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General Ways to Kill Termites:

1) Liquid Termite Treatment – Liquid termiticides are sprayed around your house to kill or repel any termites coming into contact with them.

2) Termite Baits - The other major way to kill termites, baits are placed around your home and gradually kill off a colony by spreading small amounts of pesticides through the workers.

3) Borate Termite Treatment- Borate treatments are applied directly to wood in your house, sort of like a coat of paint. This is best done when the house is being constructed, however.

4) Fumigation – A method that only works on a specific species, the drywood termite, that is common in the Southernmost parts of the United States.

“Swarmers” or Winged Termites

The kind of termite that people see most often is a flying termite. They look a lot like ants – you see them swarming around in a big cloud, and they will crawl towards light sources, often entering your home through windows or cracks. They are not a specific species of termite – rather, they are a class in the termite caste system called swarmers or reproductives. Their presence indicates that somewhere nearby is a colony of termites. If you see them coming out of your house and flying elsewhere, that’s a bad sign – that means they are probably living in your home.

Subterranean Termite

This is the most common kind of termite. They are found throughout the continental United States, so you will have to be on guard pretty much anywhere. They’re also generally the kind of termite that does the most damage to a house. There are several different species, but the common thread is that they live underground, forming a colony that connects between the dirt and the wood in your house. They get food from the wood in your house, and water from the moisture in the soil. If there’s no direct connection between the two, they will often build mud-based tunnels to connect them (a sure sign of an infestation).

Property Damage From Termites

How badly can termites hurt your home? Well, throughout the United States they cause billions of dollars in destruction every year. They can destroy things ranging from wood, trees on your property, books, plants, and even parts of swimming pools. Just by existing, they can prevent you from selling your home – no one is going to want to buy without getting rid of them first and assessing the extent of the damage, and many home sale contracts are conditioned on successfully passing a termite inspection.

Protecting Your Home From Termites

If you don’t already have termites, then there are a lot of things you can do to prevent an infestation in the first place. For the most part, home remedies and “natural” ways of dealing with them will ONLY prevent an infestation. If you’ve already got a colony in or near your home, you’re going to have to have an exterminator get rid of it. You can, however, cut down on chemicals and costs by some simple termite prevention techniques. They aren’t foolproof, but they will reduce the chance of another infestation.

Subterranean Worker Termite – Milky white     

Swarming Termites           

Eastern Subterranean Termites

The Eastern subterranean termite is the most common and most widely distributed termite in North America. It is a problem for homeowners from southern Ontario in Canada, south throughout the Eastern United States and as far west as Montana.

This native American pest feeds on such cellulose materials as structural wood, wood fixtures, paper, books, and cotton. Occasionally, it will even attack the roots of shrubs and trees.

A mature colony of Eastern subterranean termites can range from a low of 20,000 to a high of 5 million workers, with an average of 300,000. The colony’s queen will add 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year to the total.

While Eastern subterranean termite colonies are not the largest termite colonies you can find, there will often be more than one colony working in a single building. Signs of Eastern subterranean termites include dirt-colored tubes built to serve as protected paths from the earth to the wood the termites are feeding on, and the translucent wings shed by the kings and queens during swarming. Swarming usually occurs in the spring, but other, smaller swarms can occur throughout the summer and fall.

Some quick facts about Eastern subterranean termites:

• An average Eastern subterranean termite colony can consume 5 grams of wood per day, the equivalent of 2⅓ linear feet of a 2′ x 4′ pine board annually.
• Colony growth is slow, and it may take years before swarmers are produced.
• Eastern subterranean termites can enter buildings through cracks less than 1/16 of an inch wide.
• The termite colony is made up of different types (castes) of termites—each with separate work responsibilities.
• Although Eastern subterranean termite colonies are largely located in the ground below the frost line, secondary colonies can exist above ground, and examples of true above ground colonies existing without any ground contact have been seen. However, such above ground colonies have access to moisture and often the source is a roof or plumbing leak.
• Eastern subterranean termites will often build mud tubes for travel between their colonies and their food sources.
• The king and queen in a colony can live for 10 to 30 years, while workers live for about two years.