The Queensland government is accused of abandoning residents whose homes are being eaten by the world’s most destructive drywood termites.
Important points:
- The Queensland government has abolished free fumigation for West Indian drywood termites
- Homes require camping and fumigation, which costs more than $ 30,000
- Affected homeowners say they cannot afford fumigation and the termites will spread
The suburbs of Brisbane by the Bay as well as Maryborough, Bundaberg, Townsville and Rockhampton all have slowly spreading infestations of the invasive West Indian drywood termite.
Since the 1960s, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has paid for the treatment of outbreaks of the foreign invader by camping and smoking entire houses.
But in January it silently ended the free fumigation program and didn’t confirm whether people on a waiting list would be helped before the deadline.
Damage to a window from West Indian drywood termites. (
Submitted: Jock Kennedy and Qld Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
)
Sara de Graaf thought children were leaving sand on her back porch before the little pile that kept coming back after being swept away was identified as frass or termite droppings.
Frass, or West Indian drywood termite droppings, is a tell-tale sign of an infestation. (
ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols
)
In July, a pest control officer told the retiree that initial treatment for her old Queenslander in the Brisbane suburb of Lota would cost more than $ 35,000 but assured her the government would pay.
She was shocked to learn that he was wrong and that the program had been canceled.
“I find it disgusting, I find it disgusting,” she said.
“I’m retired and there is no way I can afford to pay $ 30-40,000 for it.
“I can’t afford it, so what should I do, let my house crumble and be eaten up? I don’t know, I need help. “
Sarah de Graaf points out the stuff her termite invasion has left behind. (
ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols
)
Difficult to see
Drywood termites do not need to be in contact with the ground, so they are not deterred by measures that prevent more common underground termites from entering buildings.
They are also not that easy to spot, as their smaller colonies work in the forest and leave no visible traces.
A Queensland government spokesman said millions of dollars had been spent on fumigation treatment over the decades and the prevention and control program had ended after a two-year review.
The statement stated that ongoing annual inspections of buildings near West Indian drywood termite detection sites would not have stopped the pest and that “a community-based approach is required to manage the impact and minimize further spread”.
A pest control test found Frass, but not the termite colony in Sara de Graaf’s house.
ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols
)
John Murray is the chairman of the Australian Environmental Pest Management Association in Queensland, which worked with the government to maintain the free fumigation program.
“If the cost is passed on to the homeowner now, I suspect that far fewer people will be able to afford the up-front costs of treatment and that the subsequent infestation will be more likely,” warned Murray.
And there is no peace of mind for people who have had a standard pest inspection because pest controllers are not actively looking for West Indian drywood termites.
“They are not covered by the standard wood pest inspections that all pest controllers perform annually for most households because they are not included in Australian standards for termite management,” Murray said.
Di Mason says there was little information online about the end of the free fumigation program. (
ABC Rural: Jennifer Nichols
)
Di Mason has stood up for every politician she can think of to help her 86-year-old mother, who received $ 46,000 for the treatment of her home in Brisbane Bay.
She said people were “definitely abandoned and basically left to flounder”.
“All they have done is make a decision that they will not fumigate, and they have done absolutely nothing to help people who have an infestation,” said Ms. Mason.
Enlarged photo of a West Indian drywood termite. (
Submitted: Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
)
Last fiscal year, the Queensland government paid $ 480,569 to fumigate 12 residential and commercial buildings.
Ms. Mason was told that people who sought help getting their homes treated before the program ended were “patched”.
“Their homes were not fumigated even though they were on a waiting list,” she said.
The government did not want to confirm this and said that the question of compliance with this waiting list “is still under consideration”.
Wood infested with West Indian dry wood termite. (
Submitted: Jock Kennedy
)
In the 2014 Biosafety Act report, government officials found that around 15 buildings were treated per year at a cost of less than $ 1 million.
“Without a prevention and control program, the total community cost of managing the West Indian drywood termites in Queensland would likely increase more significantly over time, potentially reaching tens of millions of dollars each year as the pest spreads. “Read the report.
“I just can’t believe they did it (drop the program), it’s just so irresponsible,” Ms. Mason said.
The Queensland government spokesman said they would implement a two-year transition program to help the community, industry and local government develop tools to improve detection and alternative treatments for the pest.
