What do termites termites look like? This is probably the kind of question you are asking yourself if you have never seen termites. They are also commonly referred to as white ants and they are typically brown, white or gray in color. They look more like ants and bees and they live colonies whereby there are different members amongst them. Each member of the termite group has a special role. The groups include the workers, soldiers and royals which are the king and the queen.
You have probably seen termites in a swarm after it has rained flying around your house lighting. In most cases they will be mixed with a bunch of flying ants, but the two of them are totally different. The ants swarm more than the termites do and you can notice the difference in their body shape if you look at them from a close range. The termites’ waist is much broader compared to that of ants. Both of them have wings on though.
The workers in the termites’ colony form the lowest classification. They are busiest of them all, working 24/7 without rest period to supply food to the entire colony. This is the group of termites that is also responsible for causing the most damage to buildings. They are responsible for building shelter tubes which shield the other groups of termites from the outside environment and they also provide moisture to the entire colony.
The other group of termites called soldiers exists throughout the colony and they are placed strategically to protect it against intruders. They are fed by the soldiers. The royals, which comprise the king and queen, are the winged reproductive termites that you see mostly during summer after rains or on a very warm and humid day. They leave the colony en masse and they have clear veined wings that they drop shortly when they land on the ground.
If you are still wondering what do termites look like, we can also classify them into the following two categories for more clarity. The termites can also be classified into subterranean termites and drywood termites. The subterranean termites live in caste systems comprising millions of them in a single colony. It is a common variety of termites in the USA that are widely known for creating approximately 95 percentage of the damage done by termites throughout the country.
Drywood termites on the other hand to not cause as much damage as the subterranean termites do. They are larger than subterranean termites and they have a light cream body with a dark head. These are in fact the termites that are also commonly referred to as white ants due to the light color of their body as well as their similarity to ants in their body structure. Unlike subterranean termites, they do not have a caste system and all of them look alike.
Subterranean termites are mostly found underground near wooded areas or wooden structures. They usually build mud tubes from the dirt that connect to their food source on the open ground. You will also find them in places that are moist. Drywood termites on the other hand thrive in drywood areas just as the name suggests. You will mostly find them in attic spaces as well as wood beams in building foundations.
Since termites stay in concealed locations, they can cause damage to your house or property without you seeing any manifestations. Wood is a vital as well as regular part of their diet, and as a result they are known for causing damage to wooden structures. And since a single colony can constitute millions of them, the damage they can cause to a structure in a short period of time is massive. Some of the ways used for preventing the destruction they cause include using barriers such as termite resistant materials and poisoned soil.
Even though termites can be very destructive, they are also known for playing a very important role in nature. They are very crucial when it comes to recycling dead as well as trotting wood back into the environment. In some countries across the world, they are an important part of the human diet.
You should not be finding it hard establishing what do termites look like now. They are insects that you have probably come across before as you can discern from the descriptions given above.
You have probably seen termites in a swarm after it has rained flying around your house lighting. In most cases they will be mixed with a bunch of flying ants, but the two of them are totally different. The ants swarm more than the termites do and you can notice the difference in their body shape if you look at them from a close range. The termites’ waist is much broader compared to that of ants. Both of them have wings on though.
The workers in the termites’ colony form the lowest classification. They are busiest of them all, working 24/7 without rest period to supply food to the entire colony. This is the group of termites that is also responsible for causing the most damage to buildings. They are responsible for building shelter tubes which shield the other groups of termites from the outside environment and they also provide moisture to the entire colony.
The other group of termites called soldiers exists throughout the colony and they are placed strategically to protect it against intruders. They are fed by the soldiers. The royals, which comprise the king and queen, are the winged reproductive termites that you see mostly during summer after rains or on a very warm and humid day. They leave the colony en masse and they have clear veined wings that they drop shortly when they land on the ground.
If you are still wondering what do termites look like, we can also classify them into the following two categories for more clarity. The termites can also be classified into subterranean termites and drywood termites. The subterranean termites live in caste systems comprising millions of them in a single colony. It is a common variety of termites in the USA that are widely known for creating approximately 95 percentage of the damage done by termites throughout the country.
Drywood termites on the other hand to not cause as much damage as the subterranean termites do. They are larger than subterranean termites and they have a light cream body with a dark head. These are in fact the termites that are also commonly referred to as white ants due to the light color of their body as well as their similarity to ants in their body structure. Unlike subterranean termites, they do not have a caste system and all of them look alike.
Subterranean termites are mostly found underground near wooded areas or wooden structures. They usually build mud tubes from the dirt that connect to their food source on the open ground. You will also find them in places that are moist. Drywood termites on the other hand thrive in drywood areas just as the name suggests. You will mostly find them in attic spaces as well as wood beams in building foundations.
Since termites stay in concealed locations, they can cause damage to your house or property without you seeing any manifestations. Wood is a vital as well as regular part of their diet, and as a result they are known for causing damage to wooden structures. And since a single colony can constitute millions of them, the damage they can cause to a structure in a short period of time is massive. Some of the ways used for preventing the destruction they cause include using barriers such as termite resistant materials and poisoned soil.
Even though termites can be very destructive, they are also known for playing a very important role in nature. They are very crucial when it comes to recycling dead as well as trotting wood back into the environment. In some countries across the world, they are an important part of the human diet.
You should not be finding it hard establishing what do termites look like now. They are insects that you have probably come across before as you can discern from the descriptions given above.
What Do Termites Look Like
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