Termites
Termites are a group of insect that, along with ants and certain bees and wasps, divide labor among gender lines and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and about 10% of the estimated 4,000 termite species are economically significant as pests that can cause major and often very expensive structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.
Termites are generally grouped according to their feeding behaviour. Thus, the commonly used general groupings are subterranean, soil-feeding, drywood, dampwood, and grass-eating. Of these, subterraneans and drywoods are primarily responsible for damage to human-built structures, particularly residential homes.
Due to their wood-eating habits, many termite species can do incredible damage to unprotected buildings and other wooden structures. Their habit of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until wood is severely damaged and the structure exhibits surface changes, which is often too late for some.
Unbeknownst to most, once termites have entered a building, they do not limit themselves to wood. They can also damage paper, cloth, carpets, and other cellulosic materials, such as silicone rubber and acrylics, which are often employed in construction.
When termites have already penetrated a building, the first action is generally to destroy the colony with insecticides before eliminating the termites’ entrance point and fixing the problems that encouraged them in the first place. Termite baits (feeder stations) with small quantities of disruptive insect hormones or other very slow acting toxins have become the preferred least-toxic management tool in most countries.
No other group of land animals has more members than the class Insects. More than 900,000 species exist, and additional species are identified every day. The following are several facts about the most commonly found insects in the home. When the temperature is below freezing, insects and other cold-blooded animals cannot be active. Some, like monarchs, migrate to escape the cold temperatures. But even in the dead of winter in the far north, many insects are still alive. Some are very active!
Where?
Many are hiding and even eating a little bit in microhabitats that aren’t as cold as the open air. They can be in such places as:
Outside:
Wood Piles (Termites and Ants) Around Dumpsters (mice and Rats) Garage (Mud Tubes, Mouse Droppings, Swarmers)
Inside:
Under Sinks (mouse droppings) Along Wall baseboards (termite Damage)Closets (small brown moths) Cracks around sinks (black spots = roaches)
What about Termites?
Some warning signs that you may have a termite problem include:
Exterior Examination
- Mud tubes connecting soil to wood
- Hollowed wood beneath a finished surface
- Discoloration behind paint or wallpaper
- Swarming termites, live workers or discarded wings
- Examine the foundation of the structure, garage for shelter tubes coming from the soil.
- Pay particular attention to attached porches, connecting patios, sidewalks, areas near kitchens or bathrooms and narrowly confined or hard-to-see places.
- Check the soil moisture around or under the foundation to determine if faulty grade construction creates moist areas next to the structure.
- Check window and door frames and where utilities (air conditioning pipes, gas and electric services) enter the structure for termite infestation or wood decay.
- Observe roof eaves and guttering closely for defects that might cause leakage and eventual wood rot. Inspect behind closely planted, dense shrubbery or foliage.
- Note particularly any earth-to-wood contact such as fences, stair carriages or trellises.
- Open and examine any exterior electrical meter or fuse boxes set into the walls, a common point for infestation.
- Carefully inspect wood next to swimming pools that may be splashed frequently by water.
Interior Examination
- Probe or carefully sound exterior porches, doors and window facings, baseboards, and hardwood flooring. Be careful not to deface finished wood when probing.
- Carefully examine any attached earth-filled porches.
- Examine all known or suspected joints, cracks or expansion joints in the foundation and unusual blistering in paint or wallboard surfaces. Discoloration or staining on walls or ceilings may indicate water leaks that can decay wood and aid termite infestation. Especially inspect where plumbing or utility pipes enter the foundation or flooring.
- Check the floor covering for raised or split areas.
- Carefully examine the plumbing, particularly in bathrooms on slab construction. There should be access to the bath trap area. If none exists, build a removable plumbing hatch for periodic inspection.
- The floor and the underlying soil (crawl space) (Fig. 5). Examine the inside of the beams, chimney bases, hearths or piers for shelter tubes. Crawl-space construction should have a minimum of 18-inch clearance between floor joists and the underlying soil, and a least 12 inches between floor beams and the soil.
- Examine areas underneath or close to earth-filled porches, patios, planters and bathrooms for water leakage and termite damage. Remedial action may be required to control moisture if water stands underneath the house.
- Look carefully at the top of the foundation wall where the floor and the wall intersect.
- Closely examine plumbing and utility lines passing through the floor of foundation walls.
Formosan Subterranean Termites
The Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) is an extremely invasive species of termite which has been transported across the world from China to Formosa, Taiwan (hence how it got its name) and Japan. In the 20th century they established themselves in the continental United States.
The Formosan subterranean termite is sometimes called the "super termite" because of its rather destructive habits., as a result from them forming huge colonies who have the ability to consume wood at a very fast rate. A single colony may contain several million members (compared with several hundred thousand termites for other subterranean termite species) that forage up to 300 feet down into soil. A mature colony of Formosan termites can consume as much as 13 ounces of wood a day which allows them to severely damage a structure in as little as three months. Because of its population size and foraging range, the presence of a colony poses serious threats to any nearby structures.
Formosan subterranean termites infest a wide variety of structures (from boats to condominiums) and have been known to cause damage to trees. In the United States, they are responsible for incredible damage to property resulting in very expensive treatment and repair costs.
The Formosan subterranean termite acquired its name because it was first described in Taiwan in the early 20th century. In the U.S., they have been reported from eleven states including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Their distribution will probably continue to be restricted to southern areas of the United States because their eggs are unable to hatch at temperatures below 68 °F.
Drywood Termites
Drywood termites are primitive termites whose damage usually goes unnoticed by homeowners. Drywood termites belong to the family Kalotermitidae are distinctly different from the subterranean termites. As a result, their monitoring and control procedures from those methods used for subterranean termites.
Drywood termites form colonies in a similar manner to other termites and will flutter in search of dead wood in which to start their colony. Unlike the subterranean termites, the drywood termites form colonies within the wood itself rather than in the soil.
Overall, drywood termites are less destructive than their subterranean cousins. This is mostly due to their small colony size and relatively slow rate of feeding. Control of drywood termites is easier than control for subterranean termites because a drywood termite colony is limited to a single piece of wood or wooden item. This makes it easier to treat or remove the entire population. However, this does not mean that an infestation of dry wood termites should be ignored. Given enough time, a drywood colony can seriously damage furniture or the structural integrity of a home or building.
