They’ve been a problem since prehistoric times. They eat 24/7, and there are so many of them around the world that if you added up their total weight, it would be more than the total weight of all humans! They might be small, but they cause some big-time damage. In fact, they cause about $2 billion worth of damage every year!

What are they?

They’re termites – and if you’ve never had to deal with them personally, consider yourself lucky.

There are different varieties of these critters, some of which are growing by the day. If you ever do come across these tiny pests, here’s what you need to know:

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It can be difficult to determine whether the insect you’re looking at is really a termite. They are tiny little things, and they can look a little unconventional. In fact, that little spot that looks like insect larvae might actually be a termite.

Making things a little more complicated, different types of termites can look very different. “Workers” have soft bodies and are light in color. “Soldiers” have features in common with human knights – hard heads, large jaws, and worker-like bodies. “Swarmers” are the ones with wings; they also have hard exoskeletons that may be dark-colored.

Oftentimes, a swarming termite can be mistaken for a flying ant. However, there are several different features distinguish the two. First, termites have straight antennae, while ants’ are bent. Termites have uniform waists, while ants’ are constricted. Finally, ants have wings that longer in the front and shorter in the back.

Aside from the “worker”, “soldier”, and “swarming” varieties, there are there are 4 different types of termites:

- Subterranean termites are able to live in every U.S. states except Alaska, and they are responsible for most of the damage done in the U.S. They are about 1/8” long, and they are creamy brown in color. They eat wood, wallpaper, plastics, and fabrics made from plants. They need contact with the soil to survive, and they will build nests underground.

- Dampwood termites are long and oval in shape and are generally bigger than other termite types, growing to generally 5/8” long. They feed on log stumps and decaying wood.

- Drywood termites are also long and oval, and they are about 3/8” long. They are light brown in color, which makes them difficult to spot – because they live in dead trees, timber, hardwood floors, and furniture.

- Formosan termites comprise the largest and most destructive type of termites. They are yellow-brown in color, and they eat wood and fabric from plants.

Worried you won’t be able to get a good look at them? That’s OK. There are some telltale signs of termites:

- The first of these is probably the easiest to spot – swarms. You will never find just one termite or even just a few of them when they’ve encroached upon your living space; instead, you’ll find many. You may see one or two individually initially, but keep looking. Once you’ve seen a few, you will find many, many more.

- The second telltale sign is as unpleasant as it sounds – termite feces. It looks like tiny pellets that are shaped like thin strips with rounded ends.

- The third telltale sign deals specifically with subterranean termites. If you have them, you’ll see what are known as “mud tubes” – which run upward from the ground along the foundation of your basement or crawl space or along your inside walls.

“Termites” is a word you will probably most often see or hear in a commercial advertising the services of one pest control company or another. They have even been used in story lines for television sitcoms. But ask anyone who’s ever dealt with them, and they’ll tell you that there’s nothing funny about dealing with them!

Since mankind’s early years, these tiny critters have been foraging the earth, looking for food, water and protection. But for all the trouble they can cause, they’re still no match for mankind – and the treatments it has developed to get them out of your home.

Related:  Termite Control