Railway sleepers and termites

I would use them easier
lots of myths about termites

both houses on either side of me are affected by termites
I had a "sacrifical" log and as soon as they got spotted they got treated
never had anymore termite problems

easier to treat them outside a home than in one

The metal and concrete ones don't have termite dramas.

Thanks!! ) Apparently Langwarrin (where we are now - not where we are building) is the second worst termite suburb in Melbourne. A pest guy told one of my friends when they had an inspection a few days ago!

When we're told that suburbs around Melbourne are a higher risk for termites, they mean in comparison to the rest of Melbourne, not the rest of Australia. However, according to CSIRO, Victoria is under major threat from termites and has been for some time.

This is a quote from a 2005 CSIRO paper (http://www.csiro.au/files/files/pm13.pdf):

"Termite Action Victoria Inc. has already obtained well over 60,000 records of termite infestation, with more than 44,000 in metropolitan Melbourne. Of the latter, over 20,500 have been recorded in undeclared (unprotected) municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne since February 2004 (not including Monash, Hume, Wyndham and Knox, all of which redesignated to declared in 2004 after being shown the number of infestations noted to date in their boundaries). In fact, Termite Action Victoria Inc. has already obtained data on termite infestation from virtually all undeclared municipalities that surpasses the 500 records that led to the municipality of Glen Eira being redesignated to declared. Several municipalities already have more than double and even treble that number."

Note that this was over a very short period, as Termite Action Victoria was only formed in 2004 and this quote is from a report published in 2005...

However, if you ensure that you undertake adequate means of prevention and regularly inspect your property (take look in early spring and late summer, then if you see anything suspicious, get a proper check done), then the risk to you specifically will be greatly reduced. Oh, most insurance policies don't cover termite damage btw, so don't leave it to chance.

CSIRO website:

"Termites in the home

Homes should have regular inspections of all accessible timber and potential termite entry points. Inspections should be carried out by a licensed pest controller who can identify timber problems and advise on individual solutions.

Local councils or licensed pest controllers should be able to advise on the frequency of inspections.

If termite damage is found in the home, don’t panic. Do not disturb the termites by using household sprays or removing infested wood.

There is no immediate threat to the house, so take time to investigate the size and nature of the problem as well as all the available options.

At certain times of the year homeowners may notice winged termites in and around their house. This is the termites’ annual flight from the nest.

This does not mean that there is a termite colony attacking the house. There may however be a nest nearby if there are large numbers of these termites."

http://www.csiro.au/science/Termites.html

The key part there I think is don't panic!!

We're in Yarra Ranges Shire, which is a declared termite area, but our house is Red River Gum with concrete stumps. We're fairly termite resistant because the gum is so hard and dense, but the property was also chemically treated before we bought it.

There are lots of very old railway sleepers used as retaining walls in our garden and the surrounding area, plus we're all on sloping sites with gardens all around our houses, lots and lots of trees (including dead ones) etc etc, but as yet we're not aware of anyone having termite problems. We do however regularly check our house ourselves just in case!!