Termites are a type of insect that is also known as a silent destroyer. They have been creating trouble on the Earth for around 120 million years. Thus, the greatest sign of their existence at your place or nearby is holes in wood, piles of sawdust, mud tubes, etc. For sure, this might make you wonder, “What do termites look like?”.
Therefore, to help you in this matter and free you from the termites’ colonies, we have made this complete guide. Here, we will be covering everything from what termites look like, type, castes, and signs to remedies and more.
Who Are Termites?
Before learning about what do termites look like, let’s first learn about their existence. So, termites are basically insects who have a rich and organized social hierarchy. They make colonies and are found in a number of thousands, attacking at a particular area or thing. They feed on cellulose which are present in wood. In addition to this, their reproduction and feeding cycle is also very unique.
Thus the queen termites lay 1000 eggs in a row and the worker termites do the hard work to feed them. The termites stay in the immature stage for about two to four months. However, it can also extend depending on various growth factors such as temperature, food, strength of colony, etc.
What Do Termites Look Like?
Not all termites look like the same, as their appearance varies according to their species and caste. However, they have some characteristics in common, which makes identifying them easier and quicker. Therefore, it includes:
- Termites are found in the size 0.635 to 1.27 cm in length.
- They are in different colors, such as dark brown, light brown, and off-white.
- Termites usually have straight body structures with straight antennae.
- Some of the reproductive termites only have large wings of their own body size.
- The body of termites look like divided into three segments, which include the abdomen, thorax, and head.
4 Different Caste Of Termites
Termites are present in large colonies, and not all of the termites look similar or have the same caste or status in their social hierarchy. Therefore, the following section mentions their very particular and role-specific caste system.
Soldiers: Termites look like ants and have a large size. Moreover, soldier termites have dark heads and strong jaws, which make attacking wood easier for them.
Workers: They are one of the most commonly found termite castes which are present in mass in a termite colony. They are found in different colors varying from off white to creamy shade. Also, worker termites are the feeders of the colony.
Reproductives: This caste of termites look like big flying ants and have wings, which they shed to be the ruler of any new termite colony. Their primary task is to reproduce, increase the number of termites, and establish new colonies.
Queens: These termites are the biggest among termites as they can grow up to the size of a human finger. Queen termites have a translation chamber on their body to produce eggs. They lay 1000 eggs in a row and ordered the worker termites to feed them.
3 Common Species of Termites You Should Know
There are three common species of termites that are found in this world. Thus, it includes Subterranean, Drywood, and Formosan. Hence, to learn and get a glimpse of them, read the below-shared points:
Formosan: They are 0.3175 to 1.27 cm in size and vary from caramel to brownish yellow in color. These species inhabit the southern region of the United States, Hawaii, and some parts of the Gulf Coast. Plus, they make nests on walls or make a habitat on moist areas.
Drywood: This species of termites vary from 0.9525 to 2.54 cm in size.In addition to this, you can find them in colors such as dark brown, light yellow, and pale brown. Furthermore, drywood termites are present on dry wood which is above the ground level. They commonly inhabit areas such as the southern states of the United States.
Subterranean: One of the other species of termites is subterranean. They are 0.3175 to 0.9525 cm in size and have colors such as black, dark brown, or pale cream. Hence, these termites build huge colonies in moist environments or underground. They are found in different regions of the United States, except Alaska.
How to Identify Signs of Termites At Your Place ?
To ensure that your place or wooden things are really attacked by termites, you should check for the below mentioned signs in those regions.
- Encountering discarded or broken-like termite look like wings on the floor.
- Sound of continuous banging or chewing of things coming from the walls.
- Damage in garden areas such as deck wood or fencing.
- Presence of termites look like eggs or larvae in their deep nests or target areas.
- Creation of mud tunnels or tubes on your walls or ceiling.
- Finding bubbles or blisters in paint or wooden surfaces.
- Encountering piles of sawdust present near the wooden materials.
5 Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Termites
There are various home remedies that can help you get freedom from the disasters of termites. They are not just easy to follow but also effective enough to work immediately. Thus, to know about them, read the below-shared points:
Heat Treatment: Increase the temperature of your place up to 120 degrees and make sure to maintain it for almost one hour. This will kill the termites and make them shed automatically.
Aloe vera: Apply aloe vera gel on every corner, wooden things, or targeted areas. Doing this will suffocate the termites and kill them in the easiest and cost effective way.
Borax: Sprinkle borax or boric acid on the corners or floors of your place. This is one of the best pest control remedies as it not only kills termites but also ants, flies, bugs, cockroaches, etc. Therefore, it attacks the insects’ nervous system and damages their overall body functioning.
Neem oil: This is one of the most natural home remedies to get rid of termites and other insects such as bed bugs and mosquitoes. To follow this you just need to inject and apply neem oil on the wooden things at your place. Hence, the strong bitter smell and taste of this oil kills them in no time.
Salty water: Table salt is present in every household and can help a lot in this matter. Thus, you just need to put some water and lots of salt in a bottle and spray this solution on every attacked area. Doing this will dehydrate the termites and eventually kill them.
Note: Apart from this there are a lot of other home remedies as well which you can follow to eradicate termites from your place. However, if none of them works then you must contact professional pest control service providers.
Conclusion
In this blog post, we briefly discussed “what do termites look like”. Ranging from its definition to different species and caste divisions, we talked about everything. Moreover, we also highlighted the signs to identify termites and home remedies to kill them effortlessly. I hope the article helped you in this matter and answered all your queries related to termites’ existence and removal.
FAQs
What are the different types of termites?
On the basis of caste, there are four types of termites including reproductives, queens, workers, and soldiers. Furthermore, on the basis of species, there are three most common types of termites, including Subterranean, Drywood, and Formosan.
How to identify termites by their appearance?
They have brownish color, straight antennae, three body segments, large wings (in reproductive ones), straight body, and size varying from 0.635 to 1.27 cm.
How to remove termites from home?
One of the easiest and effective ways to remove termites from your home is to get pest control professionals’ assistance. Apart from this you can also practice home remedies such as using neem oil, aloe vera, boric acid, salty water, and hot air.
