What can termites do to my home?

Termites can eat away the equity on your home. They infest millions of homes nationwide, causing over $750 million in damage anually, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

What should I know about a termite colony

Each colony may include up to several million individuals, living as deep as 20 feet underground. Feeding on cellulose-based material, such as wood, termites find human dwellings offer the ideal combination of warmth, moisture, and food.

The Queen (left) occupies a "royal cell" with the King. She may live 25-50 years laying thousands of eggs annually. Supplementary Reproductives (top-right) act as a replacement for the Queen if she should die. They may also produce eggs to help increase the colony size. Eggs (bottom-right) are cared for by workers during a two-week incubation period before passing into the nymph stage.

Soldiers (left) with armored heads and strong jaws, protect the colony from enemies, most commonly ants.

Winged Reproductives (right) are the termites you may see when they "swarm", usually in the spring, signaling a well-developed colony. After shedding their wings, reproductives pair off, burrow into the soil and begin a new colony.

Workers (left) represent most of the termites in a colony. Blind and sterile, they forage for the colony's food. Nearly all damage is caused by worker termites.

Ant or Termite?

Winged termites are usually smaller, about 1/4" in length. They appear to have two body segments, straight antennae, and two pairs of equally long wings.

Ants have three body segments with a narrow waist, elbowed antennae and a longer pair of front wings.

For more information on termites, call Mother Nature's at 918-362-2000