Drywood Termite:.

Characteristics - Soft bodies and are cylindrical in shape, six legs, compound
eyes and chewing mandibles. The colony is composed of a king, queen, nymphs
and soldiers. An average colony can consist of thousands in number. They are known to
swarm in the Spring, but can occur anytime of the year. Termites are often discovered
on window sills as they are drawn to the light.
All termites, when swarming, have developed temporary wings, but are not good flyers.
These are the reproductives and are swarming to colonize new areas. Drywood termites
are most often found in wood framing.

Subterranean:

Characteristics - Smaller in size than the Drywood termites, the colony consists of workers,
soldiers, a queen and king. The soldiers have elongated heads with pincher-like mandibles.
The subterranean gets its name from living in the ground, building tunnels up to the framing that look like mud tubes. The mud tubes help to protect the Subterranean termite from exposure to sun and elements. These too, are know to swarm in the Spring, but may occur anytime of the year.

Dampwood Termite:

Characteristics - Dampwood termites are larger in size than Drywood, Subterranean or
Formosan termites. Dampwoods are not found in as many states. They are found mostly
in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Florida. The colony consists of soldiers,
nymphs, king and queen. They swarm in the Spring but can occur anytime of the year.
The Dampwood termite gets its name from requiring damp wood to survive. Therefore,
this type of termite is not usually found in structures.

Formosan Termite:

Characteristics - Formosan termites have large underground colonies. The colony
can be ten times larger than a Subterranean termite colony. They build mud nests in walls
and other enclosed spaces. The Formosan has currently been found in Hawaii, N. Carolina, S. Carolina and most states along the Gulf. There have been notations of them in the Riverside area of California. The Formosan can cause highly accelerated damage compared to other termites.