How far a pest inspection reaches into the yard
Queensland’s building regulator (the QBCC) describes the standard’s inspection as reaching within the house and across the surrounding property to 30 metres from the building.
The same booklet says most infestations occur at the perimeter of a building.
LOOK visual. TAP non-marking sounding. MOISTURE content of materials. QBCC’s words for the standard.
The band, 0 to 30 m
0 m, against the wall Garden beds and mulch built up against the wall. Materials stacked against the wall. 30 m, the band’s edge (QBCC) The surrounding property within 30 metres of the building, in QBCC’s account of the standard. Near the building, no stated distance Paving that sends water towards the house. Trees or bush near the building.The house, enlarged
Roof space roof timbers inside the timber: not inspected Rooms skirting boards, architraves, cornices, the wet rooms inside the walls: not inspected Subfloor piers or stumps and ant caps, the slab edge on a slab floor, termites are more likely to go undetectedWhose 30 metres it is
That figure is the QBCC’s account of AS 4349.3, given for Queensland readers. It is one regulator’s description of a national standard.
Inside the number, the reading method is fixed: a visual inspection, with non-marking sounding and a check on moisture content. Nothing in it opens ground or lifts a slab.
The band’s conditions
The Victorian Building Authority’s tips for avoiding termite damage land at the wall itself: garden beds and mulch built up against it, and materials stacked against it, both give termites a way in that is hard to notice.
| Where | What is named there |
|---|---|
| Against the wall | Garden beds and mulch built up against walls, and materials stacked against them. |
| In the drained ground | Dampness that looks discoloured or stained, poor drainage, and paving that sends water towards the house. |
| Near the building | Areas near trees or bush, where the QBCC’s booklet says inspections may be needed more often than yearly. |
| At the band’s edge | 30 metres from the building, which is where the QBCC’s description of the standard ends. |
Colonies can reach past 30 metres
The Victorian Building Authority puts a colony’s reach well past the band. It says termites re-infest regularly, with several nests joined to the one colony, and that this happens within a radius of more than 50 metres.
Its advice is to check trees, wood piles and garden beds within 50 metres of the home for signs of a colony nearby.
What happens after the inspection
Queensland’s advice for the years after an inspection is regular checking, at least every 12 months or more often in high risk areas.
The QBCC’s page on protecting a home from termites puts the owner’s own part plainly: inspect the management system regularly, and hire a licensed pest controller to inspect and report on the property every year.
Victoria’s building regulator: the Victorian Building Authority’s guide to termites gives the 50 metre radius, and the tips for the wall.