When springtime comes many bugs get active and termites are no exception. Established colonies often usher out winged reproductives that attempt to mate and start new colonies. Unfortunately they often end up in our living rooms and panicked homeowners grab any kind of spray they can to kill all the termites in this mating flight. The problem is that most don’t understand that the winged termites are only a fraction of the entire colony but thinking they got em all they soon forget about this grave warning sign.
Only a mature termite colony will expend the energy and resources to make winged reproductives. They pick a warm sunny day usually after a rain in the spring to give them the best chance of survival but still only a small fraction ever make it far enough to mate. Spiders, birds and Raid are just some of the enemies for this fragile termite. The swarm usually only lasts for about an hour and if it does happen in your home you may think the danger is over once it has stopped. In reality the danger never stopped at all because those that actually do damage never show themselves and continue to work in the darkness of your walls after the spectacle.
A mature colony of subterranean termites is about sixty thousand strong at least. It takes two to three years and favorable conditions for them to get this large. The queen who was once a swarmer herself is an egg laying machine pumping out hundreds per day. The queen can live up to thirty years and there is always a ready stable of supplementary reproductive’s waiting to take over in case she dies. The supplemental queens also produce eggs and this really speeds up a colonies growth.
The worker termite is the one caste that eats the food. They do not have eyes so they prefer to live in total darkness and eat on the inside of your walls or wood they are in. They only need a small crack to enter any building and bring moisture up from the ground to sustain this valuable need. They then return to the colony and feed the others who technically do no damage at all. Termites can eat about 2 feet of a wall stud every 6 months so the damage can be extensive.
Even professionals can’t always see an infestation right away and for most people, why treat what you can’t see. Termites however may still be in the walls and the folks who are wise choose to spray before they have any outward manifestation. They say there are only two kinds of homes, those with termites and those that will get termites. You may wish to consider staying ahead of them with this in mind before you come home one spring day and have a living room alive with flying termites.
Worried about termites wondering why there are wings on your windowsill? Chances are you have termites. Learn what you can do about it. Do I Have Termites?
