What Do Termites Look Like?
Termites are small insects, roughly ¼-inch or ½-inch long.
Body
Like all insects, they have a head, thorax, and abdomen. Their thorax, or the middle section of their body, is about as wide as their abdomen, so the length of their whole body is about the same in width from one end to the other.
Coloring
Termites can vary in color, but they tend to be white or brown. Depending on the species, they can also be black.
Wings
Many people believe that all termites have wings, but that is not the case.
Swarming termites, or swarmers, have long wings that are translucent and nearly twice the length of the body. There are two sets of wings on both sides, so a swarmer has four wings total.
Non-swarming termites are wingless and only have a head, body, legs, and antennae.
Antennae
All termites have a pair of antennae that stick straight out. If you’re ever in doubt as to whether an insect is a termite or an ant, the antennae are clear indicators since ants’ antennae are elbow-shaped and have a sharp bend about halfway down each one.
How Do Termites Enter Homes?
Termites don’t crawl up walls to reach cracks, holes, or openings in the same way that many common household insects do. Instead, they reach such entry points through underground tunnel systems, as well as termite-made tunnels they build as soon as their tunnel reaches the surface. People most often spot mud tunnels, or mud tubes, in their crawl spaces, on their foundational slab, or anywhere from the ground up to the entry point.
Entry points from the outside can include cracks, gaps, or openings at:
- Vents
- Windows
- Doorways
- The foundation
They can also enter your home if you unknowingly bring a termite-infested item inside, such as a piece of furniture or other wood-based item that termites are living in.
If you have a piece of wood or wooden structure connecting your home to the ground floor, termites could also use that as a pathway to your home.
What Are Signs of Termites in My Home?
Some warning signs of a termite infestation at your home are obvious; others are more difficult to identify.
Signs of termites or termite damage can include:
- Mud tubes along your foundation, in your crawl space, or on your walls
- Piles of frass, or termite droppings that look like wood shavings, at your home’s foundation or on the floors inside
- Termites swarming outside your home
- Discarded termite wings outside your home
- Doors and windows that stick
- Hollowed wood structures
- Floors that sag, buckle, or are swollen
What Can I Do to Protect My Home From Termites?
Termites are ruthless once they reach your home and begin consuming any wood sources your home offers. Many times, homeowners don’t realize they have an infestation until it’s too late. The best course of action to protect against termites is to stop them in their tracks before they can reach your house.
Termite protection most commonly comes in two forms: Sentricon® bait stations and Termidor® liquid termite control.
Sentricon® Bait Stations
Sentricon® is a type of termite solution that is placed into bait stations installed around the perimeter of your home. The solution is highly attractive to termites, so instead of being drawn to your house, the colony is immediately drawn to any of the stations. The Sentricon® solution is also poisonous and can be spread from termite to termite—they don’t even have to reach the station to be affected by the poison.
Once the solution is passed around, it will kill off the entire colony, protecting your home from the threat of infestation. If another colony approaches, the same series of events will occur.
The exterminators and termite control experts at Bizzy Bee Exterminators offer leading termite control solutions to safeguard your home and save you money.
Don’t let termites sneak up on you. Catch them early with help from our team. Schedule termite control at your home today.
Call us to schedule termite control at your home today: 1-800-273-4958
