Termites are one of the most destructive pests in Australia. This is particularly problematic due to the fact that termites are found in one in five homes in Australia.
In order to tackle termites, it is crucial to understand their life cycle and the inner workings of a colony. In this blog, we will give in-depth information to help you understand termites.
The Castes: Queen, King, Workers, Soldiers, and Reproductives
To function, the termite colony produces multiple different types of termites. This is vital to helping the colony function properly.
The colony is founded by a king and queen, who produce eggs that hatch into workers. Their pheromones prevent other termites from maturing into reproductives.
Workers mature into soldiers. Should the queen die, soldiers can turn into reproductives to support the colony. Different types of termites fulfil different roles in the colony.
King & Queen
These two primary reproductives create the colony. The queen lays the eggs that hatch into workers.
The king and queen suppress the workers from becoming reproductives using pheromones.
Workers
Workers make up the largest proportion of the colony. They manage all labor in the colony, including sourcing wood to use as food, maintaining the nest and supporting the newly hatched termites, king and queen. Workers are immature and they can develop into replacement reproductives or soldiers if required.
Soldiers
These specialised termites mature from workers into soldiers. Their role is to protect the colony. They do this by using their large heads and powerful jaws.
Reproductives (Alates)
This type of termite has wings. During their nuptial flight, they seek out mates to start new colonies. Once they have found their match, they shed their wings and become the king and queen of the new colony.
How Long Does it Take for a Colony to Cause Damage?
How quickly termites damage property depends on the species. Subterranean termites are especially destructive and can build mature colonies quickly. Drywood termites generally move slower.
The age and size of the colony also make a difference. While young colonies move more slowly, mature colonies contain thousands or even millions of termites that eat away at the wood used in your building.
Depending on these factors, termites can take years or as little as a few months to do serious structural damage. This is why getting prompt attention for termite infestations is so vital.
Understanding the Termite’s Need for Moisture and Wood
In order to survive and grow, termites need two things: moisture and cellulose from wood.
Moisture is vital to ensuring termites stay hydrated. Without adequate moisture, termites will be desiccated and will not survive. Furthermore, it is needed to dampen wood and aid digestion, helping them process cellulose properly.
Cellulose acts as a primary food source for termites and digested wood also helps in the construction of the nest. This makes wood important to termite colonies.
Targeting the Queen for Permanent Colony Elimination
In order to eradicate a termite nest, it is essential to kill the queen. This is easier said than done since the queen is hidden deep within the nest. Modern eradication methods exploit termite behaviours like food-sharing and mutual grooming to kill off the whole colony.
Some treatments that focus on killing the queen are:
- Baiting: Workers are lured to bait stations that have slow-acting insecticides that are taken back to the queen.
- Non-Repellent Liquid Termiticide: This is applied to soil around the home and termites carry this toxic chemical back to the nest and spread it to other termites through social grooming. This gradually kills off the termites.
- Fumigation: This drastic treatment for the whole property ensures that the entire nest is eliminated.
Are you Concerned About Termites in Your Property?
Control Pest Management provides termite inspections and treatments to commercial and residential clients. Contact us today by calling 1300 357 246, emailing info@controlpestmanagement.com.au or filling in the form on our Contact page.