What are these black, winged insects in
my home?
Adult reproductive termites are dark-brown to blackish insects, about
3/8 inch-long. Commonly referred to as "swarmers", these are
the termites that mate and start new colonies. Termite swarmers may or
may not have wings. Shortly after they emerge from their underground tunnels,
swarmer termites shed their wings. Swarming termites are often confused
with ants but can be distinguished by two characters. Termites lack the
"pinched" waist of ants. Termite wings are all equal in length
and almost twice as long as the body, compared to ants that have distinctly
longer front wings. Although termite swarmers can, occasionally, enter
homes through open windows, finding termite swarmers indoors is a reliable
signal of an indoor infestation. Termite swarms can occur throughout the
year, but are most commonly seen between the months of February and May.
Swarmers are not harmful and they are an indicator of an active colony.
However, the workers that do the damage to your home are slow.
Commercial Pest Control's Procedure
- We will send an inspector to your home within 24 hours after we receive your call. Please note that if your call is on a Friday it will be the following Monday when we inspect.
- Inspector will locate the termites and draw a graph of your home indicating their location.
- The graph will be turned into management the next working day and will be reviewed and a treatment plan will be prescribed.
- Customer will be called within 3 to 5 working days after the inspection to arrange a treatment date. The treatment date is usually within 2 to 3 weeks later. Please note that when conditions are right termites swarm so Commercial may experience a high volumn of traffic that day -- please be patient we will service your property.
- After the treatment is performed a reinspection will be scheduled for the inspector to return to the home for a follow up call. This will be scheduled 3 months after the treatment date.
- If any damage has been caused by the termites the customer will need to call the office and speak to the Damage Claims department. This is a separate procedure and is performed after the termites have been treated. Please be sure to fill out the proper damage forms and submit.
Want more information on termites -- Keep reading....
Subterranean termites are ground-inhabiting, social insects that live in colonies. A colony or nest of subterranean termites may be up to 18-20 feet below the soil surface to protect it from extreme weather conditions. These termites travel through mud tubes to reach food sources above the soil surface. The mature termite colony has three castes: a) reproductives (king and queen), b) soldiers, and c) workers. The colony reaches its maximum size in approximately 4 to 5 years and may include 60,000 to 200,000 workers. New colonies are formed when winged males and females from a parent colony emerge in flight or swarm.
The winged reproductives are dark brown to brownish black and have two pairs of equal size wings that extend well beyond the body. Swarms are common in spring and fall, especially after a rain. After a flight, the winged males and females return to the ground and shed their wings. The wingless males and females pair off and search for sources of wood and moisture in soil. The royal couple digs a chamber in the soil near wood, enters the chamber and seals the opening. After mating, the queen starts laying eggs. The queen may live up to 25 years and lay more than 60,000 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs are yellowish white and hatch after an incubation of 50 to 60 days.
Full-grown workers are soft-bodied, wingless, blind and creamy white. In early stages, they are fed predigested food by the king and queen. Once workers are able to digest wood, they provide food for the entire colony. The workers perform all the labor in the colony such as obtaining food, feeding other caste members and immatures, excavating wood, and constructing tunnels. Workers mature within a year and live from three to five years.
Soldiers are creamy white, soft-bodied, wingless and blind. The head of the soldier is enormously elongated, brownish, hard and equipped with two jaws. Soldiers must be fed by workers because they cannot feed themselves. They are less numerous in the colony than workers and their only function is to defend the colony against invaders. Soldiers mature within a year and live up to five years.
Difference Between Termites and Ants
Flying ants and swarming termites are often difficult to tell
apart. Termites have relatively straight, beadlike antennae while ants
have elbowed antennae. Termites have two pair of wings (front and back)
that are of almost equal length. Ants also have two pair of wings but
the fore wings are much larger than the hind wings. The abdomen of the
termite is broadly joined to the thorax while the abdomen and thorax of
the ant are joined by a narrow waist called a petiole.
Feeding Habits
Subterranean termites feed exclusively on wood and wood products containing
cellulose. Termites have protozoa (microorganisms) in their intestines
that provide enzymes to digest cellulose. Although termites are soft-bodied
insects, their hard, saw-toothed jaws work like shears and are able to
bite off extremely small fragments of wood, a piece at a time. Termites
often infest buildings and damage lumber, wood panels, flooring, sheetrock,
wallpaper, plastics, paper products and fabric made of plant fibers. The
most serious damage is the loss of structural strength. Other costly losses
include attacks on flooring, carpeting, art work, books, clothing, furniture
and valuable papers. Subterranean termites do not attack live trees.
