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Beware
of Termites
More
than 365,000 homes in the U.S. are involved in a fire each
year. More than 600,000 U.S. homes suffer termite damage totaling
more than $1.5 billion annually. This is more than the damage
caused by all fires, storms, and earthquakes combined. More
than 2 million homes require termite treatment each year.
Homeowners insurance can help recover losses from fires, floods,
and earthquakes, but it is almost impossible to get insurance
against termites.
Finding
out your home has termites scares most homeowners. You typically
can't see them, you can't hear them and frequently only a
trained inspector can find signs of infestation.
Treatment
by the homeowner for the control of termites is virtually
impossible. Specialized equipment is used and the experts
have the knowledge necessary for effective control.
A
trained termite control specialist can provide protection
from termite infestation. Termites are found in almost every
state as well as Mexico and parts of Canada. They eat wood
and may also destroy paper products such as books, cardboard
boxes, furniture and various other items. Even buildings with
steel framing and masonry walls are targets because of the
wooden doors and window frames, wooden support beams, cabinets,
or shelving.
To
learn more about how we can develop a termite management
plan best suited to your situation, call Hopper Environmental
Services today at 425-4122 or 1-888-863-0206.
How
Termites Live
There
are more than 2,000 species of termites. Only about 70 species
invade wooden structures enough to be considered pests. The
most damaging are roughly 20 species we call "subterranean"
termites because of their living and foraging habits. Two
of these, the Eastern Subterranean Termites and the Western
Subterranean Termites, are by far the most common, widest
distributed and most damaging in the US. The following description
of biology refers to these two closely-related species.
Termites
feed on cellulose, a complex chemical in plant cell walls,
and they are very important in natural decomposition of fallen
trees, leaves and other plant products. Subterranean termites
build their colonies in the soil or trees or poles, and they
rely mainly on the soil for moisture.
A
subterranean termite colony is large (60,000 to 1.5 million
termites), and made up of several "castes," each
with distinct functions and behaviors. These include reproductives
(the queen, king, and winged swarmers), soldiers, and workers.
Worker termites are small (0.1-0.25 inch long), creamy-white
insects. Soldiers are larger (0.2-0.4 inch long), about 1/20th
as numerous as workers, and have a large, dark head, with
long, strong, sharp-pointed jaws, which they use to attack
intruders. Property owners seldom see the worker or soldier
termites, but in the spring or fall they may see swarming
"winged reproductives." This form of termite can
be easily confused with a winged ant unless you look closely.
Two
Other Types of Pest Termites
Formosan Termites
Formosan
termites are an exotic species that was accidentally introduced
to the U.S. from China and other Asian countries. Their habitats
are very much like those of our common subterranean species
discussed above. They are in the same family of termites,
but they belong to a different genus. They are a little bigger
and are much more aggressive invaders, forming larger colonies
(often 2 million or more). Formosan termites can establish
secondary colonies in very moist wood of upper stories of
buildings (several stories above ground) and do not need soil
contact if there is a nearly constant moisture source. They
have been reported from 11 states including: Alabama, California,
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Their distribution will
probably continue to be restricted to southern areas because
their eggs will not hatch below about 20E C (68E F). If you
think you might have an infestation of this species, contact
a knowledgeable expert from your local pest control firm,
or the entomology department of a university, or NPMA to confirm
their ID.
Drywood Termites
Drywood
termites live in wood that has fairly low moisture content
and is not in contact with soil or any other moisture source.
They must get their needed moisture from the wood they live
in, so they are usually found in humid coastal or subtropical
areas. They can be transported to other areas in infested
furniture, picture frames, decorative wooden objects, or wood
for construction. Colonies of these termites are relatively
small (fewer than 3,000 individuals), and they increase slowly,
requiring several years before any swarmers reproduce. They
do not build mud "shelter tubes" which are typical
of most species of subterranean termites.
Their
damage is usually localized, but quite a bit of damage can
result from multiple colonies in one building or structure.
Drywood termites can be successfully eliminated by a variety
of methods that would not be effective against subterranean
species. Heating, freezing, focusing microwaves, or high-voltage
electric charges on or into all or a portion of the infested
structure, or wooden object(s), can kill off whole colonies.
Batch fumigation of infested wooden items can also be effective
against these termites.
Fire
Ants
Fire
Ants colonies are established as far north as Conway. Isolated
instances may be found farther north due to importation
in landscaping materials.
These
ants get their common name from their very painful bites and
stings. They are small (workers are 1/16 - 1/4 inch long)
yellowish-red to black ants, all in the Genus: Solenopsis,
which are distributed from Virginia to Florida, and from Georgia
to California. Workers of most species are several different
sizes. They usually nest in the ground, but sometimes part
(or a whole colony) may be located within a structure, usually
in wall voids near heat or moisture (such as near a chimney
or a bath trap). The two most important species are the Red
Imported Fire Ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren, and the
Southern Fire Ant (SFA), Solenopsis xyloni McCrook.
Colonies
of the RIFA may be as numerous as 30 to 100 per acre, with
80,000 to 250,000 ants per colony. They sometimes form multi-queen
colonies that may be still larger. Mature queens may lay up
to 1,500 eggs per day. Swarming may occur 6-8 times per year.
A typical RIFA colony mound is rounded, about 18 inches high,
and about 24 inches across. Mounds have caused farm machinery
to break, and farm animals have reportedly been killed by
multiple stings (thousands) when they stepped into a RIFA
mound. People usually develop a blister-like pustule at the
site of a sting and true allergic reactions to fire ant stings
can be life threatening.
Researchers
are field testing some specialized parasitic flies and pathogens
against the RIFA, but the most effective and efficient control
strategy is to do a wide-area (community wide) baiting followed
by drenching individual mounds, those which are still active
10-14 days after the baiting effort, using properly labeled
residual insecticides. Call us for help in controlling your
RIFA problems.
Odorous House Ants
 
COMMON
NAME: Odorous house ant
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tapinoma sessile (Say)
CLASS/ORDER/FAMILY: Insecta/Hymenoptera/Formicidae
METAMORPHOSIS: Complete
INTRODUCTION. The pungent, "rotten-coconutlike" odor
given off when this ant is crushed gives it its name. It
is a native species and is found throughout the United States.
RECOGNITION. Workers monomorphic, about 1/16-1/8" (2.4-3.25
mm) long. Body brown to black. Antenna 12-segmented, without
a club. Thorax lacks spines, profile unevenly rounded. Pedicel
1-segmented, with small node/segment hidden/concealed from
view from above by base of gaster. Gaster with anal opening
slitlike, lacking circlet of hairs. Stinger absent. Workers
emit a disagreeable, rotten, coconut-like odor.
BIOLOGY. Colonies may be composed of several hundred to
100,000 ants. There are usually many queens in a colony.
Developmental time (egg to adult) is 34-83 days, varying
with temperature during summer months, and up to 6-7 months
during the winter. Colonies typically produce 4-5 generations
a year. Although they probably mate both inside and outside
the nest, the first swarmers appear from May to mid-July.
The workers and queens live for several years. Individuals
from different colonies are not hostile to one another and
workers normally move along trails.
HABITS. Inside, these ants usually construct their nests
in wall voids especially around hot water pipes and heaters,
in crevices around sinks, cupboards, etc. These ants prefer
sweets but also eat foods with high protein content and grease
such as meats and cheese.
Outside, they are often found in the nest of larger ants,
in exposed soil, but mostly under objects. Workers feed on
insects, seek honeydew and plant secretions, and even feed
on seeds. They are extremely fond of honeydew and attend
such honeydew-excreting insects as plantlice (aphids), scale
insects, mealybugs, etc. They are most likely to enter buildings
when their honeydew supply is reduced such as during rainy
weather or with leaf fall in the autumn.
When workers are alarmed, they run around in an erratic
manner with their gasters/abdomens raised up.
CONTROL. Location of the nest(s) is crucial and can often
be accomplished by following the trail of foraging workers
back from the food source. Use of boric acid dust in the
voids of outside ground-floor walls and infested interior
walls along with barrier treatment is effective. Baiting
is often required.
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Northwest
Arkansas: (479) 750-4070