Termites are some of the most detestable insects in the world. They invade and destroy millions of homes, and cause American’s billions of dollars each year. Most people don’t realize that there is more than one type of termite, and that they all have different characteristics and habits. There are three major types of termites living in the United States, who are categorized as drywood, subterranean, and Formosan. The subterranean and drywood termites are more common than the Formosan.

They might be different types, but all termites survive by ingesting cellulose found in wood and wood products. Termites live in organized social colonies like those of ants; their colonies consist of workers, soldiers, winged termites, and king and queen termites. Workers are responsible for taking care of the young and the construction and maintenance of the colony. Solider termites act as defenders of the colonies, as they defend them from intruders, which are primarily ants. The winged termites act as secondary offspring producers to the queen once the colony grows larger than the queen can supply. The king and queen are necessary to form a new colony, as they assist each other in finding a new location and in producing the population of a termite colony.  

The subterranean termite (also known as soil-feeding termite) is the most common termite in the United States. Subterranean termites feed on wood, paper, cotton, and tree and shrub roots. The regions they inhabit, which include Eastern, Western, and Desert subterranean termites, commonly identify these termites. Eastern subterranean colonies can have 20,000 to five million termites, with an average of about 30,000 termites in a colony. These termite colonies can be found in many sections of a building, and evidence of an infestation includes mud tubes, termite tunnels, and translucent termite wings. There are some Eastern subterranean termites that may exist above ground, and their colonies may live up to 30 years.

Western subterranean termites are most common in the western half of the North America. The western subterranean termites are able to enter structures through cracks less than 1/16 of an inch wide in pipes, concrete, and foundations. It is common for western subterranean termites to build their termite nests and lay their eggs in the ground below the frost line above rock and water tables. The most common sign of a western subterranean termite infestation is swarming behavior and termite tunnels. These termites cause damage to basements or at the ground level of a home, and often prefer urban areas and in warm climates. The desert subterranean termites are found in dry climates, such as northwestern Mexico, southern California, and southern Arizona. The desert subterranean termites have slender straight mandibles compared to the curved, thicker mandibles of most subterranean termites. These termites build narrow six to 12 inch mud tubes that hang from ceilings, shelves, and overhangs.  

Drywood termites live in drywood, which gives them their name. A drywood termite infestation can occur in any dry wood piece of furniture from picture frames to flooring. There are more than 400 drywood termite species in the world, but there are only a few types in the United States. Powder-post termites inhabit the southeast and middle parts of the country, and the western drywood termite can most commonly found in the southwest. Drywood termite colonies are relatively small, and there are often multiple drywood termite colonies in the same home. These termites don’t feed on soil, and instead build large tunnels across the wood grain.

Formosan termites can be found in the southern part of the U.S. and Hawaii, and it is often called the “super termite” because of its ability to consume large amounts of wood quickly. An adult colony of Formosan termites can consume as much as 13 ounces of wood per day. Formosan termites can cause damage after the swarming season, and even attack non-wood materials like plastic, plaster, and metal. These termites create structure damage to a building by using their own feces and saliva to build hard termite nests in the walls, causing them to bulge.

Related posts:

1. What Wood You Do About Termites? Do-It-Yourself Treatments
2. Ant Pest Control Can Have You Crying Uncle
3. Telling Signs that You May Have a Termite Infestation
4. Atlanta Pest Control Companies
5. Ease the Sting of Fire Ants with Bait and Insecticide

Give us your rating of this article below!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS