Did you know that a single colony of eastern subterranean termites can infest nearly 11,000 square feet of land, and comprises up to three million wood-devouring workers? These shocking revelations made by a recent study.
In the US, property damages by termites cause financial losses between three and seven billion dollars every year. It makes termites more destructive and financially damaging than floods, fires, and tornadoes put together.
The eastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) are the most economically damaging in the country. These termites mainly infest in all the eastern states where the instances of hurricanes are common.
Things You Should Know About Eastern Subterranean Termites
According to the researchers of the University
of Massachusetts at Amherst, eastern subterranean termites cause nearly 95
percent of all structural damages every year in the US.
Further studies show that these types of termites
are invading more in the northeast US and southeast Canada as they are
expanding their colonies towards the north.
Experts divide termites into three categories after observing their habitat preference: subterranean termites, damp wood termites, and dry wood termites.
Eastern subterranean termites make their colonies
below the ground where the worker termites make tunnels through damp soil seeking
food. These termites prefer to eat moist and decayed trees, wood logs, dead
tree branches, and stumps.
Once the termite colonies mature in a few
years, the queen increases her offspring reproduction, which can be more than 2,000
new eggs every day.
Eastern subterranean termite workers also
occasionally build vertical mud tubes next to the foundation walls of properties
to infest the structural woods above the ground.
During the initial two or three years after
subterranean termite swarmers (alates) start building new colonies in damp soil,
the number of offspring production declines.
The vast networks of subterranean termite
colonies pose a massive threat to the wooden structures. These termites are
commonly visible in and around forested and densely wooded regions.
You can look for mud tubes around your house,
as these are the most visible signs of eastern subterranean termite infestation.
Structural Damages that Termites Cause in the US
The colonies of eastern subterranean termites are
more than double of other types of termite in the US. On top of it, these
termites are also responsible for damaging the majority of structural damages
reported in the US every year.
The US Department of Agriculture states that
the financial value of property damaged by termites is more than 40 billion
dollars worldwide annually. Termites infest a minimum of 600,000 homes every
year in the US alone.
Worker eastern subterranean termites can quickly
eat away sub-structural wood materials and components that are close to moist
soil. Besides, these termites can also infest wooden structures above the ground
at the base of timber-framed properties by creating protective mud tubes.
Generally, you can notice the infestation of
eastern subterranean termites in structurally important wooden components such
as floor supports, walls, posts, girder ends, beams, columns, laminated
timbers, and sill plates.
Things You Should do to Prevent Termite Infestation
It is essential to keep in mind that eastern
subterranean termites feed on old lumber scraps, wooden fences, home renovation
stuff, landscaping materials, flowerbeds, ground dams, and any wooden thing.
If you use all the mentioned components for
home renovation or maintenance, make sure to clear the scraps once you complete
the work. Otherwise, it will be a recipe for disaster as all these wooden
things are likely to attract termites. If left for an extended period, termites
will build a colony beneath the ground and infest the main structure of your
house.
An example can support the fact that during the aftermath of the Katrina hurricane, the collection and distribution of lumber
debris throughout the southeast US brought in non-native termites to the
states where termites were earlier absent.
Also Read: Termite Infestation in California
Before We Go
Do you think that subterranean termites are
infesting near your home? It would then be ideal that you consult a
professional termite control company, which will block the entry points and
reduce moistures around your home to keep termites away.
Give us a call at (888) 322-8889 or send an email to info@hitechtermite.com, and we will provide immediate assistance.
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