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What You Must Know About Termites
Over the years, termites have haunted Americans from coast to coast. Unfortunately, termites are destructive so they can destroy homes in your area within a matter of months. Once termites have taken shelter on your property, they’ll target your home and its value will drop. It doesn’t help that termites are social creatures so they’re going to live and work together. They work as a team to find food, build colonies, and build new colonies.
Why do termites destroy home? Well, the termite eats cellulose. Although it is found in plants, cellulose is also found in lumber, paper, cardboard, furniture, and cotton fibers. Since they eat lumber, they will eat the wood used to build your home. If you don’t address your termite infestation quickly, the problem will expand and your home will be destroyed. You’ll also need to worry about termite mounds.
Once you’ve found termite mounds around your property, the colony has overgrown and the termites are starting to spread. Some termites will burrow in wood. Look for small mud tubes because termites use them to access food sources near their colonies.
Finally, you’ll find that Subterranean termites are the most concerning since they’re responsible for 95% of the damage done to American homes. Termites cause roughly $2 billion damage to American properties each year. Subterranean termites are responsible for 95% of that damage.
Termite Colonies & Classes
It is pertinent to understand that each termite colony has several member classes. For instance, the colony on your property will have a queen, king, workers, and soldiers. Below, you will learn more about these classes and how they help the colony thrive.
Queen Termites
First and foremost, you’ll have queen termites. The queen is one of the first members of the colony because it produces other members. It will work with a king termite to reproduce and create more soldiers, workers, and swarmers. The queen termite is always the largest member of the colony. She is so large that she requires assistance from hundreds of worker termites to move through the tunnels.
King Termites
King and queen termites are immensely important because they work together to build a termite colony. The king will spend his days reproducing with the female so the colony has plenty of workers and soldiers.
Worker Termites
Worker termites can grow up to 10mm long and they have soft bodies. They’re light with many people saying they resemble a grain of rice. A colony would not be able to survive without worker termites. It would be impossible since worker termites do most of the work. They help build shelter, tunnels, and tubes. In addition to this, they will search for food, feed other termites, care for eggs, and groom other colony members.
If something needs to be done, the workers will get it done.
Soldier Termites
Soldier termites are important because they protect the colony from invaders. A soldier termite has a long head, strong jaws, and no wings. They’re similar to worker termites because their bodies are soft and white. They protect the colony from ants and other predators.
Reproductives
Finally, the queen will produce winged reproductives which are also referred to as swarmers. They’re important because they take the colony to new locations. Swarmers or reproductives develop wings that allow them to travel a good stance from their colony. Then, they will develop new colonies.
A termite colony will house countless worker termites, soldier termites, and swarmer termites. However, it will have only one king and queen.
Which Termites Are In Our Service Area?
Ultimately, there might be more termites in our service area. However, the most common termite in our area is the Subterranean termite. Below, readers will learn more about this termite species.
Basic Understanding
First, you’ll want to gain a basic understanding of the Subterranean termite. These colonies usually live in underground nests. Subterranean termite colonies have several classes, including workers, soldiers, swarmers, kings, and queens. As a result, you can identify the class by looking at the termite. Workers and soldiers tend to reach the same lengths, but soldiers have longer heads and stronger jails. As for swarmers, they can reach half an inch.
What Do Subterranean Termites Do?
Subterranean termites prefer living in underground colonies, but they may have living quarters in moist areas above ground. These termites can build and use mud tubes to reach food to protect themselves from risks. Subterranean termites consume cellulose which is found in lumber, plants, and cotton. By the time spring comes, the colony will have swarmers that will move the colony to new locations.
Their Primary Threats
Although Subterranean termites can be eliminated, they could destroy your home too. They have jaws that work like saws. They can use their jaws to chew through wood. Before you know it, your home will be unsafe and your wood furniture will be worthless. If you don’t take steps to fix this issue, the termites will rapidly cause severe property damage.
Identifying Differences Between Flying Termites And Flying Ants
Flying ants and flying termites are similar, but there are some differences that you can easily identify. First and foremost, you will find that termites have equal wings. The front and back wings of the flying termite are the same length. They can be broken from the termite’s body easily. As for flying ants, they’re not the same size but they’re more durable.
Another difference is the wait. Flying ants have bodies like ants since they’re pinched in the middle. Flying termites have thicker waists. You can also identify the insect by looking at the antennas. Flying ants have antennas with elbows while termites have straight antennas.
Things To Know About Termites
- When it comes to eating, termites never stop. The worker termites eat around the clock and feed the cellulose to other termites.
- A colony is not going to move away on its own. A colony can stick around for as long as 50 or 70 years.
- If you have a termite infestation, your termite colony may have as many as half a million termites.
- Since termites can help deal with decaying wood, they can be beneficial to Mother Nature.
- Subterranean and other termite species need access to water. If they don’t have water, they will die.
- When moving and living above ground, termites will use moist mud tunnels.
- Ants can kill termites. Termite soldiers have to fight ants to prevent them from destroying their colonies.
- By working with a qualified exterminator, you can eliminate your entire termite colony.
- Although the world is home to 2,000 species, Americans primarily have to worry about Subterranean termites.
- Alaska is the only American state that won’t be impacted by Subterranean termites.
- They don’t eat concrete.
- Worker termites are responsible for feeding the entire colony. They eat and digest cellulose before regurgitating it to other termites.
Do Termites Pose Risks To Humans?
Ultimately, termites are not dangerous to humans. Even if you encounter termites, they won’t bite you and they can’t transmit diseases to humans. They shouldn’t bother your pets either. However, you have to worry about your physical assets. Your home is made of wood so termites are going to destroy your home. It doesn’t take long for termites to chew through the wood and make your home unsafe. Fix the problem or your home will be worthless before you know it.
Eliminate Termites Around Your Home
Once you’ve discovered termites around your property, you can’t delay the problem. You need to act quickly to get rid of the termites because the problem destroys your most valuable asset. The good news is that you can fix this problem as long as you work with a high-quality exterminator. Although termites are fragile and weak, getting rid of them is not easy. You’ll have to use dangerous chemicals. Plus, there is a risk that you’re not going to wipe out the entire colony. If you don’t, your termites are going to recover and continue destroying your home. Work with our professional exterminators to fix the problem before it worsens.
Eradicating Termites On My Own
Many homeowners prefer taking problems on their own. They understand that they can save money by fixing the problem with DIY solutions. Nevertheless, many fail to understand the risks involved. DIY termite treatments are ineffective and unsafe. Is it worth the risk to save a little money? We don’t think so. We’ll do our best to minimize the price of our services. Contact us to learn more about our termite solutions.
When Can Your Termite Exterminator Start?
Contact our office right now. Schedule an appointment and you’ll hear back from us in 48 hours or sooner.
The Safety Of Your Termite Treatments
Our company would never use dangerous chemicals in your home. We want to make sure that you’re protected. To achieve this goal, we’ll use EPA-registered products to eliminate the termites impacting your home. We do this because EPA-registered solutions are safe and effective. They will not pose a risk to humans, plants, or animals. They’ll get rid of the termites but they won’t harm anyone. Want to learn more about our termite solutions? Contact us and find out.
- Prevent water from pooling near the foundation of your home. Make sure your downspouts and gutters are working properly.
- Take care of leaky faucets and water pipes.
- Check and reduce the humidity levels in your basement, attic, and crawlspaces.
- Never store firewood close to your home. Place it 20 feet away from the home and elevate it off of the ground.
- Mulch should be placed at least 15 inches away from your home’s foundation.
- Check your home’s foundation regularly. Be sure to look for mud tubes, bubbling paint, and other signs of termites.
- If you’ve found termites around your home, pick up the phone and call us.
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