With the destruction they cause, termites are notorious across the country. For businesses and homes, having termites are problematic and cost billions of dollars in the damage they do a year. The integrity of the wood is weakened with hollowed galleries, or tunnels as they chew through and consume the wood throughout your home. Though there are different types of termites in Pittsburgh, PA, subterranean termites are the most dominant. With this in mind, the general basics of subterranean termites is what we at Stewart Termite & Pest Control would like to share today.
Do Subterranean Termites Live in the Ground?
These termites will often leave the hard wood in lieu of the softer wood with a weakness for softer areas in the wood they infest. It is important to note that all wood is still susceptible. The infested timber that is left behind has a thin shell with honeycomb like layers of hollow section as the subterranean termites compact the hallows of the infested timber with damp soil. Moist environments are required for subterranean termites and live in dark, damp soil. Subterranean termites infest your home more often than not as they engage your home from the infested soil next to the foundation.
What are the Three Castes of Termites?
Subterranean termites live in a colony inside their nest and these social insects have three castes which are subject to a queen. The king and queen mate daily to produce the 2,000 fertile eggs that she will lay in a day. After the nymphs are hatched from the egg and eventually evolve to adulthood, adults either belong to the workers, soldiers, or swarmers (which are future kings and queens of new colonies). Once they start their new colony, the wings are shed as these reproducing adult termites are the only ones with wings. The swarmers are the most actively searching, generally for their new nesting grounds in the spring and early summer. Being a creamy-translucent colored termite, the soft-bodied worker termites keep the colony functioning. In addition to excavating and repairing tunnels are the worker termite responsibilities, they feed the king and queen along with the soldiers, caring for the young, and foraging for food. The defenders of the colony are soldier termites that are often a part of a 250-million-year-old feuds with ants. The heads and are armed with mandible pinchers they use in combat and these orange-colored soldiers have developed a hard-shell helmet around their heads. Before using their pinchers to crush them, the soldiers will first secrete a sticky latex resin to ensnare their victims. People may catch a glimpse of the soldier termites in rare instances when a breech was made, and they we will stay on guard while the workers make the repairs.
Termite Inspection & Treatment
Subterranean termites build the mud tubes to reach higher levels where they closely connect to nearby damaged wood, which is a sign they are in your Pittsburgh home. As quickly as possible, you will want to rectify a termite infestation. You will want to rectify a termite infestation as quickly as possible. The longer they stay, the more damage will be done. Call Stewart Termite and Pest Control today for termite services.