This winged termite may be preparing to fly away and form a new termite colony.
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Subterranean termites must maintain contact with the soil and require a large amount of moisture since they dehydrate easily. They build tubes made of soil and wood particles held together by their saliva. These tubes maintain the proper temperature and humidity for the survival of the termite. Some of the first signs of subterranean termites are the appearance of swarming termites and/or their discarded wings on windowsills and near lights, or the "mud tubes" going up the sides of the walls. The queen and the swarmers stay in the nest in the soil, while the workers travel within the mud tubes and cause all of the damage. The homeowner typically sees only the swarmers when they leave the nest to form a new colony. These termites are controlled through soil treatment and professional baiting methods.
Drywood termites do not require direct contact with the soil and will infest wood with a very low moisture content. Typically, they can be found where wood is joined together. Unlike subterranean termites, drywoods spend their entire life in the wood within their galleries or wood tunnels. The homeowner normally does not notice these termites until they swarm. One sure sign of drywoods, though, is the presence of fecal pellets, which they push through tiny holes called "kick holes". Typically, these pellets can be found accumulating in small piles beneath these kick holes.
While termites are very destructive to our wooden structures, they perform a valuable service in nature by rapidly turning dead wood back into fertile soil. |
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Arthropoda |
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Insecta
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Isoptera
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Various
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Various
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Various
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Distribution • (in blue)
Termites are found throughout the world.
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