The well organized underground colony system can be home to several hundred to millions of termite family members. To find cellulose food sources and grow the colony, termites use social cooperation to survive and thrive.
TERMITES - What You Should Look For
Workers
The overwhelming majority, these soft-bodied, light-colored termites, about the size of grains of rice, rarely leave the dark tunnels that run from the colony through the soil and into the wooden frames of buildings. They continuously forage for food, maintain the nest, and tend to the queen and her brood.
Soldiers
These are identified by their long heads and powerful jaws and are responsible for colony defense, primarily against their natural enemies such as invading ants.
Reproductive Pairs
Male and female reproductive termites develop wings, leave the parent colony in a swarm, mate and start new colonies.
The Queen
She is the largest colony member, up to 4 inches long, about the size of the space bar on your computer. The queen termite can lay eggs at a rate of one every second. If she dies, another reproductive takes her place.
OTHERS - Don’t Be Fooled!
Ants
Unlike termite wings, an ant’s front pair is longer than the back and they don’t break off easily. The ant’s waist is narrower than the termite’s. Ants also have a joint in each antenna, while termites’ antennae are straight. Swarming ants can be mistaken for swarming termites. But once you know how to identify swarming termites, you are ahead of the game.
Drywood Termites
Unlike subterranean termites, they make a nest inside the wood they infest. And because they need less moisture to live, drywood termites do not build mud-tubes for travel.
