ONll About Termites: More Than You Need To Know!
By Peter Scala, BCE Owner / Parkway Pest Solutions
The subterranean termite lives and works invisibly behind a curtain of earth, unless its habitat is disturbed or it is isolated and exposed in shell-like woods that it has as good as eaten away.
He’s not an ant; It is a distinct type of social insect that is more like the cockroach. Its main goal seems to be the multiplication of its species and the procurement of food which consists of the cellulose contained in wood and which it can only digest with the help of certain tiny organisms which are present in large numbers in its intestines.
In this never-ending search for food, it becomes an expensive pest for humans, seriously damaging or destroying every wooden structure it can reach.
The subterranean termites live in an orderly colony, in which each caste has its special function in the communal scheme. His personal life is outrageous by all human standards, though lived with remarkable efficiency. There are usually five large castes in a colony, with some intermediate products being of minor importance.
These include the first, second, and third forms of reproductive adults; sterile and wingless workers; and sterile and wingless soldiers.
It is the job of the winged adult to find and establish new colonies. At the time of the swarm, the kings and queens make their way to new places and stay paired for a lifetime. As the progeny increases, so do the various castes that take on their respective functions over time. The three fertile castes are only concerned with reproduction.
The working caste does all the work required to feed and care for the kings and queens and their offspring, dig new galleries, and build protective tubes. Their soldier caste is solely concerned with defending against invaders, the most common of which is the ant.
Moisture is just as important to termite’s survival as the food it eats. It has to stay in open contact with the ground at all times and travel to and from wood, on which it feeds through protective pipes that protect it from the sun, heat and dry atmosphere.
If the worker is cut off from the moisture in the protective tube, he will die in the wood. Therefore, he has to travel and work behind a curtain of earth, which makes him more dangerous than operating in the open air where he can easily be spotted.
Termites were here in the woods long before humans started building wooden structures of any kind. They only do what comes naturally. They are non-discriminatory and do not respect people or property. Their far-reaching damage is due to the negligence of people and the lack of knowledge about their living and working habits.
In fact, humans have inadvertently promoted their interests by providing buildings and other wooden structures that are easily accessible and ideally suited for their purpose. Parkway offers long term green termite solutions using the Sentricon Always Active Elimination System.
