Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites live in large colonies, they are also social insects and live in groups, each colony consists of three social layers: workers, soldiers, and the queen, Subterranean termites build an underground network to connect their feeding sources together either below or above soil surface, Subterranean termites’ colony may contain 100,000 to 1,000,000 members and they build their colonies 150 feet underground.

subterranean termites’ identification

 subterranean termites size is 1/4 to 3/8 inches, they have a pale gray color with brown wings, they consist from:

workers

They are less than 1/4 inch with soft body, grayish-white color, round heads with no wings.

Soldiers

 They have long heads, yellowish-brown color, black jaws, they do not have wings, about 1/2 inch with strong lower jaws and long antennae.

subterranean termites feeding habits

Subterranean termites may feed 2.5 percent of their body weight from wood in the day, when the size of colony is about 60,000 they may feed on 5 grams of wood in day, they exchange food from mouth to mouth through the entire colony.

Subterranean termites’ habits

• Subterranean termites dig an underground network which contains a huge numbers of tunnels, to become in contact with the buried wood in the foundations.
• When Subterranean termites find wood, workers pass the food to the entire colony.
• It is difficult to predict the extent of the termite colony as it may extend to few yards or a large size.
• Subterranean termites do not feed all the time, feeding depends on season and weather.
• Subterranean termites produce pheromones to send messages to the rest of the colony to communicate with each other.
• Subterranean termites secrete pheromones from the glands located in the abdomen.
• Subterranean termites are affected by soil temperature, humidity, pressure and food sources.

Subterranean termites’ life cycle

King and queen are responsible for the reproduction, queen may live for 25 years, also queen can lay thousands of eggs each year, the queen incubation period is two weeks, when eggs hatch, workers feed nymphs in the first two weeks until they become workers or soldiers, after maturation, Subterranean termites body turns black and grows larger and taller, wings extend to twice the length of its body, they leave the colony to build a new colony.

Damage caused by subterranean termites

Subterranean termites enter homes through small cracks and foundation, they build tubes along the foundation walls, tubes act as a highway that connect the underground termites with the food sources, also subterranean termites feed on cellulose, so all your wooden materials may be  a target for this type, Subterranean termites may harm non-wood material, also it is difficult to detect the infestation, you can examine Wooden furniture with a screwdriver to locate the affected wood, when you find a surface of the wood which is severely damaged and peeled, this will be an effect on termites which leave the interior wood surface thin and hollow, also wooden structures of the house or floors, walls and infrastructure are vulnerable to direct damage of Subterranean termites.

Signs of Subterranean termites’ infestation in homes

• noticing swarmer’s in the spring
•  mud tubes that vary from 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length that Subterranean termites on roofs, walls and foundation.
• Mud tubes between cracks, panels in homes.
• sounds of hollow wood when knocking on it.
• Soft and brittle wood after using a screwdriver.
• Seeing Subterranean termites inside damaged wood.

Subterranean Termites Company in Jeddah

Subterranean termites elimination is a difficult tasks which you may not be able to accomplish by your own, also there is a degree of difficulty in locating locations of infestations, so our Pest Control Company in Jeddah will help you  to get rid of the Subterranean termites that attack your home, our company expert will examine the house to determine the locations of Subterranean termites ,also determine degree of infestation, our company will immediately develop a comprehensive treatment plan to kill and dispose termites to protect your home and reduce damage as much as possible.

Important tips for Subterranean termites’ prevention

• Get rid of accumulating water near home foundation.
• Get rid of water sources surrounding the house to places far from it.
• Repair damaged water channels.
•  Get rid of wooden furniture that you do not use away from home.
• Ventilate your home especially for the lower floors.
• inspect wooden furniture and floors from time to time.