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.
Workers represent the majority of the colony population and are responsible for caring for eggs, constructing and maintaining tunnels, foraging for food and the feeding and grooming of other caste members. They are white and soft bodied.
Soldiers are responsible for defending the colony. They are white, soft bodied with an enlarged, hardened head containing two large jaws, or mandibles, which are used as a weapon against predators.
Winged reproductives produce the offspring in the colony and swarm at certain times of the year. Colonies can have both primary reproductives (one king and one queen), and hundreds of secondary reproductives to assist in egg laying and colony growth.
The king termite assists the queen in creating and attending to the colony during it's initial formation. He will continue to mate throughout his life to help increase the colony size. The queen termite creates the colony by laying eggs and tending to the colony until enough workers and nymphs are produced to care for the colony. She can live for more than ten years and produce hundreds of eggs each year. Colonies can reach several million termites with the help of secondary queens who also produce eggs.
| Drywood Temites | Subterranean Termites | |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Cellulose (derived from wood and wood based products) | Cellulose (derived from wood and wood based products) |
| Moisture | No outside moisture needed. Can survive on a small amount of moisture within wood. |
Cellulose (derived from wood and wood based products) Require an outside moisture source. This may be from the soil, leaky plumbing, roof tops, etc. |
| Environment | Colonies live within the wood and do not require contact with the soil. |
Normally live and forage in the soil. Can establish a nest above the soil if acceptable moisture is found. Build protective mud tubes that lead from the soil to the home. Can move Colony within soil when environmental conditions require. |
| Colony Size | Small (few hundred to a thousand termite members). | Large (a well established colony may contain over 7 million termites.) Some species have numerous smaller Colonies of several thousand termite members. |
| Evidence of Activity | Sand-like pellets or “droppings”. Kick-out holes in the walls, ceilings or wood. Infestation may take two years before evidence of droppings is present |
Mud tubes ascending from the ground to the structure or protruding from walls and/or trim. Heavy termite swarming within the structure. Slits in the wood (flight slits) Uncharacteristic waviness in the wood. |
Fumigation
Fumigation involves covering of the residence with a tent and pumping Vikane Gas into the property. The complete fumigation process takes three days and occupants MUST be vacated from the premises. Although more expensive and troublesome to occupants, fumigations are the #1 method of eliminating drywood termite infestations. For more information on whole house fumigation, visit
www.TermiteTenting.com
Termidor
Temidor is a low dose treatment with no odor, that can only be applied by a Termidor Certified Professional. Termidor is a slow acting chemical that kills termites by ingestion, contact, and the “Transfer Effect”, meaning that infected termites help spread Termidor throughout the colony before dying themselves.
Spot Treatment
Localized treatment or “Spot” treatment has many benefits to the homeowner. One being that it is much cheaper than a fumigation. Once a complete inspection has been performed and a determination is established that the infestation is accessible for treatment, then it is possible to use localized treatment methods to control the termite colony.
Annual Control
Protect the most valuable investment with an annual inspection and treatment contract. BPC’s Annual Control Service Contracts are the most competitive in the industry and offer protection of drywood termites and subterranean termites. At any time you see what you think might be termites during your contract you may simply call the office and we will be at your door to take a look at the problem and complete any necessary treatment.
