March's Pest of The Month - Eastern Subterranean Termite

Eastern Subterranean Termite (Reticulitermis Flavipes)

During late winter or early spring, swarms of the reproductive caste may be noticed in infested buildings. These black, winged termites are the stage most commonly seen, since the other castes do not willingly expose themselves to light. Winged termites are attracted to light, and when they emerge within buildings, they swarm about doors and windows. After crawling or fluttering about for a short time, the termites break off their wings and locate a mate. Each pair attempts to locate moist wood in contact with the soil to start a new colony, but few succeed. Although they alarm the homeowner and can be a nuisance, no damage is done by the winged forms.

The presence of swarming termites or their wings alone is a sure sign that termites are working in a building. Winged termites are often confused with winged ants. Most species of ants in the house are only nuisances and, except for carpenter ants, do not damage wood. For this reason it is necessary to know the differences between winged termites and winged ants. The easiest way to distinguish the two groups is to look at their waists. An ant has a narrow, wasp-like waist; a termite has a broad waist. The antennae or feelers of ants are L-shaped, whereas those of termites are straight. Furthermore, the four wings of termites are of equal length and nearly twice as long as the termite body, while ant wings are approximately equal to the length of the ant, and therefore and hind wings are of unequal length.

Wood attacked by termites has runways or passages that are coated with an earth-like material glued to the wood. Where the wood has been infested for some time, it may be largely hollowed out with passages and may be rotten in appearance. Upon probing such wood with a screwdriver or similar tool, many of the hidden worker termites may spill out.

Another sign of termites in the house is the presence of termite tubes. Termites make these earth-colored tubes for a number of reasons, primarily as a protected runway from the earth to the wood they feed on. Moreover, these tubes may serve as swarming exits for the winged termites. Look for these tubes on the cellar walls, on wooden posts, wall studs, mudsills, and door and window trim. Wood embedded in earth or in concrete cellar floors is especially susceptible to termites.

Soil treatment/barrier control - The principle of soil treatment control for termites is to establish a treated barrier of soil between the wood in the building and the termite colony in the soil. Such a chemical barrier will kill or repel any termites attempting to move through it. Treatments may involve the trenching of soil adjacent to the exterior foundation wall down to the footers, and replacement of the soil after it is mixed with the termiticide; soil injection of a liquid termiticide, under pressure, through a hollow rod to saturate the soil adjacent to the foundation; and the drilling of concrete slabs, porches, and patios to reach the soil adjacent to the foundation beneath these structures.

There are many choices of chemical termiticides available to the pest management professional. As professionals, we recommend the liquid termiticide that inflicts the most devastating results to the termite colony with the least amount of impact to the environment and the people and pets that are living in that environment. We would like to introduce you to,