The warrior caste is responsible for protecting the colony from invasions. Their battles are mostly against other insects and primarily ants.
The worker caste is responsible for ensuring that the rest of the colony is fed. Their “work” is mostly made up of chewing. Worker termites extract the cellulose from wood or other materials and then regurgitate it for the other castes. Since they don’t sleep, worker termites are capable of working 24 hours a day and seven days a week. With an infestation that has grown out of control, homeowners actually report hearing the termites chewing up their home. You don’t want to allow an infestation to settle in and grow out of control. That’s when homeowners report damage into the tens of thousands of dollars.
How Do Termites Get Into Your Home?
The termites that do the most amount of damage are subterranean termites. These buggers attack from the soil looking for food, shelter, and warmth. Our homes provide all of these in stupendous quality. Subterranean termites generally attack from beneath your house.
From there, they begin attacking wood building materials which provide the termites with the cellulose they need to survive. In fact, any building material that is plant based is fair game for termites. The warmth of homes also attracts termites when the weather is colder. Puddles surrounding your foundation and even run-off from air conditioners can become breeding grounds for termites (and more). Termites can exploit cracks in concrete, brick, or your foundation that is as small as the skinny side of a credit card.
Homes that have become infested with subterranean termites also leave clues for homeowners. These are generally in the form of the termites themselves, discarded wings, termite poop (which resembles salt) or mud tubes that the termites use to navigate from one place to another.
Managing a Termite Infestation
Pointe Pest Control performs free home inspections to identify problem areas in your home and identify areas where termites are active. We can make recommendations on shoring up your defenses to prevent future termite infestations.
There are a couple of different methods that we employ when dealing with termite problems. This includes wood treatments to protect vulnerable building materials and soil treatments to create a barrier around your home that is inhospitable to termites. We then use baits to destroy the colony that is currently infesting your home.
Identifying Termite Activity
As a general rule of thumb, homeowners must be constantly vigilant against termite activity. It is best to perform routine checks in your basement where the termites are most likely to be holed up.
Termites are often confused with white ants because of their similar coloring. However, termites have more translucent bodies and their bodies are shaped differently as well. While all insects have three segments, termites appear to have only two. With white ants, it’s very easy to identify three segments.
If you’re not sure if you’re looking at a termite, you can always call us and we will identify the species of insect for you.
