Termites Information :.

Termites mostly feed on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, are economically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops or plantation forests.

 As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use a decentralised, self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone.

A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens. Termites are sometimes called “white ants”, though they are not closely related to true ants.

Common Termites Species Found in Australia :
Subterranean Termites

Drywood Termites

Size :
small in size about half the size of match-head

Behavior :
Termites possess organizational traits resembling ants, specifically the male monarch, the female monarch, flightless infertile soldiers with large heads and powerful jaws conformed for defending the colony, and workers.

Termite female monarchs demonstrate the ability to produce an egg in increments of 15 seconds around the clock, and the queens live for about 15-25 years.

 A few queen termite species live up to 50 years. Termites embark on their swarming ritual typically in the months of January. Termites encompass over 20,000 specific types of termites. The more common variety of termites includes Subterranean termites, Drywood termites, Dampwood termites, and Formosan termites. The easiest way to tell which termite species you are looking at is by look at the soldiers. Each type of termite soldier has distinct physical attributes that set them apart.

Termite Swarms :
Termite swarms occur when a termite colony has grown so large that they send out new reproductive termites to start new colonies. The swarmers can come out during the day or night depending on their species. Subterranean termites generally swarm during the day and have more individuals than drywood termites which swarm generally at night. Swarming termites are easy to exterminate and can be done so using any household cleaning product. The important issue here is that swarmers are a sign of termite infestation, and that means you may  have a problem.

Termite Damage :
Due to their wood-eating habits, many termite species can do great damage to unprotected buildings and other wooden structures.

 Their habit of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged and exhibit surface changes. Once termites have entered a building, they do not limit themselves to wood; they also damage paper, cloth, carpets, and other cellulosic materials.

In order to identify a subterranean termite infestation, pest control professionals employ monitoring stations. These are placed within soil with suspected infestations. After highly active areas are located, bait stations replace monitoring stations.

 Bait stations contain slow-acting poisons that worker termites bring back and feed to the other members of their colonies. In time, several generations within a colony will be killed or sterilized.

While bait stations are one effective way in treating entire infestations and impacting the colony, their results may not be rapid enough to cope with areas experiencing extremely dense populations and severe damage. Conventional liquid insecticides may be used to address problem areas. 

New technology has yielded the use of microwaves and infrared cameras to detect and kill insects living within walls. . 

It is best to employ a variety of pest control methods when addressing a termite infestation. Contact Modern pest services your pest control professional.

Worker termites discover these baiting systems and believe the bait to be a viable food source.

They then feed other members of the colony with this bait, leading to the eventual death and sterilization of multiple generations.

While waiting for the baits to take effect, pest control professionals will supplement treatment with toxic liquid insecticides in order to limit further damage in areas identified as active.

After subterranean termites have been discovered feeding within a structure, a professional exterminator can place monitoring stations inside the soil.

These monitoring stations allow for detection of high-traffic areas where termite control bait will be most effective. Spot spraying kills insects immediately on contact, but residuals and baits are longer-term solutions to infestations.

Termite control bait will contain one of a number of slow-acting insecticides, which poison and sterilize multiple generations over the course of a few weeks to a few months.

 Although extremely effective in ensuring that a colony will perish, treating infestations solely with termite control bait may be a lengthy process.

Most Exterminators are likely to use multiple control methods when treating a termite infestation. Fast-acting, toxic sprays are often utilized in areas where termites are most obviously active. These sprays can kill insects instantly.

If constructing a new home, or trying to protect an existing home against infestation, one of the most helpful things a homeowner can do is install physical termite barriers.  Preventative termite treatments are important because termite damage is seldom covered by standard-issue homeowner's insurance. 

Subterranean termites are the most common type of termite infestation. Subterranean termites build their colonies within soil beneath or around a structure, and emerge to feed on wood and other cellulose material.  Physical termite barriers may be used to prevent such infestations. 

Termite barriers traditionally come in two forms. 

They can be a swath of chemically treated soil; these are often called chemical barriers. 

 Or, they can be a physical termite barrier, which is usually a layer of protection between the soil and the home. 

 These are typically made out of foam, stainless steel mesh, stone, steel, timber, aluminium shielding, and other materials designed to make it difficult for termites to access the home.

  For protection from termites in the soil, a common system includes both a concrete slab underneath the house and a physical termite barrier.  For additional protection, steel framed roofs can also be considered.

Physical termite barriers are designed to protect the foundation of a structure and help homeowners detect termite activity.  While non-chemically treated physical termite barriers will not kill termites in the soil near your home, they should inhibit termites from gaining access to your home, and also potentially force termites into areas where they can be more easily detected. 

 However, not all physical termite barriers are 100% effective, as termites can breach these preventative systems. Contact Modern Pest Servicesyour pest control professional to discuss termite prevention methods.