What Do Drywood Termites Look Like?
Termites are a destructive type of insect that can eat through wood and destroy not only furnishings, but also the inside of your home. Drywood termites, more specifically, are a type of termite that swarm. In addition, they form colonies in dead wood, instead of forming them in the soil beneath the wood, like other termites are known to do. However, drywood termites have also been known to infest wooden furniture and make their colonies there. Does this Spark an idea?
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Identification
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As with most termites, drywood termites have wings and thus are able to fly. Most termite colonies feature some termites that are workers and others that serve as soldiers. Drywood termite colonies do not have many soldiers, but the ones they do have are larger in size than the workers. Drywood termites look very much like ants; however, they have large wings. In addition, they can be identified by their tooth-filled mandibles and their brown heads.
Considerations
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Juvenile drywood termites look like adult drywood termites, with the only difference being that adult termites have a body that is darker brown than that of a juvenile termite. Because termites and flying ants look a lot alike, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish an ant from a termite. The biggest difference in the two is that the termite has four equal-sized wings, whereas the ant's back wings are smaller than those located at the front of their bodies.
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Function
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As with most termites, drywood termites feed on wood. Though they prefer to dwell in dead wood, they will also infest furniture and, in some cases, homes. They drill holes into the wood, where they make their home. In addition, they consume wood around the area in which they live. It's easy to spot a termite dwelling in wood because there is usually a small pile of a sawdustlike substance beneath the hole they've drilled.
Geography
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Drywood termites typically choose environments that contain moisture, as that is how they get water. Water is drawn from the wood they ingest. While higher concentrations of drywood termite swarms are found in places that have high humidity, it's not uncommon for some colonies of drywood termites to infest dry, hot areas as well, including Arizona, other parts of the Southwest and California. It's in these hot regions that you are more likely to find drywood termite infestations in homes and furniture.
Prevention/Solution
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Once drywood termites have infested an area, they can be difficult to remove. You must first locate the source of the infestation. Then use an insecticide specifically for termites to get rid of them. Spray the insecticide directly into the hole where you suspect the termites to reside. If this does not work, or you are not comfortable removing the nest yourself, call a professional exterminator.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit tree with termite holes image by Yvette Bessels from Fotolia.com
