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Home / World

‘Leave now’: Aussie homeowner’s alarming find on doorstep

By Belinda Palmada
news.com.au·
7 Jan, 2023 07:49 PM2 mins to read

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An Aussie homeowner became desperate for help online after they made an alarming discovery on their doorstep. Photo / Reddit/lottic

An Aussie homeowner became desperate for help online after they made an alarming discovery on their doorstep. Photo / Reddit/lottic

An Australian homeowner became desperate for help online after they made an alarming discovery on their doorstep.

Searching for answers, the Sydney resident took to Reddit and shared an image of “thousands” of insects on their front doormat.

“Woke up to thousands of these insects dead at my front door. What are they?” they posted on Monday.

“Believe it or not, there’s a lovely welcome doormat under all that.”

Some users were baffled by the photo, suggesting that the homeowner leave their residence now.

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“I don’t know, but leave now,” one person wrote.

“Idk but personally I would just move houses,” another said.

“A f**king sign to move house!” a third jokingly wrote.

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“Move out bro,” a fourth said.

Others said the insects were termites and shared their own recent experiences.

“To me, they signify the first day of summer. I never knew they were termites though,” one person wrote.

“Damn I woke up to a bunch of these on my bed the other night when I had the window open for the breeze,” another said.

A pest controller chimed into the conversation, saying the resident may have a nest nearby their house.

“You likely have a termite nest in/around your structure and without a doubt one within your property,” they wrote.

“That quantity indicates a nest very close by.

“This time of year a handful is normal but that many is concerning. An inspection as soon as possible is needed.”

Sydney University Professor Dieter Hochuli told 7NEWS termites are an “iconic sign” of hot, humid summer days, combined with a few storms.

He said the insects are “thriving” in many parts of Sydney.

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“If you live in these areas it’s really important to get regular inspections and stop little problems from becoming big problems,” he told the outlet.

“It doesn’t mean that you need to use a lot of very toxic chemicals around your house, there are a lot of treatments that are environmentally friendly and very effective, and things like good underfloor ventilation are also useful for creating places termites don’t want to be.”

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