Termite Identification

Every termite colony cannot exist without a termite queen. Often mistaken as a white ant, the queen termite is white in color, and has a long elongated body that produces as much as thousands of eggs everyday.

The termite queen can be impregnated by different male termite. Even so, every colony will have only one specific male reproductive, the termite king.

Queen termites can grow as long as almost ten times her regular size when pregnant. This makes it harder for pregnant queen termites to get around in her colony, forage for food and feed herself. Fortunately, the termite queen has thousands of constituents - worker termites - who does the foraging of wood and who feed the termite queen. And when the queen termites need to move, she employs the help of hundreds or thousands of worker termites. Interestingly, the workers are rewarded with juice that the termite queen secretes from her posterior end. This way, all the worker termites can replenish their energy after having exhausted it on moving the queen for a few inches.

A mulsh is often used by people to landscape their homes. These landscape mulshes often provide various benefits including water and soil conservation, weed control, soil temperature buffering and soil organic matter improvement. With all these benefits, people then ask: is there a termite resistant mulsh?

Mulsh is primarily made of wood and other compost items. As such, it isn’t unlikely for termites to get attracted to it as another possible source of food.

Anti-Termite Mulsh

In 1999, there was a study conducted to determine which termite breeds are attracted to mulsh. One major findings of this study showed that the termites tended to avoid cypress and redwood mulshes.

Based on the study, there are two other woods that proved to be termite resistant mulsh. The first one is the Melaleuca Wood mulsh. The second is the Cypress Heartwood. These two wood remaine termite-free.

If you’re planning to use mulsh on your landscape, select the mulsh which is made of cypress and redwood and melaleuca.

One of the treatment methods for termite infestation in your home is a termite tenting preparation. Termite tenting is generally used when most of the interior structure of the house is affected by termites. In a termite tenting treatment, the pest control company sets up a large tent around the entire structure of your house and then release a termite-killing gas inside the tent.

Like any treatment that uses chemical pesticides, termite tenting preparation is also considered as hazardous, unnecessary, and overly expensive. However, if your home has a bad case of termite infestation, a termite tenting treatment may be the best option you have. Fumigation using termite killing gas kills all the worker termites. Since it is the worker termites that provide the colony with food, getting rid of the workers is already half the job done.

How It Is Done

The first step involved in termite tenting preparation is to cover the whole structure with tarp. Then all openings are sealed and secured. Homeowners usually stay out of the house for at least two to three days. Of course, it is a given that all food containers and food storages in the house are sealed to avoid the fumes contaminating the food. In most cases, pest control companies provide you with the necessary air-tight bag to keep your food in.

Once everything is in place and every opening sealed, the pest control company then releases the gas inside the structure and place fans inside to keep the gas circulating. Warning signs will be posted around your property to keep anyone away from the structure while fumigating.

One the second day, the tarp is removed and the house aired out. On the third day, depending on the severity of the termite condition, the pest control company can advise the homeowners about moving back into the house or waiting for another day until the home is cleared of gas.

This often leaves the question hanging: is termite tenting harmful to humans, then? While these chemicals are aimed at eliminating termites, its manufacturers have also taken into consideration the possibility of humans inhaling the gas. They have therefore designed the chemicals to be specifically potent enough to kill termites, but not humans. Since one can never be too sure when it comes to health, though, it is still advisable to follow the necessary procedure such as sealing food containers and temporarily staying out of the house while termite tenting preparation is on going.

If you think that your house has termites, it would definitely help to have termite pictures for termite identification.  Here are some interesting termite pictures:

Photo by Ganeshbrhills

Photo by Panamapictures

Photo by Rictor Norton & David Allen

Termite identification becomes easier once you have a picture. You can start looking for burrow holes in damp or moist woods that can hold possible termite tunnels.

There are several kinds of termites which you can identify with. There are those that are white in color. These are the worker termites and since these are the foragers, they are the most damaging kind of all termites. Once you see one, its necessary to eradicate them as quickly as possible before they can do any more damage to your structure.

Another type of termite is the swarmer. Swarmer termites are winged and swarm during certain times of the year. These termites are reproductives and are responsible for laying eggs that will carry the colony into the future. Getting rid of these winged reproductives means getting of termites in the future.

The queen termite is also important as she is responsible for producing hundreds of eggs each year. The queen has a lighter-colored body compared to the king’s.

A better way to identify termites is to get different termite pictures.

If you own a property or structure, it would be impossible for you not to ask the question, “What does a termite look like?” Naturally, this is because as an owner, you only want to prevent your property from being damaged by termites.

What does a termite look like? The question can only be answered by taking a good look at the different kinds of termite in the colony.

White and Small

The worker termites are small, white, and closely resemble white ants. In the termite hierarchy, it is the worker termite that foragers for food for the entire colony. Eradicating the foragers means eradicating the colony’s food supplier. What better way to get rid of the entire colony than to start with the worker termites?

Winged Swarmers

The reproductives have wings and are known to swarm during certain times of the year. One of the best tell tale signs of termite colonies is the swarmer. As soon as these are observed around your house, it is time to check for termite mounds where possible colonies have thrived.

The Royalty

The king and queen termite usually confine themselves in the termite mound. Queen termites are long, large, have large, elongated bodies that are light in color. The king termite may be smaller than the queen but his body is darker in color.

Photo by Sheilaellen

In arid and tropical savannas, termite colonies construct large and elaborate mounds.  Usually, these mounds have very distinctive forms with tall wedge-shapes.  It is usually shaped for a reason: thermoregulation.

Hot air usually rises in these termite mounds above ground.  This helps drive circulation currents inside the network or chambers inside the mounds, keeping it cool enough for the termites to thrive in.

In some cases, termite mounds can reach as high as six feet.  However, most termite colonies build their mounds somewhere around two feet.

How does it work?  Termite mounds are able to regulate temperature because of the ducts and holes within their structure.  It may be difficult for millions of inhabitants in a single mound, located in single nest burind a meter beneath the ground but termites were able to address the problem of ventilation with these termite mounds.

It may sound preposterous or even disgusting to some but there have been poems written about termites! Since everyone knows that poetry can be about anything, some writers figured they may as well write about something that has been plaguing homes the world over.

Humor

Termite poems are characteristically humorous, though. No matter how great a poet, one can hardly be inspired to write a poem on friendship or love story between humans and termites! One poet, Ogden Nash is known for his witty poems including one short one on termites.

The Termite by Ogden Nash:

Some primal termite knocked on wood
And tasted it, and found it good!
And that is why your Cousin May
Fell through the parlor floor today.

In one stanza or in 4 short lines, Mr. Nash basically summed up in this termite poem what these little insects can do. While it may sound hilarious in a poem, we can hardly say the same in reality. Termites can not only eat up a home literally, their damage may also prove to be dangerous for the people living in it.

Termite poems does more than entertain readers. If we look deeper and closer into the wit and warning embedded in termite poems, we may find out that termites are enemies that are not to be taken lightly.

Like most insects, termites are also reproduced and bred through the laying and hatching of eggs.  The queen termite can be impregnated with eggs from several colony members to keep the society thriving.  Since termites aren’t exactly what we call monogamous, it is therefore easier for them to multiply.

A mature queen termite can lay several thousands of each every single day.  Some species of termites, the queen can even grow several ovaries allowing them to reproduce even more eggs!  Like any pregnant creature, queen termites also have enlarged abdomen.  While they are immobilized in their condition, the hundred of worker termites around it work to move and feed her.

Once they are hatch, the eggs will eventually turn into nymphs and further on, into different members of the termite colony.  Worker termites make up the largest part of the community.

Just like many other insects, the termite is reproduced through the laying and hatching of eggs.  Unlike the typical male/female dynamic that we, as humans, know, the queen of the termite colony can become impregnated with eggs from multiple colony members just so that the society is kept going.  In other words, termites aren’t monogamous.  These worker termites are wingless, are blind and are the ones mostly found in infested wood.  Although the soldier termites are blind and wingless as well, the group has the capability to defend the colony when under attack - by humans and termite deterrents.

Winged termites are the reproductives and supplementary reproductives of the colony.  During swarming season, these group swarm to a new location, shed their old wings and pair up with a new termite colony.  Supplementary reproductives stand the chance of being replacement when a termite king or queen dies.

Fortunately for termites and unfortunately for the homeowners,  termites can reproduce into hundreds and even a thousand in a matter of days.  Thus termite colonies and their respective damages are almost always difficult to battle with.

Looking for more information on termites and how they can be controlled?  Click here to check out Termite Identification, Treatment and Control. 

If you are interested in becoming a termite inspector, a good way to break into the field is to find a place as a termite apprentice.  There are many termite apprentice programs that are offered by accredited schools and even universities that only take a couple of days to take.  These termite apprentice programs are in the form of intense classes that will teach you all sorts of information including termite biology, practical field identification of wood-destroying organisms, their damage, and the safe use of tools, chemicals, and other equipment used to rid the home of these devastating insects.

Because these courses are short, they can be quite intense and require a lot of work.  But when you want to become a termite inspector, the termite apprentice program is a great way to get into the field and know what you’re doing right off the bat.  These courses are often not very expensive, but when you consider the experience that you are able to pick up, you will soon realize that they are well worth the money.

Once you have taken a termite apprentice course, you will probably want to hook up with a licensed professional termite inspector and ask if you can be their termite apprentice so you can gain experience in the field.  Many termite inspectors are happy to take on a termite apprentice – especially if you are willing to work with them in the field to help alleviate their work load.  Often, your termite apprentice course will be able to find someone who is willing to work with you and teach you the business.  Sometimes these will be paid positions and sometimes they won’t.  What you have to do is weigh the experience you are getting with the necessity of a paycheck.  Some people just can’t sign on to be a termite apprentice because they need the money, so find someone you trust and talk honestly with them about your expectations as well as theirs.

Often, when you are trying to get into a new field of work, the best thing you can do for yourself is get some on-the-job training.  Plus, for a termite inspector, it is a welcome advantage having some help in the field as well.  So if you are interested in the lucrative field of termite inspection, you may want to seriously check out becoming a termite apprentice.  Not only with the experience be invaluable, but you will learn so much more than you could ever hope to find from a textbook.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Termite Identification Treatment & Control

Knowing termite appearance and morphology is essential in identification of these pests and eventual eradication of the colony.  Most people think of termites as little white ants, but termite appearance and morphology is so much more than thinking they are little white ants.  In fact, the common termite only superficially resembles an ant.  The reason people think of the termite as white ants is because of their similar size and social habits. Like ants, termites live in colonies with very specific structure.  Each termite has a specific job to do in order to make the colony work.  Worker termites bring food back to the mound that is home to colony and they do the most damage to structures and crops.  Soldier termites defend the colony from predators.  They have very strong mandibles and can cause damage to anyone trying to destroy the colony.  Reproductive termites are winged and lay eggs so that the colony is always growing.  The king and queen “rule” the colony and are responsible for making sure that the colony continues and that all members are doing their jobs. As far as termite appearance and morphology is concerned, the termite is softer, whiter, shorter-legged, fatter and generally much slower moving.  In all actuality, they are not even closely related to ants.  Ants, along with bees and wasps, belong to the Order Hymenoptera. Termites are much closer to cockroaches and mantids, and all three are sometimes clumped into a super order called Dictyoptera. Some scientists have concluded that termites should be classified as a family Termitidae within the cockroaches’ order Blattodea. Termites have biting mouthparts, and their soft bodies are small, rarely over one centimeter in length.  Typically, they will occupy dark nests and tunnels only venturing out when the winged alates emerge to leave the parent colony, when constructing shelter or when harvesting their food. The bodies of flying termites are darker while the termites that remain in the nest or mound are generally white in color with only their heads having color.  The wings of termites are long and slender in pairs that are similarly sized and shaped.  The name of the Order they belong to is derived from their having equal wings.  Isopteron (iso=equal, pteron=wing).  The wings are quickly shed after a flight with a simple body flick when the swarming termites find a new nest site, pair up, and dig in.  The remnant of a termite wing is a distinct triangle, but they are small, so don’t try looking for one too hard! Knowing about termite appearance and morphology can help you identify termites around structures and in crops.  Once you are able to determine you have a termite problem, you can take steps to eradicate them before they cause too much damage.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Termite Identification Treatment & Control