Table of Contents
What Are They?
When it comes to pests in your city, termites are the worst. They’re destructive and will rapidly destroy your home or business. Termites are social so they live and work together. These pests always work together to perform mundane tasks, such as collecting food, building new tunnels, and fetching water. In addition to this, they cooperate to develop new colonies elsewhere. Cellulose is the primary food source of termites. Unfortunately, this creates a problem because cellulose is found in lumber, cardboard, furniture, and other items.
When termites need more space, they’re going to build termite mounds. The mounds allow them to spread further without needing to expose themselves. Some termites can burrow in the wood they eat. Some will live above ground but the area must be moist. Finding mud tubes around your home means you have termites on your property. There are numerous termite species in Cincinnati, but Subterranean termites are the most problematic and common.
They cause most of the damage to American homes each year.
Termite Colonies Have Specific Classes
Queens
Queen termites are one of the colony’s most important members. Without the queen, the colony would never advance or thrive. The queen works with the king to ensure that the colony has plenty of workers and soldiers. Queen termites are also the biggest members of the colony. They can grow up to 4 inches in length. They’re massive so they need help from worker termites to move through the colonies.
The queen lays eggs to produce more workers and soldiers. These termites can live for more than 10 years. During this time, they’ll produce as many as 30,000 eggs.
Kings
The king’s goal is to work with the queen to grow the colony. She is very important to the colony during its early days. He’ll spend his entire life working with the queen to grow the colony.
Worker Termites
Worker termites are responsible for many mundane tasks. They have soft bodies that are light colonies. They do not develop wings and grow up to 10 millimeters in length. Worker termites are constantly working. They work around the clock and usually never leave the tunnels. They feed other termites, care for eggs, and groom termites.
Soldier Termites
As you could guess from the name, solider termites fight invaders. Soldiers are white with soft bodies. Soldier termites do not develop wings. They develop long heads and powerful jaws. They use these attributes to defend the colony from ants and other invaders. Although they fight other invaders, their primary concern is ants.
Swarmers
Finally, there are winged reproductive termites. They’re also referred to as swarmer termites. Reproductives can be male or female. They are produced during spring so they can leave the colony and build new colonies elsewhere. Since they have wings, they can fly across your property and find new places to build colonies.
The colony on your property will only have one king and one queen. However, it can have hundreds of soldier termites, worker termites, and swarmer termites.
Which Termites Live In Cincinnati?
As a resident of Cincinnati, you may encounter a handful of termite species. However, the most common and concern is the Subterranean termite species. Subterranean termites can be found in many states, including Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and elsewhere.
About
Subterranean termites are organized like other species. For instance, their colonies will have certain members such as soldier termites, worker termites, and swarmers. The appearance of the termite aligns with its responsibilities and class. Worker and soldier termites are roughly the same size. They range in size from 3/8ths of an inch. The primary difference is that soldier termites develop long heads and powerful jaws so they can defend the colony. Swarmer termites can grow up to half an inch.
Behavior
Subterranean termite species tend to live in underground colonies. When living above ground, they will live around moist locations. Furthermore, they ensure they can access food sources safely by building and using mud tubes. Subterranean termites consume cellulose and products that contain cellulose. During spring, they’re going to produce swarmer termites so they can start new colonies elsewhere.
Concerns
You cannot ignore these termites because they can destroy your home. They’re not dangerous since they don’t attack humans or pets. However, worker termites can create numerous problems. These termites chew off pieces of wood. If the problem isn’t taken care of, the termite infestation will cause extensive property damage to your building.
Is It A Flying Ant or Termite?
Flying ants and flying termites share many characteristics. You’ll need to learn more about both so you can find out which one you’re dealing with. For instance, flying termites have wings of identical lengths. Flying ants have wings that are two different lengths. You can also determine the difference by checking the waist. Flying ants have pinched waists. Make sure you can determine the difference so you’ll know when you have a problem.
Facts Regarding Termites
- Worker termites never stop consume cellulose. Once they’ve invaded your property, they’ll eat the wood in your home around the clock.
- A termite colony can survive for 50, 60, or even 70 years.
- The average termite colony will support as many as half a million insects.
- In nature, termites are beneficial. They help dispose of deadwood in the woods.
- Subterranean termites are fragile. If they can’t access water, they’re going to die.
- When living above ground, termites build mud tunnels and mud tubes. They keep these things wet to ensure they can survive.
- Ants frequently attack termites and termite colonies. They’ll attack worker termites when they’re away from the colony.
- The world has more than 2,000 termite species. Most of these species are found in tropical and subtropical regions.
- In the United States, there are only 40 termite species.
- Subterranean termites can be found across the United States, but Alaska residents won’t have to worry about them.
- Termites can’t chew through concrete, but they can move through it easily.
- Worker termites consume cellulose. They have to chew the food and feed it to other members of the colony.
- Queen termites survive more than 20 years. Each day, she can lay thousands of eggs.
Termite Dangers
How dangerous are termites? Can they create problems for you? Ultimately, termites are not dangerous. They’re not going to attack you, your loved ones, or your pets. They don’t transmit dangerous diseases. Nevertheless, these pests are problematic because they’re going to destroy your home. They chew through wood and other products that contain cellulose. Before you know it, they’re going to make your home uninhabitable. Get rid of them or you’re going to experience additional problems.
Eliminating Termites
Once you’ve found termites around your home, tackle the problem immediately. However, it won’t be easy. The problem is that termites can travel up to 300 feet to obtain food. In addition to this, they’re going to use underground tunnels. As a result, finding them will be difficult. Attempting to pinpoint their colony will be hard. Termites are fragile so they can be easily overpowered by ants. Nevertheless, they’re difficult to eliminate. It is best to hire us and let one of our skilled exterminators fix the problem for you.
Doing It Alone
Could you likely fix this problem without hiring an exterminator? Although there are DIY methods, attempting to fix the problem alone will prove to be difficult. You can purchase DIY methods but they’re not reliable, and some of them are dangerous. With that being said, it is not a good idea to tackle the problem on your own. Our company offers reliable termite removal services. We can fix the problem swiftly. When you’re ready to defend your home and put a stop to the infestation, contact our office.
When Can You Begin?
Contact our office to learn more about our termite removals and to schedule an appointment. We can contact you back within a day or two.
Our Treatments Are Safe
We understand that you’re worried about the dangers associated with conventional pest control products. We’re here to help. We’ll do everything in our power to keep you safe. Our company goes to great lengths to train our technicians to ensure that they’re going to provide satisfactory, safe solutions. Furthermore, we only allow our technicians to use EPA-registered products because we want to keep you safe. To protect the ones you love, work with us.
Preventing Termite Problems
You should take steps to reduce the likelihood that you’re going to experience a termite solution in the future. Use the tips below.
- Prevent water from staying close to your home’s foundation. Make sure your downspouts and gutters are working correctly.
- Check your faucets, pipes, and air conditioning units. Prevent water from seeping down to the foundation because the water will support termites.
- Take care of humidity problems. Reduce humidity levels in your basement, attic, and crawlspace.
- Store your firewood properly. Keep it at least 20 feet away from your home. Store the wood five inches or so from the ground.
- Be cautious when using mulch. Wood mulch can attract termites. Don’t place it around your home’s foundation. Alternatively, you can use rubber mulch to avoid problems.
- Constantly check your home for termites and signs of termites.
If you believe you have a termite infestation, call our office immediately.
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