POLE INSPECTOR
Over 20 years experience in the field and ready to share
What do pests and bushfires have in common? Bushfires can be started from a pest infestation.
You may wonder how this is possible but essentially once a termite army attacks a timber power pole, the results can be devastating. If treatment is not applied soon enough the integrity of an entire pole can be compromised and ultimately fail.
Therefore a qualified person, experienced in the power industry and in pest management, needs to be engaged to provide regular inspection and maintenance.
Many consumers use poles that have not been properly treated or rated for the intended use, such as power or telecommunication poles. Unrated poles, although they may appear suitable, are in fact referred to in the industry as bush poles. These poles are especially susceptible to termite infestation, depending on the species of the timber, since no pre-treatments prior to installation have been implemented.
How are poles treated for pests? Now days generally most poles are recommended to be treated prior to or immediately post installation. Up on close inspection by a qualified inspector, it is discovered that the pole has been attacked by a destructive termite species then urgent intervention is required. Generally, the eradication is dependent on the type of pole and species of termites. The process generally used in the industry includes bait, dust and liquid termiticides. Many of these methods although powerful do require multiple treatment over a period time to gain the greatest effect. It is also important to consider that most of the treatments can be very costly and over an extended period of time it may be more cost effective to replace the asset with a termite immune pole, such as a composite fibre or equivalent structure.
To ensure your power poles are not compromised by pests and thus achieve the longest service life, we recommend that you contact our team today and organise for a full pole inspection by our certified pole inspector.