SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE

Subterranean Termites
Family: Rhinotermitidae
Name: Retoculitermes flavipes
Description: Subterranean termites are social insects that live in large colonies. There are three castes
reproductive, workers, soldiers, and the subterranean queen its sole purpose is reproduce, and can live
for as long as 30 years,
The winged reproductive-Swarmer’s: have a pair of long equally size wings, the wings are broken after
swarming, swarmer’s are dark to almost black, about 3/8 inch long. The wings are brownish – gray, they
can leave the colony and start to a new location and start new colonies.
Soldiers: are wingless with white bodies, rectangular yellow – brown heads, and which have large
mandibles which lack teeth, their sole function is to defend the colony.
Habits: Subterranean termites nesting several feet underground, there can be millions of termites in a
colony
Workers: are small insects that can separate wood or other cellulose from its source, they live their
entire lives in dark tunnels, both above and below ground. These wingless termites make up the largest
castes and are the most likely to be found in infested wood. They build, repair forage for food, and care
for other termites, worker can mol into soldiers or nymphs.
Control: Termites infested dead and dying wood and speed up natural cycle of deterioration -allowing
for a new grow to beging. Unfortunately, they cannot distinguish between the wood in afforest. They
can cause serious damage to your property. Qualified pest management professional has training in
termites and know where to look and know what to do to keep termites out from your property.
For prevention:
 Do not affix wooden trellises to exterior walls
 Keep wood debris, scrap lumbers, sawdust, and firewood away from your home
 Repair leaking faucets and water lines, both indoors and outdoors.
 Grade soil so that water – including air conditioning condensate) runs away from foundations
Treatments: barrier treatments with non-repellent termiticides allow the termites to travel through the
treated zone without they detected.
Termites Baits: Located around the structure offers an option for eliminating the colony,
Is support of or as supplement to a termiticide product labeled for and applied as a stand alone
termiticide treatment. This include pre- and post-construction soil termiticide treatments labeled for
providing structural protection.