Termite control in Groot Brakrivier

Old village cottages with timber floors, holiday homes beside the estuary and new houses on the hills: Groot Brak has a bit of everything, and termites can find their way into all of it.

Subterranean termites in a Groot Brakrivier house are stopped by treating the soil along the foundations so they can't reach the timber, treating any galleries they've already made, and drying out the ground where the house keeps it wet. Near the estuary that often means dealing with drainage as well. On a new build, the ground under the whole house gets treated while it's still open, before any concrete covers it.

We inspect and treat homes, holiday cottages, complexes and businesses in Groot Brakrivier, and on the coast and hills between Mossel Bay and George.

Living close to the water

Houses near the river mouth, along the lagoon edge and on the island sit on low, sandy ground where the water table is close to the surface and the soil stays damp. Subterranean termites need moisture to survive, so damp ground beside a house is an easy approach. Add gardens watered every evening, downpipes emptying against the walls and boat sheds with timber close to the ground, and there's a lot to keep them interested.

What helps: lead downpipes and garden water away from the walls, keep soil and sand below the damp course, and don't let beds or lawns run right up to the foundations.

Older village homes

Groot Brak's older houses often have suspended timber floors, original wooden window frames and doors, and timber built-ins that have been there for decades. Termites working under a timber floor can do a lot of damage before anything shows above it. Signs to watch for:

• Floorboards that feel springy or sound hollow, especially near outside walls
• Skirtings and door frames that crumble, with soil packed inside
• Thin mud tubes on foundation walls, on the walls of the space under the floor, or up the back of a cupboard
• Small piles of wings on sills after the first warm rains

If the house has an access hatch to the space under the floor, we'll look there too. It tells us far more than the rooms above.

Holiday cottages

A cottage that's closed up from the end of the holidays until the next ones gives termites months of peace. Nobody walks on the floor, nobody opens the cupboards, and damage can build up quietly. An inspection every couple of years, and a quick look around the skirtings and cupboard bases whenever you arrive, catches problems while they're small. We can inspect while you're away if a neighbour or agent lets us in.

How we treat

1. A proper look Rooms, outside walls and the void under any timber floor, searching for live termites, damage, damp and the route they took.
2. Soil treatment The ground along the foundations is opened or, under paving, reached through drilled holes, and treated so that termites coming from outside have to cross it.
3. Under-floor work Where there's a suspended floor, the soil and foundation walls underneath are treated as well.
4. Galleries Active timber is treated where we find termites working in it.
5. The cause Leaks, drainage and soil levels are pointed out so the treatment isn't undermined.

You can stay in the house. Keep children and pets clear of the work until it's dry. Termite treatments carry our guarantee, set out in writing with the quote.

Building or extending

If you're building on the hills above town, or adding a room to a village house, ask your builder to book us twice: when the trenches are dug, and when the floor fill is ready for its plastic. A certificate follows for the bank and the council. Our soil poisoning page explains the timing.

Boat sheds and outbuildings

Boat sheds, garages and workshops by the water are easy to forget. Timber workbenches standing on the floor, offcuts stacked against a wall, a wooden boat trailer parked on sand for the winter: termites reach all of them from the ground. Keep timber up on blocks or racks, clear the floor along the walls, and ask for the outbuildings to be included in the inspection.

Don't confuse it with borer

Small round holes and fine powder in a floor or a piece of furniture are usually wood borer, not termites. Termites leave no exit holes; they hollow timber from inside and pack the space with soil. If you're not sure which you've got, a photo helps, and our wood borer treatment page explains the other kind.

What it costs

We quote after inspecting, and the figure follows the length of the walls, any under-floor void, the paving to drill and the damage we find. A two-bedroom village cottage and a big waterfront house with a boat shed are very different jobs.

How these termites live is explained in our subterranean termites profile, and the regional picture is on termite control. Groot Brak's other services are on pest control in Groot Brakrivier. If you've found mud tubes or a swarm of winged termites, phone 044 012 5011, or arrange an inspection and we'll look before anything is decided.