Termites Description: general

Termites never sleep. They eat wood 24 hours a day and cause several billion dollars in structural damage every year. The Los Angeles area ranks second in termite damage in the United States.

Termites invade structures of all ages; even brand new homes. The Queen can produce thousands of eggs a day and colonies can number in the millions. Visible signs of termites include blistered or wavy wood, loose trim, sagging floors and/or sawdust-looking residue next to beams or studs. By the time you see these signs, expensive wood damage may have already occurred.

In the United States there are three main groups of termites: Drywood termites which live in the dry wood of buildings where they feed; Subterranean termites which live in the soil and must locate wood that they feed on; and Dampwood termites which may be found in either soil or wood-if enough moisture is present in the wood of a structure they then do not need to return to the soil.

Termites can proceed up masonry walls and structural piers by building enclosed tunnels or "mud tubes" using soil particles and their own saliva. Since termites move within sealed passages and eat wood and other cellulose type materials, they can create extensive damage to a structure without any visible indication that they are present.

Currently, the most prevalent termites in our area are the Drywood Subterranean species. However, the Formosan termite, the most destructive of all termites, has begun to invade Southern California from Louisiana and Hawaii. The Formosan termite can penetrate cement, copper and plastic in search of wood.

Termites belong to the insect order Isoptera. The term "Isoptera"is Latin and means "same wing," which refers to the similarity in size of the front and hind wings of the reproductive forms. Most species of termites have microscopic, one-celled animals, called protozoa, within their intestines that convert wood cellulose into sugar, allowing termites to feed on wood or paper.

Termites have a highly developed insect social structure, living in large colonies in the soil or in chambers carved in dead or, sometimes, living wood. Colonies are composed of castes, specialized forms of individuals that include soldiers, reproductives, and in some species, workers. Termite pests in California include the drywood termites, the dampwood termites, and the western subterranean termite. These pests cause serious damage to wooden structures and posts and may also attack stored food, household furniture, and even plastics.

Subterranean Termites / Order Isoptera

Subterranean termites require moist environments. To satisfy this need, they usually nest in or near the soil and maintain some connection with the soil through tunnels in wood or through shelter tubes that they construct. Much of the damage they cause occurs in foundation and structural support wood.

The western subterranean termite (Reticulitermes hesperus )is the most destructive of all termites found in California. Colonies include reproductive, worker, and soldier castes. Reproductive winged forms of subterranean termites are dark brown to brownish black, with brownish gray wings. On warm, sunny days following fall or sometimes spring rains, swarms of reproductives may sometimes be seen.

Soldiers are wingless with white bodies and pale yellow heads. Their long, narrow heads have no eyes. Workers are slightly smaller than reproductives, wingless, and have a shorter head than soldiers; they are colored similar to soldiers.

Dampwood Termite / Zootermopsis angusticollis

Dampwood termites nest in wood buried in the ground, although contact with the ground is not necessary when infested wood is high in moisture. Because of their high moisture requirements, dampwood termites most often are found in cool, humid areas along the coast and are typical pests of beach houses.

Dampwood termites produce distinctive fecal pellets that are rounded at both ends, elongate, but lacking clear longitudinal ridges common to drywood termite pellets; flattened sides are noticeable. Winged reproductives typically swarm between July and October, but it is not unusual to see them at other times of the year.

Pacific dampwood termites are the largest of the termites occurring in California. Winged reproductives are dark brown with brown wings. Soldiers have a flattened brown or yellowish brown head with elongated black or dark brown mandibles. Nymphs are cream-colored with a characteristic spotted abdominal pattern caused by food in their intestines. Nevada dampwood termites ( Zootermopsis nevadensis )are slightly smaller and darker than the Pacific species; reproductives are about 3/4 inch (18 mm) long.

Drywood Termites / Genera Kalotermes and Incisitermes

Drywood termites infest dry, undecayed wood, including structural lumber as well as dead limbs of native trees and shade and orchard trees, utility poles, posts, and lumber in storage. From these areas, winged reproductives seasonally migrate to nearby buildings and other structures usually on sunny daysduring fall months. Drywood termites are the most typical termite in southern California, but also occur along most coastal regions, the central valley, and southern desert.

Drywood termites have a low moisture requirement and can tolerate dry conditions for prolonged periods. They remain entirely above ground and do not connect their nests to the soil, but piles of their fecal pellets, which are distinctive in appearance, may be a clue to their presence. The fecal pellets are elongate (about 0.03 inch or 0.8 mm long) with rounded ends and have six flattened or roundly depressed surfaces separated by six longitudinal ridges.

Winged adults of western drywood termites (Incisitermes minor) are dark brown with smoky black wings and have a reddish brown head and thorax; wing veins are black. These insects are noticeably larger than subterranean termites. Winged forms of the desert drywood termite, Marginitermes hubbardi, are pale.Soldiers of this species have a club like third antennal segment that is almost as long as all the succeeding segments combined, easily distinguishing them from other species.

Formosan Subterranean Termite

The Formosan subterranean termite is native to China, Formosa, and Japan and has been introduced into Sri Lanka, South Africa, Hawaii and the continental United States. It was first discovered at a Houston, Texas shipyard in 1965. In 1966, well established colonies of the Formosan termite were discovered in New Orleans and Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Houston and Galveston, Texas. In 1967, the species was found in Charleston, South Carolina. Well-established colonies were located in Florida in 1980, 1982, and 1984.

The Formosan termite is extremely destructive, where it has become established. Fortunately, it appears to be a pest that spreads slowly. It may eventually spread along the entire Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts. The Formosan termite's distribution in the United States will probably be limited by severe winter temperatures, and it will probably not disperse to the northern United States.

Like other termites, the Formosan subterranean termite feeds on cellulose. It consumes wood much faster than other subterranean termites. In Hawaii, walls of new buildings were hollowed out in three months. The rapidity of damage is probably related to the termite's high reproductive capacity and large colony size.