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  • Subterranean Termites vs Drywood Termites

    Subterranean Termites vs Drywood Termites

    Destructive termites a frequent issue within United States residences. Subterranean termites vs drywood termites cause major damage to homes and property. Understanding the correct methods, prevention and and where they live is important to know. With the help of this blog, we will cover all the major points about the termites.

    Subterranean Termites vs Drywood Termites: Key Differences

    Subterranean-termites-vs-drywood-termites

    Subterranean Termites:

    • Nest Location: Underground in soil
    • Moisture Requirement: High; needs contact with moist soil
    • Colony Size: Large (up to 2 million termites)
    • Entry into Homes: Through mud tubes from the soil
    • Damage Pattern: Eats along wood grain, prefers softer wood
    • Signs of Infestation: Mud tubes, wood damage, swarming termite
    • Need for Soil Contact: Yes
    • Distribution: Nationwide, especially in warmer, humid regions

    Drywood Termites:

    • Nest Location: Inside dry, sound wood
    • Moisture Requirement: Low; get moisture from the wood they consume
    • Colony Size: Small (a few thousand termites)
    • Entry into Homes: Directly into wood, often above ground
    • Damage Pattern: Eats across and along the wood grain
    • Signs of Infestation: Frass (termite droppings), hollow wood, discarded wings
    • Need for Soil Contact: No
    • Distribution: Primarily in southern and coastal states

    Where and how they live set these termites apart most clearly. Since termites living in the soil need a moist environment, they carry out extensive underground construction. Mud tubes made from a mix of ground soil, the bug’s saliva and feces give them hiding spots inside homes and shield them from dry air and threats. Unlike other termites, drywood termites live only in dry wood, including in your home’s structural timbers or furniture and do not require soil or moisture from the outside.

    drywood-termites

    Where do drywood termites Live?

    Drywood termites are wood pests that are usually found in dry wood, and it is also above the ground. They are usually found in the frames of the door, the furniture, the window frames, and pictures made of wood. In addition, termites can be found only in warm, dry areas of the United States. Among these areas, for example, Florida, California, Texas, and Hawaii can be mentioned as there are a higher density of such termites. If the previous types are not local, drywood termites can also be found in cold areas such as Ontario. Unlike their relatives, drywood termites’ security and water needs are satisfied by the wood they consume; they do not form mud tubes, nor do they store water in the soil, etc.

    Where Do Subterranean Termites Live?

    These termites live inside the ground, in wet soil, where they build their homes. The most widely distribut and the most harmful pest of all termite species in the United States is the Subterranean Termites are locate in the South and come from the Gulf Coast. These termites are numerous, and they nest in the soil and use earthen tubes for access to their targets, which are trees, houses, and other buildings. These mud tubes are very useful in the airflow and predators’ protection, and thus, the termites can safely and easily travel from their shelter to the place of their food without any fear of attack. In this way, a steady supply of food and the safety of their shelter guaranteed.

    Signs of Infestation: Subterranean Termites vs Drywood Termites

    Subterranean Termites

    1. Waste Particles: Fine, sandlike piles of feces that an over-the-counter duster can remove.
    2. Kick-Out Holes: Tiny holes, with a pile of tiny pellets resembling sawdust at the opening, occur as a result of thin wood infestation.
    3. Fecal Pellets: Loose piles of wood particles indicate the presence of the said pests.
    4. Discarded Wings: Piles of wings. Disposal of wings after the flying episode near windows, doors, or vents.
    Subterranean-Termites

    Drywood Termites

    1. Frass (Termite Droppings): Small, hard, oval pellets having six concave sides, and are always found in heaps just below the infested wood. Very typical of drywood termite activity.
    2. Hollow-Sounding Wood: Knocking infested wood can produce a hollow sound caused by the tunnelling that occurs inside.
    3. Clicking Noises: The noise from termites being the cause of the sound, it could be that they are eating or communicating within the wood.
    4. Discarded Wings: Proof that the termites that fly (swarmers) or their wings have visited the infested wood.

    Termite Queen: Important update

    The subterranean termite queen, as well as the drywood termite queen, is the backbone of their colonies. The Termite Queen is the most important to colony reproduction through laying thousands of eggs that are the origin of colony growth and survival. Within both species, only the queen can lay eggs, hence, she is the most important to the growth of the colony. Because eggs in both species are produce only by the queen, she is crucial for the colony’s growth. In both types of termites, only the queen can produce eggs and expand their colony.

    The queen of the subterranean colonies is usually bigger and pale in colour, while the queen of the drywood colonies can be yellow or brown. The fact that the queen can lay eggs in large numbers means that it is for a natural death or a small colony that left undisturbed to persist and grow.

    Conclusion

    The awareness of the differences between subterranean termites vs drywood termites might be crucial for inhabitants and landlords in America. Since Subterranean termites behave in large, hard-to-find colonies deep underground, their efforts are often hide, allowing significant damage before detected. While it’s true that Drywood termites may move more slowly and cause wear and tear over time, they remain a great danger. They reside inside the wood and are difficult to identify.

    Identifying the warnings early, such as mud tubes (for subterranean termites) or piles of frass (for drywood termites), is a very important part of the prevention program. The survival of the latter two always involves their Termite Queen, and any effort toward their control should focus on the entire community, and, in this case, the queen and her eggs.

    In case you suspect a problem of pest infestation, a timely professional inspection and treatment can protect your home. Through a deep understanding of the fight of subterranean termites vs drywood termites and the factors that fought, you can make the right decisions for your property and be fully aware that it is intact and free of unwanted visitors.

  • Drywood Termites: Identification, Eggs, Elimination

    Drywood Termites: Identification, Eggs, Elimination

    If you are a house owner or have some real estate in the USA, especially in warm regions, drywood termites are not an unfamiliar problem for you. These creatures are so skillful at ruining wood without noise and therefore making you suffer unexpected huge expenses to recover your house. In the forthcoming article, we shall unveil the myth of drywood termites, analyze the tactics of drywood termite eggs identification, and most importantly, suggest a way to permanently solve the drywood termite problem.

    What Are Drywood Termites?

    Drywood termites are a rare species of termites that survive well in wood and dead tree branches, completely dry conditions prevail in these places unlike their subterranean counterparts, which don’t require contact with the soil or outside water to survive. This is why they are often found in coastal areas from South Carolina to Texas, and along the West Coast, as well as in Florida and Hawaii; these insects mainly infest structural wood, furniture, picture frames, and wood handrails.

    Drywood-Termites

    The drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis) colony typically has a handful to only around 2,700 members. The most common drywood termites in the U.S. are the light brown and creamy white ones with their narrow, oval-shaped bodies and six legs. They are capable of eating wood without moving to other areas, unlike the other termites, drywood termites. They feed on the wood for most of their life cycle and live in the same environment, but they reproduce elsewhere.

    Unlike subterranean and dampwood termite nests, drywood termites do not have their nests on the ground, thus, they are very difficult to detect and thus more destructive. Drywood termites are light brown to creamy white with slim, elongated, white, oval bodies with six legs. Typical drywood termites are not as regular in the way they move and travel as other termites because they move through their galleries in the wood, hence, not much can be detected until the damage has already spread. As such, these termites leave behind only slightly carved wooden galleries and heaps of powdery, dust-like sand particles that are their faeces—known as “frass”.

    Drywood Termite Eggs: The Start of an Infestation

    The drywood termite lifecycle starts with the egg stage.

    Drywood termite eggs are Apart from this, Sinhalalatter.Drywood termites that lay eggs in the hidden tunnels are not easily identified without the splitting of the galleries.
    These drywood termite eggs will be look after by the immature termites first of all by a species that doesn’t have separate workers. The nymphs that are hatch from the eggs after some time will change into adults after a few molts. The tasks of those nymphs that lead to the workers are finding food and space within the woodwork of the home for the expansion of the infestation. Their presence mainly signifies that sinfala, a two-winged, able insect pest that has also increased in size, is in the house already, which is why early detection and intervention are very important.

    How-to-Get-Rid-of-Drywood-Termites

    How to Get Rid of Drywood Termites

    If you smell a rat and you suspect termites in your home, the situation requires immediate intervention. Here’s a working guide on how to get rid of drywood termites successfully:

    Inspection

    The first step is examining and evaluating the whole of your property. Don’t miss any wooden part, focus on the accommodation, including the furniture such as the attic beams and window frames, as well as any other above-ground wooden material. If you observe frass heaps, wings that were shed, or the wood sounds hollow, then you have found a potential cause of the termite problem.

    Localized Treatment

    As for small, local infections the acoustic method is the fastest, going for the drilling of holes and the pouring in of chemicals, into them, has turned out to be the most convenient method. Plus, the gallon of termiticide fluid injected into the holes of the wood aiming at the main entrance of the termites will reach the galleries that are a result of the termite and drywood termite eggs symbiosis.

    Natural Remedies

    Homeowners resort to natural solutions like aromatic orange oil, the herbal product neem, or the dishwasher vinegar and lemon extract composition for killing the species naturally. Those could also rubbed into the cracks as they are less toxic, though they still work better in slight cases of incursions.

    Heat Treatment

    The natural extermination of drywood termites is achievable by directed high temperatures, which should be a minimum of 120°F and needs to last half an hour at least. By these means, we will not only remove adult termites but also terminate drywood termite eggs entirely.

    Professional Fumigation

    Professional fumigation is the most effective method that can eradicate drywood termites off your entire house, especially for extensive and severe termite attacks. This method is about captivating the fume inside the building and letting the gas seep into the wood, thus killing the termites at all stages.

    It’s worth noting that how to get rid of drywood termites usually comes down to the size and the location of the swarm if left to their own devices. Otherwise, seeking advice from a licensed pest control professional is the most suitable option they will inspect your problem and suggest what treatment plan will work most efficiently

    Conclusion

    Homes and structures in warmer, coastal regions of the United States are threaten by drywood termites. Because they can hide for years inside dry wood, it is usually hard to detect them early on. By recognizing drywood termite infestations, noticing their eggs and removing them, you save yourself costly home repairs.
    If you have drywood termites in your home, don’t wait—check for them, use treatments, and telephone a professional when required. You can protect your property and relax knowing more about drywood termites.