What are they???
Termites are also referred to as white ants although they are not ants at all. They are in fact a social relative of the cockroach.
There are about 4000 species of termites and 10% of these are considered as pests, causing damage to buildings, crops and forests.
The termite season is usually late spring, late April to May, as this is the time when adult termites (alates or swarmers) leave old colonies to build new nests. They usually head towards sunlight or artificial light. Many die and are found on window sills or the floor near doors and windows. After swarming they spin around and break off their wings. Sometimes the swarming takes place for just one or two hours. If you are not at home when they swarm you may only find the "cast off" wings on a window sill or floor below a window.
For more information contact your local Pest Control expert
To download your free copy of "The Life Cycle of a Termite" click HERE.
There are clear differences between the ant and the termite, which are outlined in the table below
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What attracts termites to your home....Food!
Termites may live and feed in the walls of your house, the floorboards, wooden doors even your furniture! The following also provide sources of food:
- Presence of many trees around the house
- Wood fence posts
- Wooden retaining walls
- Wooden logs stored in the backyard in shed
- Wooden decking
A house that is over 25 years old is more likely to attract termites. A new house is less likely to attract termites but there is still a risk if it is built near an existing termite colony.
The Soldier Termite
This is a soldier termite. His main job is to protect the workers and other termites from ants. The soldiers do not eat the wood. (they leave that up to the workers!; in fact they only eat wood that the workers have digested and passed on to them.
Whenever a shelter tube is broken open it doesn't take long for the soldiers to get to the opening to "defend" the workers.
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What colour are Termites?
In this picture look for two white, creamy coloured insects. They are "worker" termites. The workers do all the damage, eating the wood. They are very vulnerable with a soft exoskeleton. They avoid the light by building "tunnels" to travel inside of. A protozoa in their body digests the wood, they then return to their "colony" usually in the soil, and excrete the digested wood for other termites in the colony to feed on.
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