All About Termite Identification and Infestation
Termite identification is essential when dealing with an infestation. These termites are common invaders to many households and cause a variety of different problems for the homeowner. Believe it or not, many people may not even know what they are looking at is even a termite. Therefore, this article is geared toward educating the reader on termite identification as well as focusing on other termite facts.
People with a termite infestation may notice them anytime between the spring and the fall months. These termites find a site they view as excellent for nesting and settle there. From here, female termites begin producing offspring. Obviously this mass production drastically increases the number of termites involved in the infestation of your house. These termites feed off of wood, which is obviously problematic.
The best way to determine if you have a termite infestation is by monitoring the condition of your wood. Houses that are infested tend to have major signs of termite problems as is seen by tunnels within the wood. However, other more subtle signs include the darkening of the wood as well as other wood deterioration. Obviously anyone noticing these problems should contact a local pest control to identify and eliminate your problems before they become more severe.
Now that we have examined the basics of termites and termite infestation, let’s delve into termite identification. The biggest issue is identifying a termite from an ant. Actually, many people believe termites are simply white ants with wings. However, this is far from the truth. Termites tend to be white in color and not much larger than rice. Reproductive termites have wings, while those that do not produce often lack these wings. The wings of termites are extremely fragile and are quick to break, unlike those of ants. Some termites have pincers as well. Each termite has six legs. The best way to distinguish between a termite and an ant is by realizing that termites have straight body while ants tend to be hourglass in terms of shape. The antennae of termites are also straight, as opposed to the curved ones of ants.
Despite their differences and love for wood, termites and ants have similar family structures. Termites have large family structures in which some have jobs of reproduction, protecting, finding food, etc. Both termites and ants are all about organization and structure. Each group includes soldiers, workers, queens, etc.
Believe it or not, the queen can lay as many as four eggs each minute, making a termite infestation likely to spread very quickly. With hundreds of termites feeding off of the wood that makes up your house, you could imagine how quickly their consumption could be detrimental to the structure of your house. Be sure to look for bubbling in painted wood, which could be a sign of a termite infestation. However although termite identification is relatively essential, most of these little critters hide in tight places that make them unknown. Therefore, the best way to identify an infestation is by examining the condition of the wood, including the wood under your house.
In conclusion, termite infestations are a relatively serious situation that should definitely be treated as soon as they are noticed. The easiest way to identify if you have termites is by checking the condition of the wood on your house, including painted wood. Generally the wood will be bruised, darkened, or contain multiple holes throughout (tunnels). Hiring an expert to eliminate the termite infestation once identified will save you a lot of time, stress, and money in the future. Therefore, as soon as you notice your house contains termites contact your exterminator.