South-East Queensland’s warm, humid climate is ideal for subterranean termites, and no suburb is exempt. While no measure makes a property termite-proof, these five practical habits meaningfully reduce the conditions that attract them.

1. Fix moisture at the source

Termites follow water. Repair dripping taps and hot water system overflows, keep air-conditioner condensate away from walls, and make sure downpipes discharge well clear of the building.

2. Keep soil and gardens off the walls

Garden beds, mulch and paving built up against external walls can bridge a slab edge or weep holes, giving termites concealed entry. Keep the slab edge visible and weep holes clear.

3. Remove timber-to-soil contact

Stored timber, firewood stacks, old stumps and formwork left under or against the house are an open invitation. Store timber off the ground and away from the building.

4. Ventilate the subfloor

A dry, airy subfloor is far less attractive than a damp, still one. Keep vents clear of paint, render and landscaping, and avoid using the subfloor as storage.

5. Inspect annually

An annual building and pest inspection, carried out in accordance with AS 4349.1 and AS 4349.3, is the safety net under everything above. The timber pest side assesses the readily accessible areas for evidence of activity and the conducive conditions you cannot see from the garden; the building side records the moisture, drainage and ground-level conditions that feed them — and the written report gives you the year’s maintenance priorities. Across 68 of our own combined building and pest inspections, confirmed termite activity or damage appeared in 16 properties — about 24% — and 14 of those 16 were standalone houses, mostly established ones, with the activity usually starting outside the walls in a tree stump, a boundary fence or garden timber close to the house. That is exactly the ground habits 2 and 3 above cover, and exactly what an annual inspection is there to catch early.

For more on timber pest inspections, read our guide to understanding timber pest inspections and, for unit owners, why ground-floor units face higher termite risk. On timing, see why winter is the best time for a termite inspection. The FAQs cover more on timber pest inspections.

Where do termites usually show up first: the house or the yard?

In our own inspections, the yard. The first activity we find is in timber owners rarely count as part of the house: a rear boundary fence, a tree stump, garden timber, a sleeper retaining wall. A fence is the boundary, a stump is the garden, a sleeper wall is landscaping. But each is timber in or on the soil, where subterranean termites travel and feed, so check the perimeter, not just the building.

A stump is the clearest case: the tree is gone, but its roots stay in the ground as food close to the house. In one older two-storey house, a yard stump held active termites and the same inspection found termite damage to a structural beam and the floor system, which goes to a Structural Engineer for further assessment. Our guide to what termite damage looks like covers the mudding and workings to look for.

  • Walk every fence line, especially the rear boundary, looking for mudding and workings at post bases and joints.
  • Find every stump, including any cut flush and hidden by grass or mulch.
  • Check timber edging, sleepers and retaining walls holding soil.

Where termite damage or decay is observed to a timber retaining wall, further assessment by a Structural Engineer is recommended, and the wall should not carry extra load until assessed.

Can termites reach a deck built on steel posts?

Yes. Steel posts do not feed termites, but they carry them. A recurring finding in our own inspections is missing ant capping on the steel posts supporting a deck or patio, which lets termites travel up the post and into the timber framing unseen.

Ant capping is the metal shield between a post, pier or stump and the timber it carries. It is not a barrier. Termites can build around it, but to do so they must run a mud tube out over its edge, where it can be seen, and that is the point of it. Where capping is missing, the report records a conducive condition and a concealed entry path, which is not the same as termites being present. Where the top of a post is concealed, the report records that it could not be inspected. Where damage or decay is observed to deck framing, further assessment by a Structural Engineer is recommended, and the deck should not carry extra load until it has been assessed.

A clean result on the day is a snapshot, and conditions change. An annual building and pest inspection puts the current conducive conditions, missing capping included, in writing. Where timber is in contact with the ground or there is a history of termite activity, more frequent inspections may be recommended.

A timber pest inspection is included in every combined building and pest inspection. Call 0431 114 815 to book.

CYTE carries out building and pest inspections across the Gold Coast and Northern NSW, with a written report delivered the same day.