Home Improvement Articles

Termites are very well known pests in many parts of the world, and they are found in most regions of the world, excluding latitudes near the North or South Poles. In case some are not aware of, termites are wood eating social insects with mostly subterranean habits. This means termites can damage wooden beams and furniture or books, if given the chance. Nonetheless, termite ignorance is very high, and this ignorance probably contributes to a lot of termite damage incidences.

Globally, termites cause something like billions of dollars worth of damage to buildings and infrastructure, and also tree plantations and crops. It must be made very clear that not all termite species are pests, and only a small minority is responsible for most of the damage. Most of the time, the species that cause damage are subterranean termites.

You see, termites are broadly grouped into several categories based on their nest building habits; drywood termites and subterranean termites are among these. Drywood termites nest inside wood and subterranean termites nest underneath the ground. So as you can deduce, their nesting habits are also a way to identify termites, since most destructive termite species are subterranean in nesting habit, and avoid light and exposure.

They reach your woodwork through a labyrinth of underground tunnels and bore into the wood from the non visible part. If they have to, termites often construct earth covered tubes to hide them from prying eyes, so their earthworks are another possible sign that termites are running loose in your house.

Termites are often called white ants, but this is not strictly untrue; they belong to a different group as opposed to ants. Termites are more related to cockroaches, while ants are more related to wasps and bees. If you notice carefully, wasps and bees have slim waists and a well defined abdomen, making their body angular and looking like it was constructed from several “parts.” Termites on the other hand don’t have a slim waist; their body looks like it was just made from a single “part.”

But appearance wise, termites are often pale or whitish looking, while ants are usually a shade of brown or black. Hence, the termite misnomer of “white ants.” It is easier for someone who doesn’t have a clue how termites look, to look at many termite pictures and compare them with ant pictures. Once you know exactly what do termites look like, you’ll know whether you need to call in a pest control expert or not, and you’ll be less likely to be duped by unscrupulous pest control guys who might dupe you into believing you have a termite problem, when in fact it’s ants you’re looking at!

Jamie Woo is a writer and designer who is very much into gardening, healthy lifestyles, hiking, and exploring the natural world. Exotic pets and animals are also very much his thing. Here is where you can learn everything about termites.