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A subterranean termite colony is large (60,000 to 1.5 million termites) and made up of several "castes," each with distinct functions and behaviors. These include reproductives (the queen, the king, and winged swarmers), soldiers, and workers. The maximum size of a colony depends on such factors as location, food availability and environmental conditions, especially temperature and moisture.
Workers
Worker termites are small (1/4 to 3/8 in. long) and are white to creamy-white to grayish-white with a round, yellow-brown head. They are soft-bodied and blind. Full-grown wingless, worker termites are the most numerous and do all of the work of the colony -- feeding the other caste members, caring for eggs, grooming the queen, excavating the nest and constructing tunnels.
Worker termites can forage considerable distances. The termite colony or colonies responsible for damage may actually be located in a neighbor's yard rather than beneath the house that is infected. In working, they chew and eat wood, causing the extensive structural damage termites are known for. Workers mature within a year and live from 3 - 5 years, bringing food to the colony through tunnels without ever resting.
Soldiers
Soldiers are creamy white, soft-bodied, wingless, blind and slightly larger than worker termites. They are about 1/20th as numerous. They have an enormously elongated, hard, yellowish - brown head with long, strong, sharp-pointed jaws, which they use to attack intruders, primarily ants. Soldiers must be fed by workers because they cannot feed themselves.
Property owners seldom see the worker or the soldier termites, but in the spring or fall they may see swarming "winged reproductives," which are often confused with a winged ant.
Swarmers (Reproductives)
Winged reproductives, also know as "swamers" are dark brown to brownish black. Swarmers have straight, bead-like antennae, a thick waist, and a pair of long, equal-length wings that break off easily. New colonies are formed when winged males and females from a parent colony emerge in flight or swarm.
The presence of winged termites or their shedded wings inside a home should is a warning of a termite infestation.
Termite treatment has traditionally involved applying chemicals into the structure's foundation and the surrounding soil to create chemical barriers, or "treatment zones," to block all routes of termite entry. Termites attempting to penetrate through the treated "zone," are either killed or repelled. The termite colony must then seek other available food sources such as rotting tree stumps, fallen limbs, fence posts, etc. instead of the structure. While chemicals applied to the soil and foundation can deter attacks for many years, many potential termite entry points are often hidden behind walls, floor coverings, and other obstacles. Even where access is possible, it is difficult to uniformly apply coverage. Over a period of time, termites may encounter an untreated gap or ineffective termiticide residue and are able to enter the structure.
Exact Pest Control Solutions LLC technicians are trained and certified specialists who understand termite biology and behavior, and are dedicated to doing the job right. While the barrier treatment method is still effectively used in many situations, Exact Pest Control Solutions LLC now offers a new approach that can be used in combination with, or in place of, the traditional treatment method.
Called the Exterra™ Termite Interception and Baiting System, this new technique known as baiting, directly affects the underground nest where the termites live and breed. The bait component of Exterra™, Labyrinth Termite Bait, is placed in specially designed Exterra™ Stations at carefully selected points in the ground around the outside of your building. Each station provides foraging termites with a convenient meal which will ultimately kill the colony.
Baiting relies heavily on termites encountering bait stations by chance during their foraging activities. Since termites cannot see, smell or feel the chemical baits, they unknowingly pick up the materials on their bodies and carry it back to the colony. The chemical bait prevents termites from growing by stopping the molting process. A failure to complete the molting process is always lethal to termites. When the adult worker termites die a natural death, there are no young termites to take their place. With no workers, the colony slowly starves to death.
With ongoing monitoring and rebaiting as needed, the Exterra™ Termite Interception and Baiting System is powerful enough to eliminate all the termite colonies under and around a building.
The method, or combination of treatments, we recommend will depend on the specifics of your home and infestation. After the initial treatment, we recommend periodic inspections of accessible areas to monitor its effect and determine if additional treatment is necessary. We will also point out conditions that may attract termites and suggest steps to reduce the possibly of infestation.
