The easiest means by which termites gain access into homes and business is through residing in woods; they do not eat the wood they live in but rather gnaw at the woods and make connecting holes which would lead to the destruction of the wood. They account for over $5 billion damages in properties each year in the United States. The destructive nature of termites has made them to be named silent destroyer as they would hide while perpetrating their destructive acts.
By nature, termites are social insects and they form colonies in which they have different castes including kings, queens, works and soldiers. Each of these castes has a specific function it has to perform within the colony. Subterranean termites, Drywood termites, dampwood termites, Formosa termites, Conehead termites and Desert termites are the common types of termites available.
In the US, Subterranean termites are the most common and apart from Alaska, they are found in every state. These Subterranean termites are also the most destructive variety of termites found in the US. Their primary habitat and food sources are in underground woods or soils, but when it is hardly for them to find their natural food sources, they can make do with staying in humans’ homes.
More often than not, termites are usually confused with winged ants; nevertheless, these two are quite different in some ways. Flying ants have bent antennae with thin waist while termites, on the other hand, have straight antennae and an undefined waist around their thorax.
Termites are good at keeping themselves anonymous as they hide while destroying woods and other properties. Seeing earth-colored tunnels constructed by termites, discarded wings and structural damages caused by termites are the only ways through which anybody can notice the presence of these silent destroyers.
While getting rid of their attractants like debris, woods near homes and repairing cracks in fence or deck can be very helpful in removing termites, the services of pest control professionals may be required to proffer a long lasting solutions as there could be recurrent termites infestations.
