What is a termite?
A termite is best described as a wood destroying insect. They are sometimes mistakenly referred to as white ants, but they are far from it. There are three different types of termites which are damp wood, dry wood, and subterranean. Damp wood termites generally tend to live in areas that are heavily forested, where as dry wood termites live in really dry wood and are much more rare in the United States. Subterranean are the most destructive of termites and they require a moist environment and are usually found living in the soil.
Termite reproduction
Basically, all termites start as eggs, and all eggs are capable of developing into any caste. King and queen termites swarm in the summers in large groups of thousands in search of a mate. The two mates have a mild courtship dance, and then begin to start their own colony. The male or king shares the labor with the queen as she is fertilized and ready to begin having baby termites. The first year of laying eggs the queen can have anywhere from a hundred to thousands of eggs a day. The two care for the first few generations until there are enough young or workers to help the two. When hatched into larvae, the young termites can become workers or soldiers depending on the pheromones and temperatures the eggs are exposed to. The workers are the sole providers in the colony’s division of labor and it relies on them to care for all of the feeding, maintains order of the young and developing babies, and foraging. The workers and soldiers can be male or female; it doesn’t matter because both are sterile. The population of the colony will continue adding massive numbers for about five years, then the queen will have her first reproductive young kings and queens. They will mature and prepare to swarm and leave to start another colony in the summer. The cycle continues over and over.
Danger of Termites
Termites do an estimated five billion dollars in damage each year, but termites can be controlled. Out of the pest that homeowners face, there are none as costly and as damaging as termites. Termites feed on the organic materials in wood and plants, on cellulose which means they can literarily eat your house so you need to get rid of them fast, termites can infest your house by air and through the ground. Here are the types of termites that you may find in your home.
- Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites do more damage as compared to other termites and require different treatment methods. They live in the soil and build one of the largest nests. They are connected via trees and structural timbers in houses. They destroy woods and home at a fast pace.
- Dampwood Termites
They are mostly found in woods that has high moisture content. These termites are seldom found in homes. This is because homes have wood that do not have moisture content in it. They also do not require contact with the soil and are mostly found in damp woods.
- Drywood Termites
They are typically found in wood, hardwood floors and timber. They do not require contact with the soil. These species are responsible for damage to homes. Drywood termites tend to be the most common as they live and consume wood within the home. They cause damage slowly as compared to the subterranean termites.
No matter where your home may be located, any or all of these types of termites may be present.
These are some of the ways you can control termites in your home
- Use a wet cardboard trap.
- Use chemical treatment
- Sunlight will typically kill termites
- Surround your house with pesticide that will poison termites upon contact
- Clear their food sources
- Remove mulch from around the home
- For immediate evacuation contact EOA pest control today we will be glad to help you eliminate this unwanted Pest from your home or offices
