Remove Tree Stumps to Reduce Your Termite Risk

Having been stump grinding in Brisbane for almost 18 years, we’ve seen our fair share of termites!

These pesky wood-munchers are one of our most prevalent pests in Australia. They cause more damage to Aussie homes than fire, floods and storms combined. While you would assume they would be most rife in rural areas, Brisbane is in the red zone of very high incidences of termites.

If you want to avoid a costly termite problem, you can either hightail it to Tasmania, or do your best to keep tempting termite attractors away from your property. If there’s any dead wood or tree stumps on your Brisbane property…you need them removed. In Brisbane stump grinding is an important preventive exercise, i’ll explain why; but first? Termites….

Types of Termites
around Brisbane

There are thousands of species of termite. Of the 10% that are known to cause serious destruction, there are three main categories to look out for.

Drywood Termites

Aptly named, these guys love to feed on any type of dry wood. They don’t particularly need moisture for their 2,500 strong colony to thrive. They love infesting hardwood floors, they’ll turn your bookshelf into a shell of its former self. If that’s not frightening enough – they even get stuck into wallpaper, plastic and plant derived fabric. Yikes.

Subterranean Termites

These sneaky fellas are known to build colonies of two million members. TWO MILLION critters about half the size of a match head can cause major structural property damage very quickly. Because they live in the ground they are seldom spotted until they have begun to literally eat your house down. Subterranean termites have been known to destroy walls and roofing timbers of a newly constructed home in just three months.

Formosan Termites

If you think the subterranean termite sounded horrific, let me introduce you to the “super termite.” I hope you never meet one; because if you do, there could be 10,000 more of the most destructive and aggressive of the termite species. With each ant commonly consuming almost half a kilo of wood per day, they are certainly capable of destroying a home within months.

How do they make their way to your home?

Dead wood equals termite magnet. It’s the perfect environment for these destructive mini beasts to thrive. Tree stumps are a common culprit that often become a termite hotel. As your tree stump begins to decay it becomes soft and moist, the perfect nesting site for a termite colony.

Dead roots running underneath your lawn serve as an underground highway which can lead these ruthless pests straight to the foundation of your home, thus putting your house at risk. All too often we don’t realise we have a termite problem until it’s far too late and extensive damage has occurred behind the scenes.

DJ’s stump grinding to the rescue

Now that you’re probably sufficiently terrified of termites I’ll offer a preventative solution. Dead or problem trees on your property should certainly be cut down; but you’re not done yet. You should have the stump professionally ground or removed. We use specialist machinery to grind and chomp through complex root ball systems to ensure dead roots don’t lead termites merrily to your doorstep.

There is no comparison to the cost of removing a stump thoroughly vs the cost of repairing your home following a termite infestation. Why take the risk? Get in touch today for a free inspection and quote to improve the look of your yard, and help protect your home.