How To Recognize Termites

Subterranean termites mainly live underground or in protected areas such as galleries in wood.  There is always at least one queen and many more “secondary reproductives” are usually present.  Most people never see a queen, but may have seen swarmers or workers.  The total number of individuals in a colony of subterranean termites may total more than a million.  Imagine a million insects attacking your house!  Workers are small white insects.  They are blind and very sensitive to heat, cold and dry air.  This sensitivity is why they build shelter tubes of “mud tubes.”  In fact, they need to maintain an atmosphere of nearly 100 percent humidity.  Sometimes, finding shelter tubes, a little smaller diameter than a pencil, is the first sign of a termite infestation.  Workers are just that … workers of the colony.  They find new food sources (vegetation or wood containing cellulose).  Upon finding a food source, the termites put down a chemical signal or pheromone to lead the other workers to the feeding site.  Termites do not “attack” your house or building.  The forage and find food sources, commonly in moist areas.  Termites do a very good job of breaking down cellulose in the soil.  When they discover your house or other buildings, they become a real pest and that is where the professional pest management company comes in.  In most areas of the country, depending on the species, healthy subterranean termite colonies will “swarm” or send out winged reproductive termites to start new colonies in the spring.  The swarmers are darker in color, some species almost black, and have four wings.  One favorite question is how to tell termites from ants.  First, ants generally do not swarm the same time as termites, but it can happen.  The following is a description of how to tell termites from ants.

Termite:

1. Swarm at very limited times of the year.
2. The body of the termite swarmer is about 3/8” long.
3. Termites have four wings of equal size.
4. Termites have a straight waist.
5. Termites have straight antennae.
6. Termites are clumsy fliers.

Ants:

1. Swarm throughout the year depending on species.
2. The body of an ant will vary in size depending on the species.
3. Ants have four wings; two smaller and two larger.
4. Ants have a pinched waist.
5. Ants have elbowed antennae.
6. Ants are good fliers.

Close Article