A Brisbane pest controller says he’s never seen so many termite infestations, with the pests enjoying the consistent moisture brought on by successive La Niña weather systems.
Activity from the wood-eating threats slowed as Queensland suffered from drought conditions, but with and constant rain over the past two years, they have returned with a vengeance and menacing characteristics.
“Termites have increased exponentially over the last two years,” said Gavin Shill, who runs a pest control company.
“I’ve been doing this for almost 23 years and I’ve never seen it this bad in terms of termites.”
Mr Shill said his company was conducting more “active treatments” – addressing existing pests rather than preventive measures – than ever before.
Gavin Shill is a pest controller based in Brisbane. (Supplied: Gavin Shill)
“We’re doing seven or eight a month now where it used to be just a few a month.
“It just went through the roof.
“I’ve worked on houses that are completely gutted. They are in every single wall and roof.
“It’s the sheer volume of them that’s shocking.”
Termites finding an entry point despite a brick wall. (Supplied: Gavin Shill)
Professor Dieter Hochuli, who leads the Integrative Ecology Group at the University of Sydney, said it will be a red-letter year for termites.
“It’s going to be a massive year for termites because the high soil moisture is ideal for them to burrow and thrive,” he said.
“Termites are particularly sensitive when it comes to dehydration, so having an extremely humid environment was very beneficial for them.
“This is especially true for domestic pests.
“So when they go underground and look for new food sources, life just got a little bit easier for them.”
What makes your home prone to termites?
Mr Shill said he recently looked at houses that were completely destroyed by termites. (Supplied: Gavin Shill)
Mr Shill said damp patches in wooden houses attract termites.
“It’s all about moisture. If you have gutters that are secured or water leaking into the walls anywhere, it makes the house vulnerable to the termites.
“They are attracted to the moisture and then look for a food source.”
Mr. Shill recently found termites under a rubber doormat because of the moisture there.
Termites can gather anywhere there is moisture, like under this rubber doormat.(Included in delivery: All Year Pest Solutions)
Have the rains seen an increase in other pests?
Not yet, said Mr Shill, but soon.
“Not massive. It’s been a moderate or even slow year so far,” he said.
“That’s because we haven’t had the heat yet.
“There’s been an increase in things like bees, but not yet the other things.”
As the heat sets in, expect an explosion of cockroaches. (Delivered: Alan Henderson)
With temperatures set to rise in southeast Queensland this week, that’s likely to change.
“With hotter days forecast later this week, after the rain we’ve just had, we’re going to see an explosion of roaches – the big American and Aussie ones that fly into your house – and spiders,” Mr Shill said.
“They have slower breeding patterns, but when it gets hot they speed up.
“By the end of the week we should see large numbers of people entering people’s homes.”
Professor Hochuli said warm weather and humidity are key.
“Similar to termites, spiders likely respond to an increase in available food, as do cockies,” he said.
“And moist and warm is what many species of spiders and cockroaches like!”
Why is this happening to us?
Termites attacked this carrier beam.(Included in delivery: All Year Pest Solutions)
Conditions are now ideal for pesky bugs.
“The bottom line is that heat and humidity offer ideal conditions for a large number of insects,” says Professor Hochuli.
“Their biology is very closely related to responding to good conditions.
“Rainfall encourages high plant growth and encourages the species that eat them.
“That means there’s plenty of food for the things that eat other insects. It is essentially a bottom-up system where high primary productivity drives the success of many animals in many systems.”
Professor Dieter Hochuli from the University of Sydney said moisture is key.(Delivered: Dieter Hochuli)
Insects don’t like it when it’s dry, Professor Hochuli said, so the months of wet weather have been a godsend for them.
“Truly humid environments take that dryness out of the equation, meaning many animals that would have died shortly after hatching don’t die.
“That is the fate of most insect eggs: they either don’t hatch or die very soon after.
“And when that doesn’t happen, their numbers really increase.”
What can we do about spiders and cockroaches?
Spiders and cockroaches enjoy the warm weather. (Delivered: CSIRO)
There’s not much you can do to prevent a spider invasion other than preventive pesticide treatment, Mr Shill said, but you can make your home less attractive to roaches.
“Just general cleanliness, no leftover food lying around, dog food outside etc,” Mr Shill said.
“Make sure benches and cupboards are clean and food is stored properly.
“It’s the prospect of food that draws them in.”
shrimp and rats
Amphipods typically live in foliage and mulch, but can be found in homes in Queensland after heavy rains.Delivered: Helen Bender)
Although not a nuisance, more and more Queenslanders are becoming acquainted with “lawn prawns”.
“Last year there were a few more and with the persistent wet weather there will be even more this year,” Mr Shill said.
Lawn shrimp are actually a type of tiny shrimp that live on land.
“They live under debris and gardens of deadwood, so fallen leaves and things like that, and when that’s waterlogged they go to dry places.”
So in the past they were hidden in people’s yards, but now they are increasingly found on paths, concrete surfaces and even inside houses.
Mr Shill said if there were more flooding in the south east in the coming months, rats would also become more visible.
“They use the drains and gullies as a transportation system, and when those flood, they go to high-altitude and dry areas.
“These houses on top of the hill are becoming a haven for the rats.”
Oh, and don’t forget the mosquitoes
There are concerns that we will see large numbers of mosquitoes this summer. (abc news)
Professor Hochuli said mosquitoes need to thrive in these conditions as well.
“The big one that causes a lot of concern in the coming summer is mosquitoes,” he said.
“Their biology is driven by available water, and higher temperatures mean they can breed quickly once the weather warms up.
“The public health risks are significant and it will be an important summer to cover up and wear repellants.”
