Termites can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare, eating away at the structure of your home. These nasty, winged insects are slow eaters, but extremely destructive. It’s essential that you treat the infestation without delay. They are the worst kind of pest to have in a home, literally eating your home out from underneath you. So, don’t procrastinate on treating a termite infestation, or you’ll end up without a home.
Proper extermination is an important factor in making sure you keep your home safe and sound. One of the first steps is to determine which species of these nasty critters are destroying your home. It would be much better if there was only one kind, but life usually isn’t that easy. So, grab a flashlight and find out where those loathsome buggers are hiding.
Track down the location of Infestation
Lightly knock on support and floor beams, columns and wooden furniture. There may be termite damage if you hear a hollow sound.
Check the sturdiness of suspicious wood. If the wood breaks easily or disintegrates, its possible it may have an infestation. Look for pellet droppings.
Inspect the wood for signs of mud tracks, or wings left behind from the munching insects. Often, the structure will also have swarms of termites.
So what Kind of termites are they?
Hopefully, these tips will aid you in finding out if you have an infestation. There are two common specimens of termites that you should be looking for: drywood and subterranean. Subterranean termites are the culprits that cause the most damage in the United States. Drywood types are more common in the southern coastal states, specifically states such as California, Texas, Florida and Louisiana.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites will infest the wood of your home (structure and foundation), and all forms of outside soil. In order to survive, these pests need plenty of moisture and safety of cramped living quarters. They will construct a network of protective mud tubes and tunnels throughout any visible zones. In general, they have large swarms and can cause more damage than drywood termites.
The swarming termites of subterranean colonies look like flying ants with wings as detailed in this picture. Notice that the wood being damaged in the background. Subterranean eat the soft celluslose material in between the grain of the wood. The flying termites while looking like ants have distinct differences. Ants have a pinched waist and torso while the termite is straight bodied. Please notice below that the worker caste looks similar to both species of termite.
The Difference between ants and termites in general
Drywood Termites
Drywood termites don’t need any moisture to survive, and they live within the wood. Colonies are usually smaller than subterranean, inhabiting wood that is dry and without decay. They dig up massive compartments in the wood, connecting them with a series of passageways. You can often detect activity because of the wood and fecal material present.