Pest,Control,Service,Termite,Exterminat - Insect Facts: Termites

There is nothing like the wood hungry termite to strike fear into the heart of a home-owner, especially when an infestation is found. The damage that this little bug can do to the typical stick-built house has to be seen to be believed, and it is seen much too often. But as a wise man once said, if you want to win the war, you have to get to know your enemy. And for anyone who owns a building made of wood, there is no doubt that the termite is the enemy, and the war can be lost without knowing him.

Unfortunately, there is not just one enemy of human habitation in the form of the termite, but over four thousand - species, that is. The termite has evolved into a wide variety of types, but they are all part of the same scientific class of insects. Similar to ants and other animals that function in groups and with an almost social kind of order, these are called eusocial creatures. The defining characteristic of eusociality is that the animals actually work together to live and survive, cooperating to do things together that no individual ant or termite could do alone. For example, establish a city in your timbers and proceed to destroy your home.

Termites build nests from whatever raw materials they happen to have around, including saliva and feces, cellulose and soil, and other waste matter. Not coincidentally, all of this building material is also what the little fiends eat, so it serves double duty.The nest or colony as it is called, is an amazingly complex structure, with a variety of areas having different purposes and functions. These colonies can contain millions of termites, and they like to construct them in fallen trees, underground, and along and in the foundations of houses. The average colony population consists of semi-mature young bugs called nymphs, soldiers and workers, and male and female individuals whose sole purpose is reproduction.

Unlike bees, there are king and queen termites, and a colony can have many such monarchs, all the better to make more termites. Not only can there be many royal couples who are together for life in a colony, but there are species in which the egg-laying queen has been provided with an extra set of ovaries, giving her the ability to make more than a thousand eggs in one day. Interestingly, when she is full of eggs, she will actually be helped by assistants to get from one place to another, like a queen in her bower.

Other prominent termite types are the worker and the soldier. Termites that have been designated workers have the job of gathering, collecting, and safely storing a food supply for the colony. They are also in charge of maintenance of the structure of the colony, as well as being the builders. As you might guess from the name, the soldier termites are charged with defending the nest from all predators, but especially from their main enemy - the dreaded ant. They are specially equipped for their jobs with bigger mandibles, and the Spider-man-like ability to excrete a sticky substance that the ants really hate.

Termites are truly amazing creatures, as are all insects that function more as one huge organism rather than as individuals. Unfortunately, many times this huge organism has set its sights on your home, and the members of the colony have plans to colonize your territory. Knowing your enemy the termite can help you fight back effectively.

Emily Taylor is a kindhearted individual who loves the outdoors; she spends most of her time lately working in her yard and tending to her garden if she isn?t writing for Vulcantermite.com. Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Birmingham is a family owned business in Alabama specializing in getting rid of those unwanted house guests.

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