Subterranean Termites
(Family Rhinotermitidae)
Appearance
Workers are cream colored and wingless. Soldiers have elongated brown heads with mandibles. Supplementary reproductives are light-colored, while primary reproductives are dark brown or black.
Size
Range from 1/8 to 1-inch in length.
Behavior
Subterranean termites usually swarm in spring, but swarms can occur at any time of the year. The primary reproductives swarm and start new colonies. Supplementary reproductives can only reproduce in their own colony. They assist with population growth of the colony. Subterranean termites have a worker caste, while drywood termites do not.
Habitat
Subterranean termites live in colonies underground, but are able to reach food above ground by building tunnels called mud tubes. They are dependent on moisture for survival, unlike drywood termites that only need low moisture. Subterranean termites can invade homes through cracks in concrete, so slab homes are not safe from this pest.
Economic Significance
Termites cause over a billion dollars in damage to homes each year, and subterranean termites are responsible for the majority of that damage. Their colonies can contain up to a million termites and are much larger than drywood termite colonies.
Control
Do you live in Florida and think that this termite may be invading your home? Hulett Environmental Services offers specialty termite control treatments designed to control and eliminate this pest!
