go unnoticed until it's too late.

Scientists at CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products and CSIRO Building Research have studied the problem of termite damage in detail - and they've enlisted the help of Double Helix Club members.

Vital cogs in the ecosystem

Termites are much more than just fascinating insects that live in organised colonies. They are an essential part of many arid and tropical ecosystems - in particular, those in northern Australia.

Have you ever wondered why Africa has so many large mammals while tropical Australia - with a very similar climate - does not? Where are our elephants, giraffe, wildebeeste, rhinos and zebras - or their Aussie equivalents? The answer to this question is complex, but studies of termites have recently given us a better understanding of the nature of our own ecosystems.

Ecologists have suggested that the infertile soils and the very seasonal rainfall in much of northern Australia make it too hard for the place to sustain herds of large mammals. But the lack of the big mammals has given other creatures more of a look in. Reptiles and insects are the winners.

In the Top End of the Northern Territory, termites are present everywhere. They are decomposers and important consumers of plant material. As they munch their way through wood, leaf and stem they unlock the nutrients that the plants have accumulated and store them in their nests and in their own bodies. Termite nests are 'nutrient hotspots'. As old nests decay and erode, so vital stores of nutrients from decades ago are slowly released, ready to be used again. Without the activity of the termites, nutrient cycling - on which life depends - would be greatly reduced. This is especially true during the long, hot dry season. During this time plant growth slows and most plant-feeding insects become inactive, but termites are as busy as ever, feeding on dead and dry plant material instead.

In addition, the termites are a useful food source for other creatures. Ants, spiders and lizards are especially partial to a termite feast, which can be had at any time of the year. In this way, feeding chains are built up. Scientists have discovered that in areas of the Top End with plenty of termites there is more variety in the ant and reptile fauna.

Tonnes of termites

In many parts of tropical and sub-tropical Australia there are grassy grazing lands with a few trees remaining. Here farmers run cattle but, because of the dryness and poor nutritional quality of the grasses, one cow needs about 25 hectares to graze on. On average, the weight of cattle flesh (the 'biomass') works out at about 24 kg per ha. CSIRO scientists have surveyed the termite presence in these areas and have calculated that the weight of termites ranges from 40 kg to a staggering 120kg per hectare. That's a lot of termite flesh - and makes these little insects much more important as converters of plant material than the cattle.

Termites could be serious competitors with the cattle - but the good news is that the termite activity, by eventually putting nutrients back into the soil, takes the place of fungi and earthworms in wetter environments, so they have an important place in the ecosystem.

^{Canberra Double Helix member Paul Britton showing tree damage caused by termites.}

So what are they?

Termites are sometimes called 'white ants', but they're not ants at all - in fact, they're not even closely related to ants. So what are they?

Entomologists have worked out that termites are really a type of specialised cockroach! But you won't find them scuttling under your fridge looking for food scraps. They diverged from cockroaches on the evolutionary tree many millions of years ago, and have successfully pursued their own plant-eating life ever since.

Termites are small (their size can range from about 3 to 10 mm long), pale or transparent, and have thin skins. Unlike ants they don't have a thin waist, they are usually blind (there isn't much need for vision in the dark tunnels they inhabit) and they cannot tolerate dry conditions. But they are similar to ants in that they occur in large numbers and look busy! Ants and termites also both have castes that include sterile workers and soldiers, and a single large queen. Both insects can live in large, complex colonies and both have produced fungus-cultivating species - one of the more amazing examples of convergent evolution, where two species begin from a different point and end up quite similar in the way they live.

Termite tidbits

termites are major pests in Africa, Asia and the Americas as well as Australia
there are about 12 000 trillion termites on Earth
the mass of termites is about 10 times greater than that of all the people in the world
termites are thought to be responsible for about 40 per cent of the global release of methane, a greenhouse gas
termites chomp their way through about 7 billion tonnes of plant material each year

(Statistics from RMIT Openline.)

Measuring the gases emitted by termites - they're thought to contribute about 40 per cent of the world's methane.

And one for all

Faced with complicated societies in which an individual will lay down its life for the good of the group - such as ants, bees, wasps and termites - biologists have asked how such behaviour has come to be. Giving up an advantage for the good of others, with no immediate reward in return, is called altruism. It's often highly valued in our own society, but why should it occur in insects? If an altruistic individual dies, why does anyone bother volunteering?

Part of the answer lies in the fact that most individuals in insect societies cannot reproduce. The only way for their genes to be passed on is to help the society as a whole, because the entire colony is composed of their siblings. If they protect the young and the queen (who's their mother), the workers and soldiers are ensuring that at least some of their own genes survive. In the same way, many animals that don't live in societies show parental behaviour - working hard or sacrificing themselves to protect their young in order that their genes will continue in the next generation.

Another way of looking at social insects' selfless behaviour is to view the entire colony as one creature. In this case, each individual termite is merely a cell. Just as a single cell in our body will die for the good of the entire body - for example, if you cut your skin or to fight infectious germs - so too will a termite. An individual termite is easily replaced. Hundreds of foraging termites are destroyed or lost every day but the colony survives, just as millions of our own cells die every day but are replaced with new ones. In this sense the entire colony is one animal, and the giant mound is just a shell that it makes for itself. The control of this 'creature' comes from the queen, because the chemical signals she releases control the behaviour of the other termites, just as nerves and hormones - many coming from the brain - control the cells in a body like ours.

The distinction between what is one animal and what is many is very hard to make. Your own body, for example, houses thousands of millions of other organisms in your intestines; as well as this, mammals such as us may well harbour ticks, fleas, lice and worms. Looked at this way, every animal is a sort of mini-zoo. Inside an individual termite's digestive system are millions of tiny microbes. They produce enzymes that can digest cellulose, the main chemical in termite foodstuffs. Without them a termite would die of starvation because its own body is unable to make the enzymes it needs.

Big and destructive Mastotermes darwiniensis - which, as its name suggests, was first noticed around Darwin - is one of the largest termites in the world. It is also incredibly destructive. As well as wood it can chew up electric cables, leather, wool or rubber. It can also eat many plants in your farmyard or garden! Trees don't stand a chance - Mastotermes enter them through the soil and, when they reach the inner bark, they create deep grooves right around the trunk, quickly ring-barking (and thus killing) the tree.

Termites can eat the floor right out from under your feet!

Medical mounds and musical mounds

If you're ever feeling crook when you're in an isolated part of the Top End, head for the nearest termite mound. Aboriginal people use soil from termite mounds as a medicine for various ailments. You can eat the soil (no-one said medicine's supposed to be nice), mix it up into a watery paste and eat it, drink it, or put it on your skin. Termite mound soil is used to cure diarrhoea and stomach pains, to prevent bleeding and to stop some infections.

Scientists haven't studied in detail why termite soil should be a medicine, but it could be that the clay in the soil acts to 'bind up' loose faeces (similar to the effects of kaolin, a clayey material that's used in western medicine). Termite mounds are also known to be rich in many nutrients and minerals.

Termites aren't just handy for medicines. Without them you couldn't make a decent didgeridoo. These beautiful musical instruments are always made from hollow branches. And who hollows them out? You guessed it: the hard-working little termites. They get into a tree and eat the wood on the inside. Perhaps it's bad news for the tree, but good news for lovers of that unique Australian sound.

caption: While termites' ability to hollow wood out is bad for houses and trees, it helps produce didgeridoos.

Termites put Manly under wraps

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -1100

RESIDENTS of Manly on Brisbane's bayside have woken up to find half their commercial heart under wraps - literally - thanks to a termite infestation.

An enormous tent has been erected opposite the Manly Hotel and surrounding shops at the intersection of Cambridge Parade and Stratton Terrace.

The bizarre sight heralds the start of fumigation for West Indian drywood termites - one of the world's most destructive insects.

The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries is co-ordinating the project.

The hotel will be closed for two weeks but other businesses including a hair salon and real estate agent should be able to reopen on Friday.

Discussions have been underway for 18 months between the hotel and the State Government about the infestation in the pub's upper level.

It has been undergoing annual checks since an initial infestation in 1989.

Manly Hotel and surrounding shops at the intersection of Cambridge Parade and Stratton Terrace.

CLOSED ... an infestation of West Indian termites at Manly has resulted in several businesses being closed while fumigation is undertaken.

Mice & Rat Control in Winter Months

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -1100

Colder temperatures send wintry pests, such as rodents, spiders and cockroaches searching for food, water and shelter indoors. Throughout the winter rodents such as house mice seek shelter indoors, often causing serious and costly property damage. In addition to property damage, winter pests contaminate food and water sources throughout the home.

Redlands Pest Control provide a very effective and efficent rodent control program for residential and commercial properties. Please call us to find out more, on 1300361814 or book online for $10.00 discount.

News and Information - Redlands Pest Control Services: Termite Control; Treatment & Pest Control. Your Protection against Termites & Pests.

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Guide to Assessment & Repair of Flood Damaged Timber and Timber Framed Houses

USEFUL TIPS ON HOW TO GET RID OF MOSQUITOS

Naphthalene in Moth Balls and Toilet Deodorant Cakes

Termite Barriers and Flooding Impact Advice

How to get Rid of Ants

How To Get Rid of Ants

Flying & Swarming Termites or Ants?

CSIRO Termite News

Termites put Manly under wraps

Manly Hotel and surrounding shops at the intersection of Cambridge Parade and Stratton Terrace. CLOSED ... an infestation of West Indian termites at Manly has resulted in several businesses being closed while fumigation is undertaken.

Mice & Rat Control in Winter Months

Manly Hotel and surrounding shops at the intersection of Cambridge Parade and Stratton Terrace.

CLOSED ... an infestation of West Indian termites at Manly has resulted in several businesses being closed while fumigation is undertaken.