Americans number one threat to wood is Termites, there are many different types and they are spread out across the country. Subterranean termites are the most threatening of all termites and cause over 2 billion dollars of damage EACH year! This is more damage than that of fire and windstorm combined! This is an astronomical amount and can make a huge impact on your pocket book! Although they cause a lot of damage, they also have their benefits. They will break down wood that is old and damaged and turn it into a humus substance. If the termites were not there to complete this task, the old dead wood would then pile up and become a larger problem. It is so important for all home and business owners to understand the life cycle of a termite in order to prevent major damage. As you can see in the image below: Dallas, Austin, Houston and everything else in the eastern part of the state are completely covered in termites. This is why we are in those areas most. We have multiple termite calls every day, so please read on to understand termites completely and try to prevent termite damage to your home.
These termites live in 49 of the 50 states, Alaska is the only one excluded. The two that are most common subterranean termites found in Texas are the Reticulitermes and the Formosan termites. The Reticulitermes (we will call them the R. Termites) are found throughout the state, where the Formosan termites are only in specific areas closer to the ocean (Houston, Galveston, and Texas City).
Subterranean termites are typically found burrowed in the ground, but are often found in the walls of your home as well. These colonies have different types of termites: Workers, Soldiers, and Reproductive. Their names basically describe their role in the colony. Of course the reproductive termites main job is to reproduce, there could be hundreds of reproductive termites, imagine how many baby termites are born every day! Worker termites are the majority of the colony, they have many roles in the colony, they make the tunnels, groom the queen, feed the other termites and create the nests. Soldier termites protect the colony from predators or competitors (mostly ants). They exude a sticky substance that will trap the predator.
Reproductive Termite | Worker Termite | Soldier | Termite Queen
Once the termite colonies mature, they create swarmer termites, these termites fly, usually during the day after a rain storm, until their wings fall off. This could be another tree in your back yard, or your neighbors home. This is why if there is one house in a neighborhood affected by termites, there are usually multiple more.
