Kinds of Termites
By Chris Williams on April 17, 2015.
Welcome. I’m Zack Ciras from Colonial Pest Control, your go-to full service pest control company serving Central and Eastern Massachusetts, Southern New Hampshire, and Southern Maine. Today, let’s talk about the different types of termites with which you may be concerned.
In New England, we encounter Subterranean Termite species. The most common is the Eastern Subterranean Termite, or Reticulitermes flavipes. Excuse my Latin. Drywood termites, dampwood termites, and rottenwood termites are not generally found in the northeast. Formosan termites, another subterranean specie, are very aggressive, but not commonly found in the northeast.
Different types of Drywood termites are found in different areas of the country. They can be found in a fairly narrow strip from Virginia to Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico into California.
Subterranean termites require contact with the ground and a high moisture content to survive. Drywood termites, by contract, don’t require contact with the ground and generally feed, nest, and live in undecayed structural wood with low moisture content. They cut across the grain of the wood, rather than working with the wood grain like subterranean termites. Drywood termites excrete hard pellets with six concave surfaces.
Often, entrance into the wood is made via a Crack or crevice. They form large chambers connected by small tunnels, and can subside for a time in that area. Drywood termites can live not only in structures, but in any wood item such as furniture or carts.
Spot treatments can be made to remedy some drywood termite infestations. In this way, It may be easier and less costly to treat for drywood termites. Alternatively, a whole house fumigation is sometimes needed. That is no easy feat. My in-laws are snow birds, living on the Florida Keys for the winter. They spot treat the drywood termites as they find them, but the whole street seems to understand a tenting application will inevitably be required every five to ten years. They plan on group rates!
Give us a call at 1-800-525-8084 or visit us at colonialpest.com.
For Colonial Pest Control, I’m Zack Ciras. We’ll catch you next time.