Due to the destruction they cause and the challenge it is to effectively eliminate them, termites are notorious around the world. In damages, they cost homeowners and businesses billions of dollars a year. With hollowed galleries, or tunnels, they erect, the integrity of the wood is weakened as they chew and consume the wood throughout your home. Throughout Kentucky the most common termite is subterranean termites, though there are thousands of different types of termites. With this in mind, we at A-Tex Pest Management would like to take the opportunity to share the fundamentals of subterranean termites.
What Wood Do Termites Prefer to Eat?
These termites will often leave the hard wood in lieu of the softer wood since they prefer the softer areas of wood. However, if necessary, they devour and tunnel through the harder wood as well. The infested timber that is left behind after their foraging resembles a thin shell with honeycomb like layers of hollow sections that subterranean termites will line with compacted damp soil. They do this since they require moist environments and live in dark, damp soil. Through the soil Subterranean termites often make their way inside to the home or business’s foundations.
Three Castes of a Subterranean Termite Colony?
Living inside their nest, subterranean termites are social insects. There are three castes, soldiers, workers, and swarmers, or the reproducers. The queen, who mates with her king to produce the 2,000 fertile eggs she lays a day, grows the colony. After they hatch, the nymph termites are taken care of by the workers and will evolve into adulthood, becoming workers, soldiers, or swarmers.
Swarmer Termites – When they find a new nest to start their own colonies, the young king and queens, the only winged termites, discard their wings to start their own colonies. During the late spring and midsummer is when the swarmers are generally the most active.
Worker Termites – The worker termites are creamy-translucent colored termites that are soft-bodied, and they maintain an efficiently operating colony. They ensure the royals and soldiers are fed, care for the nymphs until maturity, as well as excavate the tunnels, harvest and forage food. Workers wills also make repairs on damaged tunnels, and even groom each other.
Soldier Termites – Soldier termites are the defenders of the colony and are usually fighting the 250-million-year-old feuds with ants. They are armed with mandible pinchers they use in combat and soldiers develop a hard-shell helmet around their heads and are more of an orange color. To ensnare their victims, these fighters first secrete a sticky latex resin and then use their pinchers to crush their enemies. In rare instances when a breech was made and they we will stay on guard while the workers make the repairs, people may catch a glimpse of the soldier termites.
Termite Pest Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
Being closely connected to nearby damaged wood subterranean termites is the mud tubes they construct to reach higher levels, which is a primary red flag you have a termite problem in your home or business. The results could be costly should the infestation grow as they termites continue to multiply. Call A-Tex Pest Management as soon as possible and let our skilled professionals inspect your home or business in the event you believe you have termites or hear a neighbor has had an infestation.
