Tree stumps and garden sleepers
Old stumps and untreated timber edging recorded on a Pakenham building and pest inspection.
In short: Termites forage a long way underground. A stump in the yard can be where they start.
Stumps as nests
A buried tree stump is a common site for a termite colony. From a nest they can forage underground for 50 metres or more looking for timber.
What we found
In a Pakenham garden an old stump sat in a bed close to the house, and untreated timber edging ran beside the walls.
Timber in soil
Untreated or non durable timber in contact with soil is easy food. Garden sleepers, edging and old fence posts all count.
Moisture helps them
Taps and hot water units leaking at the wall keep the ground damp, which termites need. We recorded both on the same property.
What to do
Remove or treat stumps, replace untreated timber near the house with durable material and fix leaks.
Written by our local inspection team from work carried out in Pakenham. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
