What are termites?

Termites are wood-damaging insects that live in colonies. Members of a termite colony vary in shape and color, ranging from the whitish color of most termite workers to tan to dark brown or even black body color of reproductives or winged termites. A termite colony typically consists of one queen, a king, workers, soldiers, and other termites, each with a distinct role. Worker termites are those that find, chew on, and damage wood, and bring back the food to the nest and share it with other colony mates.

Figure 1: Example of termites workers, winged adults, and soldiers of Formosan subterranean termites - Photo credit: Dr. Siavash Taravati

Termites damage homes, garages, gazebos, and even boats and yachts. Subterranean termites live and hide in soil, and drywood termites live inside wood, using the wood as both nest and food source. Normally, termites are rarely seen by residents; however, they may swarm indoors or outside of homes at certain times of the year by producing winged individuals. This is when residents notice them and start seeking help by contacting pest control companies. A pest control company issues a termite inspection report, which contains important information about the whereabouts of termite damage, the extent of damage, and management recommendations. Also, there are various signs that can be used to identify termite activity in a home or building. In this article, we will help you identify termites and their damage, their swarming behavior, and decide on various termite control options.

How to identify termites

Termites have elongated and oval bodies. There are different termite species out there, but termite workers are usually whitish in color, while winged termites usually have darker bodies. Because of the whitish color of worker termites, termites used to be called white ants. However, termites and ants are not the same and belong to different groups of insects.

When seeing winged termites, also known as swarmers, it is very important to properly identify them. Winged ants can look like winged termites, and this can confuse homeowners and tenants, and sometimes even pest control technicians. Luckily, there are some easy characteristics that can help you identify termites and distinguish them from ants. Here are a few:

Figure 2: Difference of termites and ants. Notice the elbowed antennae of ants.

• Termite workers are usually whitish in color, while ant workers are usually tan, brown, or black.
• Termites have straight, bead-like antennae, while ants have distinctly elbowed antennae that bend at about a 90-degree angle.
• Termites' bodies are oval with no waist-like constriction, while ants always have a narrow waist in the middle of their body.
• Winged termites have 2 pairs of wings, with each of the front wings being about the same size as the hind wings. In ants, however, hind wings are smaller than the front wings.
• A little fun tip: Termite workers can be male or female, but worker ants are always sterile females!

There are different species of termites out there that can vary significantly in size, shape, habitat preferences, and the damage they cause. In the U.S., the largest termites are dampwood termites, which primarily feed on moist wood, while drywood termites are smaller in size and feed on low-moisture wood. Subterranean termites live in the soil, while drywood termites live and nest inside wood. You can find more information about major termite groups here [link to section on this page]

Signs of a termite infestation

There are many signs that can be used to identify a termite infestation in a home or building. Here is a detailed list of these signs:

• Live or dead winged termites (swarmers): During certain times of the year, termite colonies produce winged termites that will become future kings and queens and start new colonies. At swarming times, these termites fly indoors or outdoors near homes but quickly land on the ground and die. Homeowners and tenants may see a large number of dead winged termites lying on floors, which is an indication of a mature termite colony living in or immediately around the home or building.

Figure 3: Dead winged termites are an indication of old or new termite infestation.

• Wings: When termites land after their swarming flight, they quickly shed their wings. This may leave thousands of wings on the floor, which is an indication of termite activity. However, it's important to know that winged ants also drop their wings may also leave their wings sitting on surfaces after their swarming, so it's really important to consult a pest control expert about this. There are ways to identify termites based on their wing structure, but that requires looking at them using a hand lens or a microscope.
• Fecal pellets: Drywood termites and dampwood termites produce fecal pellets as a byproduct of wood digestion. These pellets look like fine granules or coarse powder that drop from ceilings and walls when termites try to make more room inside their tunnels (aka galleries). To do that, first, they chew a hole in the wood and drywall, known as a kick-out hole, and then start pushing these dry pellets out of their tunnels, leaving a pile of pellets on the floor, which is an indication of drywood termite activity. Please bear in mind that subterranean termites do not produce fecal pellets like drywood termites.
• Kick-out holes can sometimes be used to identify drywood termite activity in a home or building. When termites are done with their pellet disposal, they seal the kick-out hole, making it difficult to find them depending on the color of wood and fecal pellets.

Figure 4: Powdery or granular pellets coming out of walls or ceiling is an indication of having drywood termites in the house. Credit: killum.com

• Mud tubes: Subterranean termites create mud tubes, which are tunnels made of soil particles, fecal matter (frass), and other materials mixed and glued together using their saliva. Mud tubes act as a protective tunnel under which subterranean termites can move up and down from soil to a building where they can feed on beams, studs, window sills, and other structural wood. Please remember that drywood termites do not create mud tubes.

Figure 5: Mud tubes on walls is a sign on old or new subterranean termite infestation. Credit: budgetbrotherstermite.com

• Termite tunnels or galleries: termite activity makes the wood soft and spongy. When the surface of a damaged wood is poked or hit by an object, the termite damage may suddenly become exposed. Termite tunnels and galleries inside the wood may or may not be stuffed with fecal pellets, in the case of drywood termites, or mud, in the case of subterranean termites.

Figure 6: Example of exposed termite damage, showing temrite tunnels or galleries with live termites inside. Please note that most of the times, termites and the damage are not visible on the wood surface. It's only through inspection when we find out about termite damage. Credit: Robin Tabuchi

Termite damage to homes

Termites damage homes, buildings, and any other wooden structure, such as boats and yachts, by chewing and feeding on wood, compromising its integrity and stability. Such damage makes homes and buildings vulnerable to structural stress such as earthquakes, storms, and hurricanes. By hollowing out wood, termites remove microscopic wood fibers and other materials that provide weight-bearing and tension strength to wood. As a result, a heavily infested home may become a hazard to its residents. The exact point at which a house becomes unsafe to live in is hard to measure and requires a civil engineer inspection and evaluation.

Termites burrow into the wood by chewing food fibers to create pathways inside the wood known as tunnels or galleries. These tunnels help termites access a large area of wood without even leaving it. Not all parts of structural wood are edible and appealing to termites. Structural wood is not homogenously dense but rather is made of low to high density areas. Termites prefer low-density areas of the wood as it is easier to chew and digest. However, different termites may feed on wood in a unique pattern. For example, subterranean termites only feed on the spring wood, while drywood termites tend to feed on both spring and summer wood. Spring wood consists of wider rings of wood, which are softer, while summer wood is the darker, narrower, and more dense parts of the wood when looking at a cross-section of a tree.

Subterranean termites tend to do more damage to lower parts of the structure since they always come from the ground, while drywood termites tend to cause more damage to walls, rafters, fascia, and soffit. Nevertheless, depending on the moisture level of the wood, subterranean termites may even reach the attic space, and drywood termites can be found in the base of homes near the ground. As a result, the location of termite damage alone is not always a reliable way of identifying the termite species.

Drywood vs subterranean vs dampwood termites

Termites are divided into three major groups based on their nesting site and moisture level requirements. Here is a summary of major termite groups:

• Drywood termites: small to medium size, live above ground, nest in low-moisture wood, produce kickout holes in wood and drywall to push out granular pellets. Seeing their pellets on the floor or inside galleries is a telltale sign of having a drywood termite infestation.
• Subterranean termites: small to medium size, live and nest in soil, but can travel up to the soil surface and infest homes. Seeing mud tubes in the crawl space or on the perimeter of a house is a telltale sign of having a subterranean termite infestation.

Figure 7: Difference between drywood termites and subterranean termites. Please note that there is some variation in color and size of various drywoods and subterranean termites. Credit: Dr. Siavash Taravati

• Dampwood termites: large bodies, live in fallen trees or in moist wood, produce granular pellets similar to drywood termites. More common in forests, foothills, and beach houses. Formosan subterranean termite is a subterranean termite with unique biology. It is considered the world's most destructive termite species and is found in many U.S. states. It is originally from East Asia but is well-established in Southern states. Formosan termites form extremely large colonies, and a mature colony of them can cause significant damage within a short period of time.

When do termites swarm?

Different termite species swarm at different times of the year. These swarming flights are weather and temperature-dependent. For example, most subterranean termites swarm after rainy days. Some termites swarm during sunny days, while others swarm at dusk or at night. Before swarming happens, termite colonies start to make more and more swarmers. These winged termites are future reproductives which make the next generation of termites by dispersing to new areas, mating, and eventually starting new colonies. However, termite swarmers don't immediately leave the colony. Instead, they wait for a suitable time, such as when temperatures rise or drop to a certain degree, or right after a major rain event. This is when homeowners and tenants suddenly see hundreds or thousands of termites flying around or dead on the floor.

Termite control options

Termites can be controlled using various tools and methods. But not all tools and methods are effective or recommended against all termites. For example, fumigation is an effective method for controlling drywood termites, while it is not effective or recommended against subterranean termites. Some termite control methods require special licensing and cannot be performed by homeowners. As a result, one should be very careful when choosing the right treatment, especially for do-it-yourself treatments. Termites can be controlled using the following methods:

Insecticide (termiticides) options:

• Liquid insecticides (termiticides): Liquid insecticides are usually applied to soil to prevent or kill subterranean termites in the crawl space or around the perimeter of the house.
• Foam insecticides: These products are usually injected into wood to kill drywood termites and wood boring beetles.
• Dusts: These products are also injected into wood to kill termites or are applied to exterior surfaces of wood to prevent future infestations.
• Termite baits: Using baits is a great option for killing and eliminating subterranean termites. These are the least toxic products that are designed to slowly kill termites overtime.
• Fumigation: Fumigation is a very effective tool for killing termites and beetles living above ground, such as drywood termites. Since fumigant gases have limited penetration into the soil, they should not be used against subterranean termites.

Non-insecticide options

• Heat treatments: Using high temperatures, high heat treatments can kill termites living in furniture or structural wood, such as studs.
• Electrocution (not commonly practiced anymore): Not commonly used anymore. However, termites can be killed by zapping them using high-voltage electricity.
• High-power microwaves (not commonly practiced anymore): Microwaves can kill termites inside structures. However, maintaining good safety can be challenging.

DIY vs professional termite treatment

Termite control can be very challenging and requires a lot of experience and technical knowledge. While certain infestations of termites can be controlled using over-the-counter products, many of them have proved to be ineffective in the long run. For example, any product with repellent insecticides such as (Lambda-Cyhalothrin) is not going to provide acceptable long-term termite control. The main reason behind this is that such insecticides kill termites too quickly without allowing the insecticide to be distributed to the rest of the colony through workers touching other workers or the queen. Also, such products may have repellent properties that repel termites and stop more of them from visiting treated wood areas and getting exposed to the insecticide. As a result, they cause some instant mortality without eliminating or even causing major mortality in the colony. On the other hand, when given enough time, some products containing less or non-repellent insecticides at appropriate doses can fully eliminate termite colonies within weeks.

When to call a professional

If you are not sure what pest you are dealing with or what you need to do, we strongly suggest that you contact a pest control company with a specialty in termite control. An experienced pest control expert can save you a lot of time and money in the long run by making an accurate identification of the termite species and choosing the right product and tools to protect your home against further damage.