Pests With Benefits The Termites
Pests with Benefits: The Termites That Thrive
Article by Pete Lamperouge
Pests with Benefits: The Termites That Thrive
What are Termites?
Termites are familiar to us as wood-eating insects that threaten homes and other building with their diets. Cockroaches and termites descend from a common ancestor. However, they are also beneficial insects that aids in the decomposition of debris that our planet produces.
There are more than 2,870 kinds of termites living all around the world with 185 worldwide causing economic damage. Three of the four major kinds of termites (drywood, subterranean, mound builders and dampwood) are found in North America and Australia.
Distinguishing Features, Nests, and Ecology
Termites are sometimes confused with winged forms of ants, which also leave their underground nests in large numbers to establish new colonies and swarm in a manner similar to reproductive stages of termites. However, ants and termites can be distinguished by checking their antennae, wings, and waist.
They are close relatives of the cockroaches , and so are very different to ants. Termites are blind, so color is right out. Only the winged ones however, can see and then not so well. The termites’ environmental clues are mainly smell, moisture gradients, temperature and vibration.
They are usually considered as small bugs that produce in large packs as well as find places to live in the depths and burrows of a house or building. They are mainly attracted to world underneath a building or house that help sets the foundation of the structure. Termites are attracted to light indoors. They are on the move and their zones silently increases in size.
Termites are the only ones that can break down wood on a mass scale. Without them, the fallen trunks of trees would soon pile up and kill the forest. They are are social insects, most persistent and destructive in nature.
Often called the “silent destroyer”, they may be secretly hiding and thriving in your basement or yard without any immediate signs of damage. While each termite species thrives in different climates and eats different types of food, all termites require four things to survive – food, moisture, shelter and optimal temperature.
Termites eat cellulose in its various forms as plant fibre. Cellulose is a rich energy source (as demonstrated by the amount of energy released when wood is burned), but remains difficult to digest.
Social Organization
The termite colonies consist of workers, soldiers, winged termites, and king and queen termites.
Worker termites are wingless, blind and do not reproduce. They can be male or female nymphs, sterile, wingless adults. Workers collect food, feed both young and adults, build tunnels, and grow fungus (many species grow fungus gardens for food). Worker termites are responsible for the care of the young and the construction and maintenance of the colony.
Soldier termites defend the colony against predators such as ants and do not reproduce. Their only function is to defend the colony from these intruders. Termite soldiers are usually blind, but in some families, particularly among the dampwood termites, soldiers developing from the reproductive line may have at least partly functional eyes.
Winged termites, also known as reproductives, act as secondary offspring producers to the queen once the colony grows larger than the queen can supply. The winged (or “alate’”) caste, are generally the only termites with well-developed eyes, although workers of some harvesting species do have well-developed compound eyes, and, in other species, soldiers with eyes occasionally appear. Flights may occur throughout the year, or more commonly, in the spring and autumn.
Similarly a higher classification of reproductives, a male that has flown, mated, and is in proximity to a queen is termed a “king.” Queens and kings can live for decades while individual workers can survive for several years. Both a king and queen are necessary to form a new colony; they assist each other in finding a new location and in producing the population of a termite colony.
Major Kinds of Termites
Drywood Termites
Drywood termite colonies can be made up of hundreds of worker termites. With no pigmentation to their bodies, the workers cannot survive in direct sunlight. Living inside deadwood, the drywood termite never has to exit for food or water.
They infest dry timber and expand their nests by eating in all directions; eventually leaving just a hollow, yet otherwise normal appearing piece of timber.
All the moisture and nutrients they require is found inside the wood they eat. This is what makes the drywood termite the most unique termite species. The only purpose drywood termites have is to recycle deadwood back to the ground.
Subterranean Termites
Termites don’t just live in wood like people think. What they do is burrow underground, like ants, where they get moisture they need to survive.
Subterranean termites build their colonies under ground using tunnels that look like mud tubes. When there is earth to wood contact from a house, termites are able to crawl up and start building their tunnels.
If a homeowner notices swarming reproductive termites within the house, subterranean termites are present in the home. The termite which attacks more homes than any other is Coptotermes – considered the top subterranean termite pest.
Dampwood Termites
Dampwood termites are generally much larger than subterranean termites. They have various species, and are known to “swarm” to set up new nests during the year from January to October.
Also known as swamps, they are similar to drywood termites in their organization. They do consist of soldier termites which protect the colony with their brownish head and sharp poisonous mandibles.
Dampwood termites, as their name suggests, feed on damp and decaying wood but they may also be found in the ground. They help wood decay fungi to thrive in moist conditions, and if allowed to flourish, they can produce wing reproductives which might attack nearby timbers that are not even close to water.
Mound Builders
They are commonly called “ant hills” in Africa and Australia, despite the technical incorrectness of that name. Mounds occur when an aboveground nest grows beyond its initially concealing surface.
The structure of these mounds can be quite complex. The column of hot air rising in the aboveground mounds helps drive air circulation currents inside the subterranean network. Despite the irregular mound shapes, the different termite specie in an area can usually be identified by simply looking at the mounds.
While some estimates of the ravages of termite infestations escalates as high as billions of dollars a year, all types of termites provide considerable ecological benefits to the land. Termites provide sustenance and shelter for myriad types of life forms as they break down dead and dying trees, and they help aerate the soil for regeneration and future growth.
Termites are notorious for their ability to infest and damage wooden structures. For the prevention of this infestation and destruction, there are many ways to protect your home from termites.
Don’t let the stress of termites (white ants) keep you awake at night
With the right termite management program for your home and building, termites will not be an issue.
Sir David Attenborough wonders into the wonderful world of the termites in South Africa to better understand the ways in which these amazing animals ventilate their homes, breed, and fight for survival. Brilliant video from BBC insect and wildlife show ‘Life in the Undergrowth’.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Find More Termites Articles
Novakane | Haruka’s | Brandon | Outgunned | Spa’s | Fort Worth Water Heater | hair removal atlanta | Jitters | Best Guide On How To Manage Your Personal Finances | Vision Plus Bellingham | Irving Water Heaters | MMO | Bountiful Homes for Sale | Pitcairn’s | 115 Bell St Seattle, WA 98121