Of all the pests we have around the house, like rodent, roach, spider, and ant, termite is probably the most abominable for us. I am sure you would all agree that termite infestation is the most disgusting of all. These pests, otherwise known as reticulitermes, eat away the wooden parts of our houses like leprosy. The mere sight or picture of a swarm of termites on a rotting brown wood is enough to make the weak of stomach puke. So early detection of termite infestation would greatly help to prevent having problems in the future. The first thing to know is what do termites look like.

People usually confuse termites with winged carpenter ants, which look and behave like termites. They are even sometimes incorrectly called as eater ants. This is understandable because both types of insects leave their underground nests in large numbers, as in swarming, when establishing new colonies. Also, these winged carpenter ants swarm in the same manner as the termites in the reproductive stage. To be able to distinguish one from the other, you can check the differences in their antennae, waist and wings. The ant’s antennae are elbowed while the termite’s antennae are not. Also, the ant’s waist is thin while the termite’s is broad. Lastly, the ant’s wings have fewer veins than the termite’s and its hind wings are smaller than the front wings while termite’s wings are of the same size.

It is safe to say that we are all generally aware of the infestation of these milky-white pests that feed on wood around the house. However, what we do not know is that they are divided into several groups, which have distinct physical appearances. Every colony of these ant-looking pests consists of three groups, which include the reproductives, soldiers and workers.

The most numerous among the three groups are the workers. One colony consists mostly of these 1/8 inch long termites, which are the ones that actually eat the wood. They have soft bodies, round heads and unlike other termites, they have no wings. The worker termites also have undeveloped eyes, which make them generally blind. Their color ranges from creamy white to grayish white. The worker termites are tasked with the forage of food and water for the colony, construction and repair of shelter tubes and care for the young and eggs. This group of termites also participates in defending their colony sometimes.

Next is the soldier group of the termites, which resembles the workers as they also have undeveloped eyes and no wings. They are also generally blind but those that come from a reproductive line have at least one functional eye. What differentiate the soldiers from the workers in looks is that they have large rectangular heads that have big jaws or mandibles. Most of the time, their jaws are so large that they cannot feed themselves so they are fed by the workers. The soldiers’ main task is to defend the colony from predation or colony invasion by ants or termites from other colonies.

Lastly, the reproductive group consists of male and female termites that have grown sexually mature. They can either have wings or not. The ones with wings or primary are called alates or swarmers and those without wings are called neotenic-both can produce offspring. Their body color ranges from yellow brown to black. This group is headed by a pair of male and female primary reproductives, which serve as the king and queen of the colony. The queen can grow very large because it adds extra ovaries for increased fertility and production of offspring. The king experiences only a slight growth after the first mating and continues to mate with his queen for the rest of his life. On the other hand, neotenics serve as replacements for the king and queen when they die. The king and queen live long lives, which can last decades.

The winged reproductives, or alates, are the only termites with fully-developed eyes. They are also called swarmers because they leave the nest in swarms to find another place suitable for a new nest and a new colony. They shed their wings after landing and start building their new nest and mating to create a new colony.

It is also worth noting that termites have a number of species, or types. But the two most common and most prominent are the subterranean termites and the drywood termites. The subterranean termites live under the ground in colonies, where it is moist. Meanwhile, drywood termites can be found in dry, undecayed wood, such as dead tree limbs, poles, posts, structural lumber, and lumber in storage.

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