American Termites

American Termites

Termites are said to be one of the most destructive insects ever known to man. These minute creatures that appear to be seemingly harmless, are highly capable to causing inconceivable damage in many properties. There are some states in America who are currently suffering from massive infestations of termites that have almost grown to such unmanageable scale. Most of the termite problems arise from the fact that most people are not aware of the presence of termites in their dwellings. It is not even surprising to know that there are quite a number of people who could not even tell apart termites from ants. Termites are certainly taking full advantage of this cloak of ignorance and are continuation to be a bane of existence of most Americans.

The most effective way to deal with termites is to actually find out what we are actually up against. You might find it hilarious to take such a combative approach to the seemingly inoffensive creatures. But then when you finally find your home in dire need to major repairs due to the damages done by termites, you will surely find nothing remotely funny about it. So yes, the very first step is to actually know your adversary before actually taking any preventive measures. Here is a list of the four major American termites that you would usually come across with:

Subterranean Termites - these are the most common variety of American termites that are found attacking wooden structures and buildings across the United States. From their underground nests, they will invade any wood that is within contact will soil, or through constructing mud tubes that will effectively provide them protection as they penetrate the structures above the ground. They are usually half an inch in size and are observed to developed wings upon reaching maturity.

Dampwood Termites - these are said to be the largest American termites ever recorded, with a one inch in size for most of the adults. These American termites also usually found in the Pacific Coasts, in some parts of Florida, typically infesting wet woods, including poles and pilings. Unlike the subterranean termites, dampwoods do not build mud tunnels and their feces are pellets that are oval in shape.

Drywood Termites - these types of American termites are a little larger in size in comparison to subterranean termites. As evidenced in its name, they prefer to infest dry woods and they spread by flying for one location to another.

Powderpost Termites - these types of termites usually infest the floors and furniture or any other woodwork. Similar to drywood termites, they have a rather small caste system as compared to other varieties of termites.