Page 76 - Florida Pest Control Examinations

SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE SUB-TERMITE DAMPWOOD DRY-WOOD

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE SUB-TERMITE TUBES
SOLDIER

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

1.Antenna- bead-like segments 6.Thorax
2.Eyes- compound 7.Petiole- none SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE
3.Head 8.Abdomen SOLDIER
4.Legs- 6 9.Color-pale yellow to black 1
5.Wings- on alates, 2 pair 10.Other- colony up to 300,000 8
(wings longer than body) workers
Life Cycle
Eggs take about 50 days to hatch. After the first year, several fertile females assist the
queen in laying eggs, so a colony can grow quite rapidly. Growth progresses through up 3
to seven instars, which takes about two years. The whole egg to adult process can be 4
3-4 years in length. Adults will swarm anytime from January through April. The males
and females pair off, drop their wings, and burrow into the ground in search of wood and
a place to start a new colony. Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE Actual size 1/4”

As their name implies, these termites live underground. These are the termites that probably
cause the most overall damage to structures. Workers and soldiers are about 1/4th inch
in size, while the reproductive males and females are about 3/8ths inch. Soldiers have a
larger head with long mandibles. The reproductives are dark brown, while the workers are a
colorless gray. Workers will eat any damp wood, and even damp carpets, to feed the other
members of the colony. Even the nymphs will chew on wood. They have a high humidity
requirement, and form tubes extending from the ground to travel in search of wood. The tubes
are formed from saliva, soil, and bits of chewed wood. Tubes may also be used as shelter,
migratory paths, and an exit for swarmers. Extreme damage usually takes years to develop,
and the interior of wood is eaten leaving behind the outer shell, and any harder wood portions
the termites didn’t want to finish.

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