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Difference Between Termites and Ants
Flying ants and swarming termites are often difficult to tell apart. Termites have relatively straight, bead-like antennae while ants have elbowed antennae. Termites have two pair of wings (front and back) that are of almost equal length. Ants also have two pair of wings but the fore wings are much larger than the hind wings. A termite’s abdomen is broadly joined to the thorax while the abdomen and thorax of an ant are joined by a narrow waist called a petiole.
Feeding Habits
Termites feed exclusively on wood and wood products containing cellulose. Termites have protozoa (microorganisms) in their intestines that provide enzymes to digest cellulose. Although termites are soft-bodied insects, their hard, saw-toothed jaws work like shears and are able to bite off extremely small fragments of wood, a piece at a time. Termites often infest buildings and damage lumber, wood panels, flooring, sheet-rock, wallpaper, plastics, paper products and fabric made of plant fibers. The most serious damage is the loss of structural strength. Other costly losses include attacks on flooring, carpeting, art work, books, clothing, furniture and valuable papers. Subterranean termites do not attack live trees.
Drywood Termites live in dry, sound wood and derive their moisture requirements from the wood they consume. They construct large, irregular galleries that run across and with the wood grain, with a very smooth, clean and sand-paper-like appearance. The galleries are connected by small openings large enough for a single termite to pass through. Each year termites damage approximately 2 million homes in the United States.
As social insects, Drywood Termites live in colonies consisting of male and female swarmers, soldiers, and workers. Male and female swarmers are responsible for reproduction and they will leave the existing colony to start new ones. Once the swarmers find a small hole in wood, they will break off their wings, seal the hole and start to mate.
A majority of the offspring comprise the worker (nymph) caste and are responsible for tending young, and searching for food (meaning the wood in your home). Some offspring become soldiers, which protect the colony from other insects. Other offspring will mature into reproductive adults and will eventually form new colonies of their own. It is possible to have more than one colony in your home.
You can detect Drywood Termite infestations in various ways. One common way to detect Drywood termites is pellets of partly digested wood found beneath an infested area. These pellets are cream to reddish-brown or black in color and are usually about 1-2 mm long. Drywood termites eject these pellets from the galleries via ‘kick-out’ holes, often found right below the damaged wood. Surface blisters and hollow sounding wood are signs of advanced infestation.
Drywood termites usually swarm in early spring and as they are attracted to light, will be most noticeable at night. Wings broken off after swarming may be found on windowsills Swarming indicates an advanced infestation in the home and increases the possibility of multiple colonies within the structure.
Drywood Termite Treatments
Subterranean termites are similar to Drywood termites in the caste buildup of the nest. A queen can often have a life span of 10 years. Subterranean termites primarily nest in the soil to obtain moisture but aerial nests are not uncommon as long as all castes of a colony are present and moisture is available.
Subterranean termites build mud tubes to access wood several feet above the ground. These mud tubes can go on for 50-60 feet in an effort to reach wood and are usually one-quarter to one inch wide. These tubes also serve as protection from low humidity and predators.
A rather ferocious type of subterranean termite is the Formosan Termite, supposedly introduced to the United States in the 1940's on ships returning from Asia after World War II. Formosan termites can now be found in many southeastern States and have recently been discovered in Southern California. Hawaii has had these pests for over a century and they are wrecking havoc on the French Quarter of New Orleans as well as Florida.
As with Drywood and subterranean termites, Formosans feed on wood or cellulose-based materials. With a substantial colony size, a high reproductive capacity and bigger than the average subterranean termite, Formosans will consume wood at a much faster rate. A colony can contain more than a million workers and it has been estimated that a large colony can consume more than 2 pounds of wood per day and may forage for several hundred feet.
Formosan termites also live in ‘carton nests’ created out of chewed wood, saliva and excrement. These nests may be located above ground. Formosan termites can be severe pests of living trees. They have also been known to eat through lead, plaster, asphalt, mortar, rubber and plastic to get at underlying wood.
Subterranean Termite Treatments
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