Australia has hundreds of termite species, but three cause almost every job our Sydney team attends. Getting the identification right decides whether you need a chemical soil treatment, a termite baiting program or direct injection. Our technicians assess the soil type, the building structure and the damp conditions before recommending any termite management system. Tap any termite below to see how the treatment works.
Highest risk in Sydney
Coptotermes acinaciformis causes the overwhelming majority of termite damage across Sydney, NSW. The colony sits underground, often 50 metres or more from the house, and foraging termites travel to the building through soil and mud to reach the framing. Worker termites do all the feeding, carrying cellulose back to the queen and the nest. Termite control for this species means a chemical barrier of Termidor HE around the concrete slab and perimeter, or a Sentricon bait system installed in-ground. Fipronil transfers between termites through grooming and contact, which is what eliminates the entire nest rather than the workers you can see.
Localised damage
Drywood termites live entirely inside the dry wood they eat, with no soil contact, which is why a general pest inspection often misses them. They favour roof framing, hardwood floors, furniture and door jambs. The giveaway is frass, small six-sided pellets pushed out through tiny holes, or timber that sounds hollow when tapped. Because there is no ground connection, a soil barrier does nothing here. We treat drywood with direct injection into the galleries, an insect growth regulator where the infestation has spread through a building, and fumigation in severe cases. Damaged sections usually need repairs once the termite colony is dead.
Moisture-driven
Dampwood termites need wood that is already wet or rotting, so they turn up wherever high humidity and water meet untreated timber: leaking bathrooms, blocked pipes, poor sub-floor ventilation, garden stumps and old landscaping sleepers. They cause less widespread damage than other termites, but their presence tells you the ideal conditions for a bigger problem already exist. We treat the active nest, then walk you through the moisture repairs that prevent the next termite infestation. Left alone, dampwood activity often runs alongside a subterranean colony in the same wet wood.
A federation house in the Inner West with a suspended timber floor faces different termite pressure to a warehouse on a concrete slab or a block of apartments in the Hills District. We assess the entire property, the construction type and the surrounding landscaping before choosing a method. Our comprehensive pest management plans are designed around what your building actually needs, not a fixed package at a fixed price.
Termites are the biggest uninsured risk to any home in Sydney, and most policies exclude the damage completely. Our residential termite control covers the sub-floor, roof space, garage, fences and external perimeter, with an annual check recommended for every Sydney house. Where we find active termites, we install a chemical barrier or a bait system, then send you a written report covering what we found and what to check next. Pre-purchase pest inspection is available for anyone buying, usually turned around the same day.
For offices, hotels, warehouses, retail premises, schools and strata properties, undetected termite activity is an asset problem long before it becomes a pest problem. Our commercial pest control program provides scheduled inspections, a termite reticulation system where slab access is limited, and compliance-ready documentation for facility audits. Strata properties receive building-wide reporting, so the committee can see exactly where termite protection is installed and when the next inspection falls due. After-hours access keeps disruption to your business at zero.
Termites work quietly for years before anything shows on the surface, so early detection is the cheapest protection you will ever buy. If you notice any of the signs below, do not disturb the workings, because breaking into a gallery scatters the nest and makes the treatment harder. Ring us, and we will inspect the property properly.
Pencil-thin tubes of dried mud running up brickwork, foundations, sub-floor piers or inside wall cavities are the clearest sign of subterranean activity. The mud lead is a protected highway between the nest and the timber, built from soil particles and saliva. Break a small section open and check it a week later. If it has been repaired, termites are still working in the building.
Tap along skirting boards, architraves, door frames and structural timbers. Termites feed from the inside out and leave the painted surface intact, so wood that sounds papery or thinner than it should is a strong signal. A moisture meter and thermal imaging confirm what tapping suggests, without cutting the wall open to find out.
Reproductive termites, called alates, swarm in spring and shed their wings once they land. Small piles of identical translucent wings on window sills, light fittings and floor corners mean a colony is either inside your house or very close to it. Finding them indoors is the point at which most Sydney homeowners ring us.
Drywood termites push their droppings, known as frass, out through small holes in infested timber, leaving tiny piles of six-sided pellets below. Paint that looks blistered, rippled or dimpled often hides damage directly beneath the surface. Both point to a termite presence you cannot see from the outside without opening things up.
As termites hollow out the framing, the structure loses strength and shifts. Floors feel spongy underfoot, doors and windows suddenly stick or jam, and fine cracks open in cornices and ceiling lines. By this stage, the termite damage is usually significant, and repairs will be part of the job alongside the treatment.
Talk to our team or book online. We provide same-day termite treatment across Sydney NSW, a fixed cost quoted in writing before we start, and a written 6-month guarantee on every treatment. No callout fee, no obligation, and no pressure to take a service you do not need.
Every termite job runs the same treatment process, scaled to the property. It is built to eliminate the nest rather than knock down what is visible, which is the difference between long-term protection and a repeat visit next season. Thorough, evidence-based, and backed in writing.
Your pest manager works through the sub-floor, roof space, internal rooms and external perimeter, using thermal imaging cameras and a moisture meter to detect colonies behind plaster. We identify the species, map the workings, and assess the soil type and drainage feeding them. You then receive a detailed written report with photographs, and a fixed cost for the recommended treatment. Nothing starts until you have read the detail and approved it.
The method follows the species and how the building is constructed. That may be a chemical barrier using a non-repellent active ingredient such as Termidor HE, an in-ground bait system that carries a growth regulator back to the queen, direct injection into infested timber, or a termite reticulation system installed under a slab. Products are applied at label rates by fully insured technicians and are safe for re-entry once dry, including for cats and dogs.
Termites need monitoring, not a one-off spraying. We book regular follow-up inspections, check every bait station, and confirm there is no return of activity inside your guarantee period. You also get practical recommendations on moisture, timber storage, garden beds against the wall and sub-floor ventilation, all of which deter termites from establishing again. Most cases are closed inside one season, and we keep the file so the next visit starts with your full history.
Found mud tubes running up the brick pier under the house and panicked. Apex was on site the same day, identified subterranean termites, and set up a baiting system that knocked the colony out in a few weeks. Clear explanation at every step, fixed price quoted in writing. Highly recommend.
Booked a termite inspection before settling on a home purchase. The technician used thermal imaging and a moisture meter, walked us through the sub-floor and roof void in detail, and gave us a clear written report the same evening. Worth every cent. Saved us from a very expensive surprise.
We had active termites in the timber framing at our warehouse fit-out. Apex did a full barrier treatment, scheduled around our after-hours window so operations were not affected, and gave us the documentation we needed for our compliance file. Professional team, no fuss.
More than a decade in the pest control industry, thousands of Sydney properties behind us, and a team that takes real pride in getting termite jobs right. Termites are the work we treat most seriously, because the cost of missing them lands on your floor rather than your invoice. Here is what you get on every job we quote.
Every technician holds a NSW pest manager licence, works to the Australian Standard, and is fully insured with public liability cover. Credentials go on your invoice. Expert knowledge matters most on termite work, where the wrong call costs you a bearer rather than a weekend.
Products and placement are chosen so the spaces your family uses are safe to return to within the hour. Soil treatments go below ground or against external footings, and bait stations are locked and tamper-resistant, so cats and dogs stay well clear of the active product.
Thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters let us locate termite nests behind plaster without cutting the wall open. That advanced technology means less disruption, fewer holes, and a far more accurate picture of what is happening inside the building structure before we quote a price.
Book before 12 pm and a licensed pest exterminator arrives the same day, anywhere from Penrith to Campbelltown to the Hills District, weekends included. Pre-purchase reports usually reach you the same evening, so a settlement date never slips because of us.
Termite treatment cost in Sydney starts from $89 for the initial inspection, priced on the species, the extent of activity, the method and the size of your house. A chemical barrier on an average home sits well below the cost of replacing a bearer or a wall frame. Your pest manager inspects, then quotes a fixed price in writing before anything starts. There is no callout fee, and a lower price elsewhere usually means a smaller treated zone.
Book before 12 pm and a licensed technician will be on site the same day, weekends included. For anyone buying, we provide a written inspection report the same day or the next morning, so settlement timelines are never held up. If you have found live termites, tell us on the call, and we will make it the first job of the day.
A chemical barrier treats the soil around the building to create a continuous treated zone. Termites that cross it pick up the active ingredient and transfer it through the colony by contact and grooming. Termite baiting works differently: in-ground stations hold a growth regulator that the workers carry back to the nest, which eliminates the queen and the rest of the nest over a few months. Slab type, soil type and accessible area decide which suits your property.
Yes. Soil treatments go below ground or against external footings where nobody walks, and bait stations are locked and tamper-resistant. Everything we apply is approved for residential use and applied at label rates by licensed technicians. Surfaces are safe once dry, usually within the hour, and your technician will explain the re-entry time before leaving the site.
The Australian Standard strongly recommends an annual check for properties in higher-risk areas, which covers virtually all of Sydney. Homes in heavily timbered or moisture-prone suburbs, and any house with prior termite history, are better on a six-month schedule. A regular inspection service is the most effective solution for keeping repair bills off the table, because early detection always costs less than structural repairs.
No, and DIY usually makes it worse. Spraying a mud lead or opening a gallery scatters the termites into other parts of the structure, so the next professional inspection has to search a much bigger area. Retail pesticides also kill workers on contact, which stops the transfer effect a professional treatment relies on. Eradicating a colony needs licensed products, the right equipment and the skill to read what a building is telling you.
We do. Alongside termite management, our team handles cockroaches, ants, spiders, bees, rodents and general pest control, often on the same visit where it makes sense. If a technician finds another pest problem during the visit, we note it in the report and quote it separately rather than adding it quietly to the bill.
We cover the whole metropolitan area, from the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs through to Penrith, Campbelltown, Castle Hill and the rest of the Hills District. Termite activity varies a lot across Sydney NSW, and our technicians know which suburbs run high. Tell us your suburb when you ring, and we will confirm the next available time.
Tell us what you have noticed and where. No callout fee, no obligation, and same-day termite pest control if you book before 12 pm. Explore our full range of pest control services, or send the form and we will call you back within the hour with a clear number and the next available date.
