Here Are Some Simple Ways To Learn Termites Types

By Don Rodriguiez

You need to know some basic facts about termites which will help you to identify them. This article will hopefully arm you with sufficient information which will enable you to identify termites in your area. Are you familiar with the three main termites types found in the United States?

There are three basic types of termites: subterranean, dry wood, and Formosan. All three derive their food supply from cellulose which is found in wood and wood products. All three kinds also live in highly organized and socialized colonies. They also all share a common enemy " ants.

Subterranean termites tend to live in the soil beneath your house and then come up through a complex system of tunneling to the ground for feeding. Experts estimate that these pests account for some 95% of the damage done by termites each year which range in the neighborhood of three billion dollars a year.

Of the three groups of termites, Formosan are considered late comers to the USA, arriving on military cargo and supply ships returning from Asia at the conclusion of World War II. These subterranean pests threaten homes and forests alike. One characteristic which distinguishes them from dry wood pests which live above the ground in dead trees and wood in houses and furniture, and which makes Formosan particularly threatening is the fact that they not only attack dead and dying trees, they invade healthy trees. Experts say that it may take up to two years to notice damage done by a colony after it has infested an area or tree.

All three groups of termites in the USA swarm in the early spring. However, not all members of the colony do so as is commonly misunderstood. Only the group known as alates get to enjoy this activity -- the purpose of which is to find mates with whom they go off and establish new colonies. - 30446

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