‘Bit of a problem’: Termites on the rise in East Lismore

Lismore residents are discovering what pest controllers know well - termites are on the move in the embattled city after the floods.

The Northern Rivers has dealt with the calamities of bushfires, Covid, lockdowns and disastrous flooding. Now another curveball has hit the town. Termites.

Pest controllers say there has been an increase in termite activity in Lismore due to the floods.

After heavy sustained rainfall and lingering damp, the insects have been attracted to building timber and tree debris left after the floodwaters subsided.

Lismore locals have recalled finding termites in mulch for their gardens and in places where they thought they would never see them.

Evan Lannoy from Richmond River Pest Services said there is an increased amount of termite activity in East Lismore.

“Sometimes they’ll just pop up,” Mr Lannoy said, “Often people don’t get checks done so they don’t know they have them.”

He said there used to be a lot of termite activity along Ballina Road, and that the insects will seek out wet or damp areas to nest.

“They’ll chew through hardwood, softwood, particleboard, and they’ll actually nest in foam too, because of the moisture in it,” Mr Lannoy said.

Georgina Johanson, a retired registered nurse of Lismore, was cleaning what she thought were cobwebs only to have wood split and burst with termites.

Retired registered nurse Georgina Johanson faced a scene from a Stephen King novel when she went to clean what she thought were cobwebs, only to poke the bear and be covered in termites instead.

The East Lismore family that narrowly escaped floodwater inundation was shocked to find the termites in their kitchen walls.

“I poked through the timber and they poured out all over the bench,” Mrs Johanson said.

With five family members living in the Spring Street home, Ms Johanson said it’s the first time she has seen termites in her home.

“I get the place checked regularly,” she said, “We have never seen them here before.”

The Johansons’ home was only three doors up from where the floods ran out of puff, yet the whole area has remained damp for months.

“We are concerned about the homes that went under water and are now vacant,” Ms Johanson said.

Pest controllers have been to her home to treat the area and it will be a nerve-racking two weeks before they know the extent of the damage.

A shard of timber that fell out of the ceiling architrave in an East Lismore home.

Wayne Dorey from Jim’s Pest Control Lismore said there is definitely an increase in termite activity in the region.

“It’s been caused by all the wetter weather we’ve had this year and causing a lot more moisture in the ground so termites are naturally attracted to moisture and that’s giving them a lot more free rein to be more active than they normally have been in the past,” Mr Dorey said.

He said it was crucial for termites to be found early before they do any structural damage.

“It’s more so if they’re left untreated and not found out until it’s too late … it can mean serious repairs and depending on the structure of the building what would need to be replaced and redone for their safety.”

He said residents should look for any timber inside the house where paint might be peeling or bubbling or where grout is lifting up from tiles.

Mr Dorey said people should take photos and show a pest controller, as that will make it easier for a professional to determine what the problem is and how best to treat it before it becomes a major issue.

Ms Johanson said she wasn’t sure their insurance would cover termite damage.

“People need to know, there are a lot of vacant homes that could have termites in them,” she said.

“This is the last thing people up here need.”