Many termite species need moist areas to survive. Their colonies can be traced directly to the ground under your home. You can observe the mud tubes they create between the ground and the wooden parts of your home they feed on. These are subterranean termites.

Drywood termite ninjas, on the other hand, are silent, hidden. They’re not tied to colonies located underground. You won’t find the tale tale mud tubes of subterranean termites. There won’t necessarily be evidence of termite colonies in wood piles and old tree stumps on your property. In fact, your property and the area under your home may be certified completely termite-free. Yet, these stealth ninjas are present.

Drywood Termite Ninjas – Where do they hide?

Hidden in places people don’t naturally look for termites are these silent drywood termite ninjas. That piece of furniture you just bought through a classified ad, that delivery of lumber for the construction of a new addition on your home, the wood flooring you purchased and are preparing to install. Any of these can contain drywood termites, and you’d never know until the wood was installed in your home. In fact, while we most often think of looking for evidence of termites in the basement or crawlspace under the home, drywood termite ninjas could have an established colony hidden in the attic–how often do you go up there and inspect for insect damage!

Drywood Termite Ninjas – What damage do they create?

Once they’re in your home, these silent drywood termite ninjas emerge at night from the wood flooring, the furniture, your new addition, and they move into other areas of your home. Their presence expands as they slowly consume your house board by board.

Drywood Termite Ninjas – What are the signs of an infestation?

The most obvious sign you have drywood termite ninjas, is their fecal hexagonal fecal pellets. These will be at least 1mm long and collecting at the base of some wooden object. Look in dry areas of your home such as the attic, areas around your windowsills, in a closet. The fecal pellets will contain very little moisture due to the fact that the drywood termites extract all the water from their feces, which helps enable them to live in areas of very low moisture.

Another sign is to tap solid looking wood and listen for a hollow sound. Drywood termite ninjas eat wood from within, so if a solid wooden table leg or solid wood flooring sounds hollow when tapped, it may in fact be hollow, being consumed from the inside out!

Imagine what paint looks like when the wood beneath it has been consumed. It begins to look bubbly. That’s another sign of the presence of these termites.

Drywood Termite Ninjas – What to do if you observe signs of an infestation?

Call a professional termite exterminator immediately. You have no way of knowing how many areas of your home have been infested. This species of termite ninjas is extremely hard to eradicate.

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

Inspiration for this article: http://killtermitesyourself.com/drywood-termites/

The post Drywood Termite Ninjas- The stealth termite invader. appeared first on Pest Control.

Drywood termites are pale to dark brown in color and about 1/4 to 1/2 inches long. Unlike subterranean termites, drywood termites do not need moisture. They don’t need to have their base colony underground nor do they need to create mud tubes from the ground into your home. 

This creates two issues:

• Harder to discover: First, without the tale-tale mud tubes characteristic of subterranean termites, or a highly visible winged invasion, drywood termites may not be as easily discovered in your home.
• Greater mobility: Second, drywood termites are more mobile. Here’s a possible scenario: You purchase a beautiful new wooden cabinet, or an antique wooden table. Unknown to you, the wooden furniture is infested with a colony of drywood termites. They were already hidden in the furniture before you brought it into your home. Once inside your home, the drywood termites easily move from the furniture into the framework of your house.

Like subterranean termites, drywood termites destroy wood and can cause irreparable damage to your home.

Drywood Termites – Prevention

One of the best ways to prevent drywood termites from entering into your home is to thoroughly inspect all wood that you bring into your home. This includes all wooden furniture and wood used in remodeling jobs (i.e. wooden flooring to replace an existing floor, new wooden siding, the wood used in a new addition to your home…etc.). You can ask for a certificate of termite inspection when purchasing wood that will enter your home.

Termites hate citrus. It drives them away. When cleaning any exposed wood inside your home, use citrus-based cleaners. 

Drywood Termites – Discovery

As we said, drywood termites may be harder to discover than subterranean termites–but not impossible. Look for the dark fecal pellets they push outside their living area. These will eventually form small piles.

Do not assume that the drywood termites have only remained in the new wooden furniture. By the time you discover them, they could have already moved out of the furniture and into the wooded structure of your home. If you suspect drywood termites, call a licensed termite exterminator to confirm the presence of the termites.

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

Drywood Termites – How to rid your home of an infestation.

There are basically 2 ways to exterminate drywood termites: Chemicals and Heat

• Chemicals: These will usually be in the form of poisonous gas used to fumigate all or part of your home. Chemical injections can also be used, especially if your are absolutely certain the infestation is well localized in a smaller area. It is highly recommended that you call on the services of a licensed termite exterminator to ensure chemicals are safely employed.
• Heat: As with bed bugs, heat also kills drywood termites. The infested area will need to be tented, then brought up to the required temperature for the recommended period of time. The advantage of using heat is that there is no toxic gas or liquid substance in your home. The disadvantage is that if improperly applied the heat may be ineffective. You want to ensure that all the termites are killed, for any stragglers could continue to spread and do further damage to your home.

Drywood Termites – Better safe than sorry.

Considering the damage drywood termites can cause to your home (they’re like a smoldering fire), it’s a good idea to schedule a periodic termite inspection by a licensed termite exterminator every few years.

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

Article Inspiration From: http://killtermitesyourself.com/how-to-kill-drywood-termites/

The post Drywood Termites – How to discover and exterminate. appeared first on Pest Control.

Not all termites are the same, and not all are  commonly found in every part of the United States. Imagine you’re visiting your retired parents in Florida, or your grandchildren on the West Coast. Wouldn’t it be important to them if you were able to recognize the presence of termites and perhaps save them the high cost of dealing with termite damage?

This article will help you recognize the different types of termites and a little about their habits.

Termite Types – Where in the U.S.?

Subterranean Termites: These can be found just about anywhere in the U.S. Their name comes from the fact that the live underground, in dirt, and even create dirt tunnels in order to stay hidden as they move from the soil into the foundation, framework and siding of a home. If you live in the Northeastern U.S., this is the variety of termites you are most likely to encounter.

Dampwood Termites: These are primarily found along the Pacific Coast and in the Southwest and Florida. They mostly eat wood that is damp and rotting. As such wood exists more in the forest or an abandoned wood or brush pile, rather than a solid man-made structure, these termites are more of a nuisance than some of the other varieties.

Drywood Termites: These are found primarily in the Western, Southeast and South-Central U.S. They’re much more destructive to property than dampwood termites. Living in wood that has low moisture content, they are more likely to be transported in the wooden objects like furniture, and from there into the structure of a home or commercial building.

Formosan Subterranean Termites: Enjoying warmer climates, these have been discovered in Hawaii, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and California. Nicknamed “super termites” these are the most aggressive termites and the soldiers will defend their nest by releasing a white toxic liquid. They have the ability to consume wood more rapidly than the other termite species. A type of subterranean termite, they’ll create a mud tube from the soil to the wooden structure they intend to consume. But they have the ability to create a “carton” or enclosed nest environment in a structure vs. having to return to the soil.  

Termite Types – How they look.

Subterranean Termites: Reproductive males and females can be winged (primary) or wingless (secondary or tertiary). Each can produce new offspring. The bodies of primary reproductives, also called swarmers or alates, vary by species from coal black to pale yellow-brown. Wings may be pale or smoky gray to brown and have few distinct veins. Swarmer termites are about 1/4 to 3/8 inch long. Secondary and tertiary reproductives in the colony are generally white to cream-colored and may have short wing buds.

Credits: https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-6080.html

Dampwood Termites: The Pacific dampwood termite is the largest termite native to the U.S. Pacific dampwood termite kings, queens and alates can exceed 1 inch in length, including their wings. They are dark brown and have brown wings. Nymphs measure about 1/2 inch and are cream colored with spots on their abdomens. Soldiers measure about 3/4 inch and are cream colored with dark-colored heads that range from reddish-brown to black.

Credits: http://www.termites.com/types-of-termites/pacific-dampwood-termite/

Drywood Termites: The reproductives are winged (alates or swarmers) or wingless males and females that produce offspring. The primary reproductives, also called swarmers or alates, vary in body color from dark brown to light yellowish tan. Their wings may be almost clear to smoke gray, and have few distinct veins in them. Swarmer drywood termites are about 7/16 inch long, including the wings. Credits: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/az1232/

Formosan Termites: Alates of formosan termite are yellowish-brown and 12 to 15 mm long (0.5 to 0.6 inch). There are numerous small hairs on the wings of these comparatively large swarmers. Soldiers have an orange-brown, oval-shaped head, curved mandibles and a whitish body.

Credits:  http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/termites/formosan_termite.htm

Termite Types – Their habitat.

Subterranean Termites: Moisture is important to subterranean termites, which have very little resistance to dehydration. To survive, they must maintain contact with the soil (their primary moisture source) or other above-ground moisture sources, such as in structures with defective plumbing or guttering. Termites foraging for food above ground protect themselves with shelter tubes, which are sometimes called mud tubes. The tubes may be thinly constructed or large and thick-walled to accommodate many termites moving vertically between the soil and the food source. This construction material also is found lining the galleries built in wood being attacked and aids in identifying termite-damaged wood. Shelter tubes often are used to bridge masonry or other objects, allowing termites access to a food source (wood) above ground. 

Credits: https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/b-6080.html

Dampwood Termites: Dampwood termites can cause significant damage. They rarely infest sound wood. However, once a Pacific dampwood termite colony has infested wood with high moisture content, it can move into adjoining areas of dry wood. This Pacific termite does not require soil contact. However, wood-to-ground contact in a home’s construction often leads to dampwood infestations. Homes built over or near water, or with wood buried in the ground, are more likely to be infested.

Credits: http://www.termites.com/types-of-termites/pacific-dampwood-termite/

Drywood termites often establish nests in roof materials and wooden wall supports accessed under eaves. However, despite being capable of surviving on low wood moisture they are also found in wood associated with a water source such as a leaky pipe or water heater. Dead wood accumulating around buildings and homes often serves as a source of infestation.

Credits: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/az1232/

Formosan Subterranean Termites: A mature Formosan colony can consume as much as 13 ounces of wood a day (ca. 400 g) and 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 nearby structures. Once established, Formosan subterranean termites have never been eradicated from an area.

Credits:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formosan_subterranean_termite

Termite Types – When found in your building, what to do?

View our other articles on termites to learn ways to prevent an infestation.

If you see termites or signs of termites in a home or commercial building, you’ve basically got a 5-alarm fire happening. Both in the case of a fire, and a termite infestation, if you do nothing, the building will eventually collapse. In the case of termites, you won’t see smoke or flames, and the damage will take longer to progress, but floors will begin to sag and eventually completely descintegrate beneath your feet!

If it was an actual fire, you wouldn’t hesitate to call the fire department. In this case, you have another call to make.

Termite Types – Who to call when any type of termite is discovered?

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

The post Termite Types – Not All Termites Are the Same appeared first on Pest Control.