Bugman, Inc. is a Termidor® Certified Professional

To determine if termite infestation has occurred, check the wood structure around your home for holes and other unexplained damage. Also, check your stone foundation and see if termites have begun work on "tunnels" into your home. Based on general feeding activity, it takes 3 to 8 years to cause appreciable damage. There have been some predictions that, under ideal conditions, a termite colony of 60,000 workers may consume a one-foot length of 2" x 4" pine in 118 to 157 days.

In Texas, the extent of damage may be different because of extended feeding activity during the lengthy foraging season.

Evidence of Termite Infestations

1. Wood damaged by termites always has remains of mud tubes attached to wood galleries or tunnels in an irregular pattern. The tunnels may contain broken mud particles with fecal materials. In the case of an active colony, white termites may be found in infested wood.
2. Presence of flying winged males, females or their shed wings inside a building.
3. Presence of mud or shelter tubes extending from the ground to woodwork or on foundation walls also may indicate infestation. Workers travel periodically via shelter tubes to their nest to regain moisture and perform feeding duties. Each mud tube is approximately the diameter of a lead pencil.

Termite shelter tubes on wood

Termites consistently erect these mud shelter tubes wherever they go inside the structure.   An interesting note about the termites worst nightmare....an ant!  Ants just love a juicy termite and cause havoc when the invade a colony.  However, the mud used to build these tubes is very hard.  The reason is that the saliva used to cement the soil together makes the tube virtually indestructible to ants.

Swarmer Winged Alate

The winged reproductives are dark brown to brownish black and have two pairs of equal length wings that extend well beyond the body. Swarms are common in spring and fall, especially after a rain. After a flight, the winged males and females return to the ground and shed their wings. The wingless males and females pair off and search for sources of wood and moisture in soil. The royal couple digs a chamber in the soil near wood, enters the chamber and seals the opening. After mating, the queen starts laying eggs. The queen may live up to 25 years and lay more than 60,000 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs are yellowish white and hatch after an incubation of 50 to 60 days.

Subterranean termites are ground-dwelling, social insects that live in colonies. A colony or nest of subterranean termites may be up to 12-20 feet below the soil surface to protect it from extreme weather conditions. Termites travel through mud shelter-tubes to reach food sources above the soil surface. The mature termite colony has three castes: a) reproductives (king and queen), b) soldiers, and c) workers. The colony reaches its maximum size in approximately 4 to 5 years and may include 60,000 to 2,000,000 workers. New colonies are formed when winged males and females from a parent colony emerge in flight or swarm. It is thought that a colony must be from between 2 - seven years of age before it can throw-off swarmers.

Drywood termites need no link to the soil to obtain the water needed to support the colony.  Although the colonies are smaller, they can still do a lot of damage to a home.  And the worst thing about this type is that they are virtually impossible to detect and locate inside a structure.  Most times, the extermination includes erecting a huge colored tent over the house or structure and pumping gas into the tent to fumigate the termite colony.  This is a very costly process, and their is no residual benefit to having your home fumigated.

Queen Termite
Subterranean termite queens can lay up to 86,000 eggs a day! Often the queen's swollen body can weigh more than a regular pencil. The rest of the colony is made up of termites who all play specific roles in keeping the colony healthy. Among these termites are the workers. Worker termites keep busy 24 hours a day digesting wood fibers and other forms of cellulose which they eat, digest and share with the other members of the colony. Workers also clean the royal pair, the King and Queen, and carry away the eggs. Worker termites have a protozoan living inside their gut that enables them to digest cellulose.

King Termite
The King termite assists the queen in creating and attending to the colony during its initial formation. He will continue to mate throughout his life to help increase the colony size.

Soldier Termites
This particular "caste" member provides the colony with protection from other dangers which may threaten the colony.  The heavy and ominous mandibles can crush a marauding insect. Soldiers must be fed by workers since they cannot feed themselves.
 

Worker Termite
Worker termites are seen above ground inside structures they are devouring and they stay deep within the colony and tend the queen. But in the spring or fall, "winged reproductives" may be noticed swarming around the outside of the colony. This form of termite can be easily confused with a winged ant. Winged termites are typically only 1/8" or so in length and have straight antennae and have no "waistline". Their wings are longer and are of equal length. Ants are generally several times larger. Ants have elbowed antennae and three distinct body segments, with very slim waists. Their front wings are much longer than the back ones. Termites break off their wings and ants do not.