Do winged termites eat wood?
Do winged termites eat wood?
Flying termites do not eat wood. But they can drill a hole in the wood to get inside the wooden structure. In this guide, you found out what these flying termites are and where they come from. And most importantly, why you should be worried if you see flying termites in your home.
Do swarmer termites eat wood?
The swarming termites will drop and die in a short period of time. You may vacuum them up or you can save some in a bag for our company to inspect. They do not eat wood, bite, or sting, they are simply a nuisance. Fortunately swarmers are not capable of constructing mud tubes or causing structural damage to wood.
Do termite alates eat wood?
Subterranean termite alates establish colonies within soil, and colonies may be interconnected, or isolated. While all termites within a colony consume wood, only worker termites locate houses and damage the structural wood-frame within.
How long does it take termites to eat through wood?
The rate at which termites eat wood depends on many factors such as the species of termite, size of the colony, type of wood, climate, and location. Experts estimate that over a period of about five months, a group of around 60,000 termites can eat the equivalent of one foot of a 2×4 beam.
When do termite swarmers lose their wings?
All swarmers lose their wings during the swarming and mating process . For this reason, you can immediately distinguish carpenter ants when you find swarmers crawling around with wingless ants. If the swarmers you have are termites, they will burrow into soil and wood, and you will rarely see them walking around exposed to the air and sunshine.
How do you kill termites with wings?
If you see flying termites, you can hit them down and kill them just like that. You can also use vacuum cleaner to vacuum them up, and a liquid spray like a local insecticide to spray on the winged termites and kill them. Flying termites can be a sign of a nearby active termite colony.
What happens when termites swarm?
Termites usually start to swarm in the early days of spring when the weather is warm and after a rain shower. Termites use environmental cues as a signal to start swarming and also synchronized with other termite colonies of the same species to ensure the possibility of inbreeding is reduced.
Why do Formosan termites swarm?
A Formosan termite swarm is not aggressive or tightly grouped together. Instead, a swarm occurs when the environment triggers a large number of winged termites to leave the colony. What these swarmers do is mate and find new places to look for food.
