Florida Insects
The one well known fact, if you live in Florida you will
have insects and termites. I work as a service manager for a very large Pest
Control Co. in Florida. I have been in the industry for over 20+ years, I am
also known as the The Bugman.
There are 4 well known termites that attack structures in Florida,
the EasternSubterranean Termite, the Formosan Termite, Florida Dampwood Termite
and the Powderpost Drywood Termite. Today we are going to look at the Eastern Subterranean
Termite.
The Eastern Subterranean Termite is highly destructive to
many common building materials. The can enter a home through the smallest of
cracks in the floor, foundation, or cement walls. They can come through a crack
as small as a 1/16th of an inch. Once inside the structure they can
rapidly eat the internal sections of the structure in no time. Termites feed on
cellulose material not just wood. Wood is made up of cellulose material but
also is the backing paper of your drywall, also the pictures hanging on your
wall, and so on. Eastern Subterranean Termite live in the soil in the ground
and forage 24 hours a
day looking for food for the colony.
A single Eastern Subterranean Termite social colony can
contain from 100,000 to 1,000,000 termites and will forage up to 150 in search
of food. When the termite leaves the ground they build shelter tubes to travel
in. The tubes are like highways for termites, these tubes protect the termite
from predators, sun-burn and from dehydration. Most of the caste of the colony
will stay in the ground or shelter tube except the winged reproducer’s.
The winged reproducer’s take flight in Florida from early December and last until April depending on
climate conditions. After the winged termites (alates) will drop to the ground
and shed their wings. The female will begin to search for a nesting site and
the males with follow closely behind the female to set up the new colony. It
may take from 5 to 10 years for the two to form a mature colony.
There are different forms of
control for in early Subterranean Termites. When choosing termite control or
termite prevention for your structure please ask a lot of questions about what
the type of treatment is to be done for your structure. Also ask about the type
of warranty they are offering with the treatment. There are a lot of companies
all around Florida so make sure you do your home work before hiring any company
to protect your dwelling.
