What is a Subterranean Termite?
Termites are one of the worst wood destroying organisms in North Brisbane. Termites are known as "silent destroyers" because they can completely devastate a home's flooring, roofing, foundation, and furniture. While a termite colony doesn’t eat a home quickly, usually eating a cubic food of wood in a year, termite infestations can go undiscovered for years at a time, giving the termites more than enough time to damage the wood inside of your home. According to the Australia Environmental Protection Agency, homeowners in the Australia spend over two billion dollars a year to treat termite damages. Termintes Control North Brisbane says the damage that termites cause worldwide costs more than fires, floods, and hurricanes combined.
Subterranean termites are one of the most common types of termites in the Australia, as well as the most destructive. The EPA estimates that 80% of the two billion dollars spent each year on termite treatment is caused by these subterranean termites. These subterranean termites built their nests underground, and will only eat softwood rather than hardwood. These termites create mud tubes from their nests to food sources, like your home.
Worker Termites
Termites have flat soft bodies. Termites also have straight antennae and large strong jaws. They will also have six stubby legs attached to their bodies. The worker termite is the termite that causes the destruction in your home. They eat only cellulose… more commonly known as wood. This termite uses its jaws to tear pieces of wood away from your home’s walls and structure, and their internal organs shred it. These termites have special enzymes inside of their body that help them to digest the cellulose of the wood. These are the termites that eat the wood of your home, and they will feed the rest of their colony using their partially digested meals.
Soldier Termites
A soldier termite doesn't eat any actual wood, but instead protects the colony from danger (like ants) by spraying an acid and crushing any enemy ants that invade the colony with their large jaws. Soldier termites can't actually feed themselves because their jaws are so big, so they must rely on worker termites to help them. Since the soldier termites do not care for the young of the colony, this means that soldier termites are left to die during a fight if there is a tunnel breach. Once the breach in tunnel is fixed and repaired, soldier termites can't get back into the colony, so they end up dying en masse.
Reproductive Termites
All termite colonies have reproducing termites that become the new kings and queens of a new termite colony. These termites, also known as alates, have wings. These wings are generally teardrop shaped and the same size on either side of its body. They’re also known as “swarmers” as they will leave the nest in swarms and try to find a mate. Once they find a mate, they will fly off, discard their wings, and start a brand-new colony.
Queen Termite
A queen termite is a baby-termite-making machine and can produce up to 30,000 eggs a day. Queens produce an egg every three seconds for 15 years. Once a queen dies, the colony dies as well, since the queen is not reproducing any more termites. These colonies can be reinstated if another reproductive termite takes over.
How to Get Rid of Termites
Since termites can cause such devastation within a home, it’s recommended that you do not attempt to DIY pest control treatment for these insects. Although you can try to prevent termites by diverting water away from your foundation and providing large gaps between the ground and outward facing wood, if your home already has an infestation, you will need to call a pest control expert to kill the termites. Usually, this requires some sort of fumigation. If you have a Pest Control North Brisbane through Landmark that covers pest control, you can have help with subterranean termite pest control!
Termites and Pest Control North Brisbane and Subterranean Termite Pest Control
Termites and Pest Control North Brisbane offers some plans that cover pest control. If your home is covered under a home warranty with pest control, you are covered when it comes to subterranean termites. If you suspect termites are in your home, all you have to do is call Termites and Pest Control North Brisbane and open a service request. Then, a termite pest control expert will come out to your home.
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