Termites Termites O 45 species of termites in US O Only 2 species are native Termites O Gut symbionts help digest cellulose (wood) O Bacteria and protozoans Termites O Mature queen lays up to 10,000 eggs per week O She can live 10 years or more O That’s 60 million eggs Termites and Ants O Both swarm same time of year O When reproductive take flight O Start new colony Termites and Ants O Ants have constricted “waist” O Between thorax and abdomen Termites O Spread chemical messages through frequent grooming O Anal trophallaxis O Fluids exchange anus to mouth O Also transfers gut symbionts through colony Caste System O Reproductive Castes O Produce a queen Caste System O Worker Caste O Food, grooming Caste System O Soldier Caste O Enlarged mandibles Moisture O Carry moist soil above ground O Mud tubes O Keep termites moist Moisture O Cemented with saliva and fecal matter O Mud left behind in wood Moisture O Leaky pipes O Wet areas O Shrubs against house Food O Radial paths spreading from colony in search of food O Spokes on wheel O Can’t find food, likely bump into it Food O Cellulose is food source O Untreated wood O Trees, stumps, firewood, O Attracted to partially decomposed wood Food O Eat softer spring wood in growth rings O Leave harder summer wood O Only eat 20% of total wood O Lattice symptom Food O Mud left in tunnels O Carpenter ants leave clean tunnels Inspection O Shed wings or dead swarmer termites O Window sills O Mud tubes O Tiny holes in baseboards O Hollow thump Prevention O Eliminate wood to ground contact O 90% of infestations O Firewood away from house O Untreated wood 6” above ground O Use treated wood for ground contact Control Termiticide Treatments O Chemical barrier around house O Trenching and rodding O Slabs are drilled and injected Control Bait Stations O A non-lethal food source around house O Stations every 10’ to 15’ O 12” to 18” from house O Frequently monitored Control Bait Stations O If termites are present, non-lethal food source replaced with poison bait O Slow-acting poison taken back to colony Prevention O Keep vegetation and mulch away from house O Mulch serves as a moisture conduit O Mulch not a food source O Even pea gravel Prevention O Gutters and downspouts away from house