Termites mostly described as the “silent destroyer” since they can secretly hide and thrive in a home without showing any instant signs of destruction, all eat cellulose-based plant substances. Unfortunately, every human home, irrespective of its kind of construction, can offer cellulose-based food for termite invasion.
Termites can be 1/4 – 1/2 an inch in dimension. Its kings and queens are larger and are capable of getting over 1 inch long. The termite workers usually have soft bodies and are pale in color. The flying termites have 2 pairs of protruding wings.
They are detritus or detritivores feeders, feeding on dead trees and plants which have cellulose. For termites, wood makes up the most of their diet, but they can also eat other things like paper, drywall and plastic. Most kinds take dead wood as a preference, while some living trees.
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The various kinds of termites have their own preferred diet. For the Subterranean termites- softwoods, the Damp-wood specie mostly stay near the ground, but choose moist and decaying wood wherever they can find it, while the Dry-wood termites are most times seen in attics and need little amount of moisture in the wood they feed on.
Their mouths are capable of tearing bits of woody materials, which causes worry in human homes. Since the termite workers measure up to 1 cm in length, they are capable of initiating costly destruction to one’s property like house foundations, home furniture, books and shelves among others.
Generally, they reside in woody structures, fallen timber, decayed trees and soil. Their habitat actually varies among the various kinds because some of them need diverse quantity of moisture. They are mostly found in larger numbers in tropical regions where termites living conditions is optimal.
When colony matures, swarming termites with wings can be found around doors and windows. These winged termite is really fascinated by various sources of light and are active mostly during springtime. During the summer months, the flying termite leave their colonies to pair off and mate, after which they lose their wings, develop in queens and kings, and then produce new colonies. The immature termites grow to fill 1 of 3 roles which are the workers, the soldiers, or the reproductives. Several kinds of termite queens produce millions of eggs every year.
The workers are in charge of assembly and feeding the members of the colony, conserving the nest, and then caring for young termites. The soldiers guard the termite colony with the use of their large jawbones or mandibles to fight off possible predators. The reproductives are the single sexually-mature members of the termite colony, apart from the queens and kings.
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Also read: Hidden Dangers: Timber Decay Fungi in Perth Homes
