Subterranean & Drywood Termite Indentification:
Subterranean Termite:
Subterranean termites are the underground termite and travel in mud shelter tubes. Subterranean termite swarmers are solid black with white wings and they only swarm in the spring in the US, and occasionally in the fall. Subterranean termite swarmers are very poor fliers and only use their wings to swarm. They will break them off soon after swarming to make crawling easier. They will then search out a mate and pair off to start a new colony. You may encounter piles of broken wings, especially on window sills, and near areas of sunlight such as doorways, etc. In most instances of swarming, the individual termite colony only swarms 1 or 2 times. It is not a constant swarming cycle and unless you are lucky enough to witness the swarm or find dead swarmers or wings, you may miss it. Another infestation is mud tunneling. Subterranean termites build mud shelter tubes in which they travel. The mud shelter tube helps to protect the worker termites from predators such as ants, and also provides them with humidity. In fact a typical subterranean termite colony can contain more than 500,000 termites.
There is no best time to treat for them. Summer, winter, spring or fall, subterranean termites can be active all year round in a heated building. Subterranean termites will not just disappear or go away. At some point, structural damages could occur. Subterranean termites should be taken very seriously.
Drywood Termite:
Drywood termite generally lives (feed and nest) in undecayed wood which has very low moisture content. Unlike subterranean termites, they do not require any contact with the soil in order to survive. They are most common in Southern California. Drywood termite swarmers are different from subterranean termites in appearance primarily in color. They are red with blackish wings. During the swarming season, which occurs during Sept. to Oct. (sometimes December). Warm weather and bright sunshine stimulates them to swarm. Damage done by drywood termites is entirely different from that caused by subterranean termites. These termites cut across the grain of the wood, excavating large chambers which are connected by small tunnels. The chambers and tunnels being used by the colony are kept clean. Pellets (frass) are a distinguishing characteristic of drywood termites. These pellets are hard and have six distinct concave surfaces on the sides; only the ends are rounded. Entrance into wood is usually make from a crack or crevice which the termites can enter before boring into the wood. This may be a crack in the wood itself or may be the joint between two pieces of wood or even the space underneath roofing or sheathing paper. Drywood termites attack wood products of all kinds. Structural timbers and woodwork in buildings, as well as furniture and other wooden objects, may be damaged. A typical drywood termite colony contains about 10,000 termites.