DRYWOOD TERMITES

DRYWOOD TERMITE

The Drywood termite looks just like the Subterranean termite, except that has shorter legs and moves slowly, and it is more of a reddish brown color. Infestations of Drywood termites are just about as damaging as Subterranean termites. Drywood termites will excavate large pockets in the wood that they attack. They require no soil contact, and they can even infest dead limbs on trees. Drywood termites do require a source of moisture. They are usually noticed from the piles of fecal pellets that they eject from their kick-out holes. The pellets accumulate below these holes.

Drywood termite anatomy

1.Antenna- 10 to 11 segments
2.Eyes- blind except alates/reproductives
3.Head- large
4.Legs- 6
5.Wings- 2 pair, on alates only
6.Thorax
7.Petiole- none
8.Abdomen
9.Color- orange or reddish brown
10.Other- no worker caste

Life Cycle

A mated pair of winged adults will form a new colony once they drop the wings and enter a structure through cracks or crevices in March through June of each year. The wings are longer than the body, a sure sign that they are not ants. They look for bare wood and then create a chamber, where they then mate and raise their brood. Eggs hatch in about 2 ½ months and become nymphs, false workers, or soldiers. Nymphs can quickly take care of themselves, and will also tend to the queen and king. The false workers will obtain food and tend the nest, while the soldiers, which have larger heads, defend the nest from invaders. There is no true worker caste. A queen can live for 15 years, during which the colony may grow to thousands of nymphs. A single structure can also be host to multiple colonies.