What do termites look like?
In an Eastern subterranean termite colony, each termite has a role to play. The queen starts as a black insect with wings. She and her king shed their wings and work together to grow their colony. These queens and kings are called swarmers because they gather together in a swarm during the nuptial flight. Once established, the queen and king produce pale-colored worker termites that are about ⅛ of an inch in length. As needed, soldiers are produced to protect the workers. Soldiers are larger and have orange heads with black pincers.
Are termites dangerous?
No. You might think termites could cause harm because they can chew through wood, which is quite a bit harder than human skin, but termites do not desire to bite people. Humans are not considered food to termites. You may also think that soldiers can cause harm because they have scary pincers, but a soldier is no match for you. Those pincers are weak.
How do termites get inside homes and buildings?
Subterranean termites establish their nests in the ground. When they approach your home, they do so by tunneling through the soil. While winged swarmers are highly mobile and able to enter your home through windows, doors, and cracks, they will not create a nest inside your home. The primary threat is the advancement of workers.
When worker termites approach your home, they are drawn to dark and humid spaces. You may find them underneath objects that rest on the soil. You can find them underneath your deck. But, most of all, you can find them in your crawl space if you have one. What is a crawl space? It is an open void underneath a structure. If you get into this space, you will have soil under you and the wood of your floors above you. In this dark and often humid space, termite workers create shelter tubes from the soil up to the wood and go back and forth from their underground colony to the wood in your home.
How long does it take subterranean termites to do damage?
One little termite isn't going to do much damage to your home. But you aren't going to have one little termite feeding on your property. An Eastern subterranean termite colony has thousands of workers. These workers will travel as far as a hundred yards in search of food. What this means is you can have more than one termite colony feeding on your home at the same time. While there is no way to give an exact dollar figure for how much damage termites can do to your property, here are a few facts we know for sure:
- Termite workers never sleep. They can feed twenty-four hours a day.
- Termites do not hibernate. They only slow down when they get cold, and it is rarely cold enough in our service area to cause these insects to stop.
- Each queen can produce 5,000 to 10,000 eggs in a year. It doesn't take long for a small problem to grow into a large problem.
- Termites feed quietly on homes, and the sounds they make are rarely detected.
The primary reason termites are so destructive is that they are sneaky insects.
How can I tell if I have a subterranean termite problem?
There are many ways to detect termites. Some warning signs will appear. Some warning signs are accidentally uncovered. Most of the time, you'll have to go looking for signs of termite activity.
- You may see winged black insects in your yard when a termite nest releases swarmers into the air.
- You may find shed wings after termite swarmers mate.
- You may uncover termite workers or soldiers when you lift dead branches or logs off the soil.
- You may uncover termite workers when digging in your garden or landscaping.
- You may find termite shelter tubes on your foundation or on surfaces in your crawl space.
- You may hear clicking noises inside wood.
- You may tap on wood to detect hollowed galleries within.
Termite detection isn't easy, even if you know the warning signs. Swarms last for less than an hour. Wings are often shed in hiding places shielded from the sun. Workers hide in utter darkness and rarely come out, even in moonlight. We can't understate the difficulty of termite detection.
How do I get rid of termites?
Contact the Evergreen Pest Solutions team to learn more about our professional termite control services. Available in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Roanoke, as well as surrounding areas, you can rely on our trusted termite exterminators to eliminate and prevent termite infestations.
Can I prevent a termite infestation?
To make your property less appealing to termites, we recommend the following termite prevention tips:
- Eliminate wood-to-ground contact - make sure siding, deck supports, and other wooden parts of the structure do not come into direct contact with the soil.
- Reduce moisture by fixing leaks, using dehumidifiers, and ensuring proper drainage around the house.
- Address the damp crawl space.
- Replacing water damaged wood inside and out and removing rotting stumps and other wood debris from the yard.
- Seal cracks and other potential entry points.
For the most comprehensive termite protection, contact Evergreen Pest Solutions. Our termite control is a great option to keep these wood-destroying insects from establishing colonies on your property.
