Termites 

What A Termite Looks Like

Author: Anthony Galz

A home can definitely do without carpenter ants and worker termites - two of the most destructive pests that can destroy a home. Identifying which is which however is important for you to get the right help and treatment. Although a specialist normally knows what a termite looks like, your early detection can help provide immediate and proper attention.

The Subterranean Termites

Being able to identify a subterranean termite from other termite species may just be the key to saving your home. Different termite species have different looks and this can muddle your idea of how a subterranean termite would look like. Subterranean termites however are the most common species found in homes. They usually feed on wood and paper based products and to the unaware, every termite looks like it can harm your precious library or furniture. Your major concern however should be the worker termites.

A termite colony can be composed of several groups: soldier termites, swarmers or reproductives and worker termites. Not every termite looks like a grain of rice but a lot of them do. Soldiers however have mandibles while reproductives have wings. The worker termite looks like a reproductive but is smaller and has no wings. They are the most numerous in a colony and are the main wood eaters.

Swarmer Ants and Termites

The presence of swarmer termites is usually one of the first signs that there may be a termite infestation in your home. This is because swarmers are the ones who propagate termite colonies. Some think that a swarmer termite looks like a flying ant. The truth is that there are major differences.

The body of an ant is usually divided into a head, a slim abdomen and a thorax. A termite looks like it only has a head and a straight body.

Ants and termites both have four wings. Ants however have longer front than rear wings and have apparent vein marks. Termites have four wings of equal length that are far longer than the body and do not have vein marks.

Ants also have slightly bent antennae that may end in some sort of a small club. Termites on the other hand have beaded antennae that do not bend and have no club-like ends and point away from the body.

Where Swarmers Stay

Swarmer termites outside your house does not call for much alarm. These swarmers may simply have been blown by the wind. Swarmers are also not the main termite wood eaters. You should be a little concerned though if you notice a number of swarmer ants flying away from your house and from cracks, windows and woodwork. You may have some form of termite infestation.

Getting Help

Termites are not easy to get rid of. Using an ordinary pests or insecticide may not effectively remedy your termite problems. You may have to ask for some expert help. Experts may use chemical treatment in which termicide is applied on wood and other house areas to prevent termites from invading the house structure. The baiting technique may also be used in which chemicals are spread throughout the colony through wood baits carrying chemicals.

Discover what a termite looks like. It may just save your home and property! Hire the best termite control company nearest you.

termite damage Videos

What A Termite Looks Like News

A little good news for Holly Benson in GOP attorney general contest

By Steve Bousquet - Wed, Jul 28 2010 The Buzz has obtained a copy of a McLaughlin & Associates poll conducted for a private client, the Florida Medical Association. The pollster asked 600 likely GOP voters: "If the election were held today, which of the following best describes how you are likely to vote in the Republican primary election for attorney general?" McLaughlin's polling includes ...

Animals: Flying Animals Captured in 3D

"Flydra," a new multi-camera, real-time, three-dimensional method of recording multiple flying animals, shows the minutest details of airborne insects. Click link at right to get the whole story. This movie shows various 2-D cameras tracking a fr ...

Frankly Speaking: Too many opinions, too many options

You know, today I feel theres too much pain in the decision-making process. You have everyone and his brother chiming in with his or her opinions. Also, there are too many options available, and consequently, the basic issue many times gets lost in a cloud of dust or political correctness.

Speed Reads: July's literary landscape at a glance

Three narrators combine to tell the story of how one violent incident, as well as love and passion and all that, affected their lives. To Sound in the Know: Mohr also sings in a band called Damn Handsome & the Birthday Suits.

Goodall's 50 years in the jungle

Through detailed observations of Tanzanian apes, Jane Goodall revolutionised our knowledge of chimpanzee behaviour Fifty years ago, a slender young Englishwoman was walking through a rainforest reserve at Gombe, in Tanzania, when she came across a dark figure hunched over a termite nest. A large male chimpanzee was foraging for food. So she stopped and watched the animal through her binoculars ...