General

Termites –Fight The Unseen Enemy

There are over 2000 types of termites, though with distinct features but mostly they look alike. Length is around ¼ to ½ inch, with a soft body and straight projection. The king and queens are larger than workers. There are three different castes within the colony of termites with a specific duty. The king and queen or reproductive termites, secondary reproductive the backup breeders, workers perform the necessary tasks and soldiers guarding the colony.

The types

There are four types of termites. Dampwood termites are found in woods that are soaked in water or woods that are directly on the soil. If the roof is leaked and water sips in that area can be infested with damp wood termites. Drywood termite lives in arid wood where moisture content is less 12%. They dig a small tunnel then close it to make a chamber and mate. They remain dormant for years, and on fourth, the population explodes then they flock in dozens and hundreds. Subterranean termites thrive in the underground as the name suggest. They build mud tunnels to keep themselves wet and travel place to place. Termite droppings are a sure sign that your house is infested with these little devils. This sand like particles appears on the wooden window frame, door jambs or even in furniture.

Prevention is better than cure

When you’re an area in your house gets infested with termites one of the major sign is termite droppings or frass. Maybe you cannot see termites, but certainly, you see signs of their presence. When termites eat or damage wood, they do so inside out leaving only a thin veneer of it. You touch a wooden frame or furniture and your finger poke a hole through it certainly points towards those pests. Soldier termites bang their head or shake their body if the colony is disturbed in a quiet environment you can hear it. Stiff windows and distorted doors other than weather condition means termites. They produce moisture while eating and tunneling which causes door and window frames to swell. Subterranean termites live underground in your garden, or under the house, this mudding is often hard to see. Before you buy a house make sure that it is free from infestation you can call an expert to investigate and give a clearance. You should keep your foundation and surroundings of your home clean from cellulose-based debris.Reduce or eliminate soil to timber contact around your house. Having annual inspection and pretreatment by an expert is always cost-effective and healthy for your living.