Termites
 

Types Of Florida Termites

Drywood Termites

Eastern Subterranean Termites
Formosan Subterranean Termites
 

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 Listen To Real Termites Living in a Home

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About Florida Termites

Drywood termites live in dry, sound wood and derive their moisture requirements from the wood they consume. Infestations can occur in structural timbers in buildings, pieces of furniture, flooring, doors and doorframes, window trim, wooden picture frames, and other isolated pieces of wood. Drywood colonies are usually relatively small with a few thousand members (subterranean termite colonies may number in the 10,000’s to even millions). However, a structure may house multiple drywood colonies in the same structure.

Drywood termites do not need a connection to soil. They construct large, irregular tunnels that run across and with the wood grain, connected by openings small enough for one termite to pass through. The sure sign of Drywood termite feeding is their fecal pellets, which are ejected from the galleries found within the damaged wood. These pellets are quite distinctive: they are hard, elongated-ovals with rounded ends, and have six concave sides.

There are a few important facts you should understand about the behavior of Drywood termites compared to subterranean termite species:
 

• Approximately 400 global species of Drywood termite species are known, but only a few species are important in the United States.
• Powderpost or “furniture” termites are smaller in size than other Drywood termites. Their feeding in furniture or movable wooden objects can reduce wood to a fine powder. They can be found in Florida, southern Louisiana, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Hawaii. They mainly infest furniture or structural timber.
• The Western Drywood termite is found in southern California, Arizona, Utah, and has become established in Florida. This species infests both dead sections of living trees and wooden articles in homes. The Western Drywood termite swarm period may be midday on warm, sunny days and may occur from September-October. However, in Arizona, swarming may occur at night in July.
• The Southeastern Drywood termite is found primarily in seven southeastern states, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. This species may swarm at night, peaking between 8-10 pm, and is attracted to lights. The peak time period for swarming may be late May through mid-June.
• The Desert Drywood termite occurs mainly in AZ and CA in more arid areas. They can readily infest structures and may swarm at dusk/night, usually after a rain event during May to early Sept. The swarmers are also attracted to lights.

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Eastern Subterranean Termites

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The Eastern Subterranean termite is the most common and widely distributed termite in North America. It is a problem for homeowners from southern Ontario in Canada, south throughout the Eastern United States and as far west as Montana.

This native pest feeds on cellulose materials including structural wood, wood fixtures, paper, books, and cotton. Occasionally, it will even attack the roots of shrubs and trees. A mature colony of Eastern Subterranean termites can range from a low of 20,000 to a high of five million workers, with an average of 300,000. The colony's queen may add 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year to the total.

Not only can the worker termites in the Eastern Subterranean termite colonies be large in number, multiple colonies may also be located on a single property. This situation can mean increased risk of termite damage to your home and structures. Common signs of the presence of Eastern Subterranean termites may be dirt-like shelter tubes built to serve as protected paths from the soil to the wood the termites are feeding on, or the translucent wings shed by the kings and queens during swarming.

There are a few important facts you should understand about the behavior of Eastern Subterranean termite:
 

• An average colony can consume five grams of wood per day, the equivalent of 2 1/3 linear feet of a 2'x4' pine board annually.
• Colony growth is slow, and it may take four to 10 years before swarmers are produced.
• Eastern Subterranean termites can enter buildings through cracks less than 1/16" wide.
• Although colonies are largely located in the ground, secondary colonies can exist above ground. However, such above ground colonies must have access to moisture source, such as a roof or plumbing leak.
• Eastern Subterranean termites will often build shelter tubes for travel between their colonies and their food sources.
• The king and queen in a colony can live for many years. Workers live for about two years.

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Formosan Subterranean Termites

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Formosan Subterranean termites are one of several termite species that threaten homes and other structures in Hawaii and parts of the southern half of the continental United States. Originally from Mainland China, Formosan Subterranean termites have been established in the continental U.S. for only about 50 years. In fact, they are more vigorous and aggressive than native termites. In fact, the Formosan Subterranean termite has been called the "Super termite” because of its tendency to support large colonies and its ability to consume large amounts of wood in a relatively short time.

A mature colony of Formosan termites can number in the millions and consume as much as 13 ounces of wood per day. As a result, they can severely damage a structure in as little as three months. Formosan Subterranean termites are most visible during their swarming or mating flight. However, they actually cause more damage after the swarm is over. For this reason, it's extremely important to have your home inspected and protected by a pest professional as soon as you find out that you have Formosan termites on your property.

There are a few important facts you should understand about the behavior of Formosan termites:
 

• Formosan colonies can be big. While native subterranean termite colonies support an average of 300,000 workers, Formosan colonies can average millions of workers, and Formosan queens can produce 1,000 eggs a day.
• A Formosan colony can forage an area more than one acre in diameter.
• As Formosans infest a structure, they use soil and wood cemented together with saliva and feces to build hard nests called cartons. These can be located in trees or within walls. Large cartons can actually cause walls to bulge. These nests can house thousands of termites as well as provide moisture to the colony. Once established, colonies can live without direct soil contact.
• Formosan termites can also infest, damage and possibly destroy otherwise healthy trees.
• Soldiers comprise about 10 percent of the colony.
• Formosans will even penetrate through some non-wood materials. They have been known to chew through plaster, plastics, asphalt, and even thin sheets of soft metals like lead and copper.

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