Termites
Termites have been around for over 250 million years. They are social insects and live in colonies which are usually located in the ground or in wood. Most termites feed on cellulose from wood and wood by-products such as papers; some tropical species feed on fungi, carrion, etc. They are worldwide in distribution with about 2,500 described species, and about 50 species are found in the United States.
Termites are usually divided into 3 groups based on the location of their colony: the subterranean, the drywood, and the dampwood termites. The biology and habits of each group are different, so a detailed knowledge of each is necessary for effective control.
The most common or economically important members of these 3 groups can be summarized as follows. The most common of the subterranean termites are the eastern and western subterranean and the Formosan subterranean termites; for the drywood termites, the western and southeastern drywood and the powderpost/furniture termites are the most important; and of the dampwood termites the Pacific, the Nevada/small/dark, the desert, and the Florida dampwood termites caused the most problems.
In the desert southwest, the desert subterranean termites, Gnathamitermes spp., cause the phones to ring during the rainy season when they plaster tree trunks, fences, and dry litter with their soil sheetings. However, since they do not cause structural damage, any anxiety is relieved with the education of the concerned people.
Recognition.
Three body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen) broadly joined with no constrictions as found in ants. Antenna moniliform, composed of a series of beadlike segments. Tarsi 4-segmented. Cerci present.
Workers
creamy white with head slightly darker. No compound eyes or ocelli (simple eyes) present. Wings absent.
Soldiers
creamy white except for dark and much-enlarged head. Head with large pair of mandibles, except for nasutiform soldiers which lack mandibles and have head prolonged into a distinct snout. Compound eyes abse
nt, but some with pigmented areas. Usually with a fontanelle (porelike opening to the frontal gland) on top of head. Wings absent.
Swarmers
(alates or winged/primary reproductives) pale yellowish to reddish brown to black, depending on the species. Compound eyes present, and with pair of ocelli (except Zootermopsis spp.). Some with a fontanelle (porelike opening to the frontal gland) on top of head. Two pairs of wings nearly equal in length and width, which lie flat over abdomen when not in use. Wings almost clear to smoky black. Wing veins usually darker; their number and position used to identify groups. The wing veins, from the front or costal margin (costa or C), are subcosta (Sc), radius (R), radial sector (Rs), media (M), and cubitus (CU); as a result of fusion or reduction, some may not be present. Wing base with fracture ling where wings are broken off after swarming, leaving attached a small basal portion called the wing scale.
Identification.
It is necessary to know which termite group is causing the problem because each group is quote different biologically and therefore requires different control methods. That is, one must know if the termites are drywood, dampwood, or subterranean termites. In addition, for subterranean one must be able to distinguish the Formosan subterranean termites from the other subterranean termites because of additional control measures are often required for this species.
