Termites are called “hidden invaders” for a reason. But they should also be called party animals! Stick with us and let us present the evidence.
A colony never sleeps. Individuals may rest, but when they are together as a colony (big party), they eat 24/7. That sounds like a frat guy already. They tunnel under the ground until they find the cellulose in wood they are looking for. They chew a bit and bring it back to the colony (beer run). The whole way, they are leaving a scent to get back to the food source (your house). Not only can they find it again, but all the other termites in the colony can as well. So basically, they found a great bar that is open all night and now they are telling all their party animal (termite) friends about it.
Termites survive in social groups centered around a nest and are divided into different castes based on their function such as worker, soldier, and queen. Each colony of termites has a king and queen that are responsible for producing 5-10 thousand eggs each year that eventually become more workers and soldiers for the colony. Soldier termites are responsible for protecting the nest from intruders like ants (they are basically bouncers). Worker termites are responsible for providing food for the rest of the colony (think of them as the pizza delivery guys). A mature colony is usually around 300,000 termites but can be as large as 5 million.
A termite queen typically lives 15-30 years but can live for up to 30 years (sounds like she gets bored with being a party girl at around 30). She is reproducing that entire time and creating new colonies with swarms (like a rage). More termites, more party goers, more damage.
The main difference (among so many others) between fun-seeking party animals and termites: property damage from termites exceeds $5 billion per year. That’s not a broken vase or beer-soaked carpet. That’s serious dollars and cents. Oftentimes, when you start to see evidence of termites, it’s already gotten out of hand and could cost you a lot of money to repair the damage they have caused. Listen here to find out why “you have termites” are words you never want to hear.
The best thing to do is try to create an inhospitable environment for these pests. Having a pest company like Western Pest come out to inspect and treat and then keep up with those inspections and treatments is the best way to get in front of uninvited party guests. RSVP to Western Pest now for a Targeted Defense® termite treatment before it gets out of hand.