Finding Termites With Thermal Imaging Cameras

Ken James and David Rice

Termicam Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia

ABSTRACT

State of the art thermal imaging technology is being used to locate termite infestations in buildings and houses.

Termicam is a company using this technology to inspect houses and locate termite infestations. This technology

gives homeowners visible proof of termite infestation and a record of how great the problem is. Owners can often be

unaware of the extent of any termite problems in their homes and may be over-charged by operators who do not

accurately identify the termite problems and subsequent treatment.

Keywords:

Termites, thermal imaging, white ants, Termicam, inspection

1.

INTRODUCTION

Termites are a huge problem because they eat wood and damage houses and buildings. Detection is difficult and

traditional methods rely on knocking on wood. Thermal imaging cameras are being used to successfully locate

termites in buildings in a non-destructive manner.

In the United States termites cause enormous economic damage to buildings. The most important termites are

subterranean termites of the family Rhinotermitidae are those most commonly injuring structures (Metcalf and

Metcalf 1993). Another foreign termite invader is causing major problems in the southern states. The Formosan

termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, was introduced into Hawaii in 1906 and into Houston, Texas, in 1965.

Finding termites can be difficult, yet knowing where they are located is important when deciding on the correct

eradication program. The traditional method is to simply tap on the wood with the back of a screwdriver, or to poke

holes in walls or even pull them apart. There are some new technologies that aid termite detection, using moisture

meters, sound or even microwaves, but none of these offers the advantages of thermal imaging.

Thermal imaging cameras offer a new, high technology detection system that is quick, effective, and does not

require any damage to houses such as drilling.

2.

HEAT PATTERNS OF TERMITES IN BUILDINGS

Thermal imaging technology detects heat patterns. When termites invade buildings, the normal heat patterns of the

walls, floors and roof are changed due the presence of termites. The thermal imaging camera records this change in

heat pattern and indicates the exact location of any termite infestation. A color image shows hot spots as red or

yellow and cold spots as blue or purple and these heat patterns indicate termite infestations. The operator is trained

to interpret the images and understands the building construction and can analyze the image.

The images in Figure 1 below are an example of how thermal images from an infrared camera can detect heat

patterns and can be compared to visible images to identify the location of a termite infestation. The images were

taken in a house in Australia, in May 2002 during an inspection and show the top section of a doorway. The normal

visible image taken with a conventional camera does not indicate any termite activity but a thermal imaging camera

reveals a hot spot that shows as yellow in the top right hand corner of the door jam. This is where the termites were

very active and had eaten away most of the wood material. This technology allowed an early detection of the termite

problem, and eradication could proceed before the damage was too great, thus saving the owner thousands of dollars

in repairs at some future date.