|
Western Drywood Termites
This page contains information on drywood termites, drywood termites evidence and drywood termite swarming.
  
Don't see what you're looking for? Click here for more examples.
More examples of Drywood Termites
Need to control Drywood Termites? Click here.
COMMON NAME: Western Drywood Termite
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Incisitermes minor (Hagen)
CLASSlORDERIFAMILY: Insecta / Isoptera l Kalotermitidae
METAMORPHOSIS: Simple
INTRODUCTION: Its common name lends itself to to its western United States distribution and to the fact that it lives in wood which has a relatively low moisture content (12% or less). This is amazing in coastal areas, especially the Gulf Cxoast where normal wood moisture content is from 8 – 12%. It is found in the southwestern United States, northwestern Mexico, and may be permanently established in some areas of Florida. It iseasily transported outside these areas in infested furniture, decorations,picture frames, etc.
RECOGNITION:
Swarmer. About 7/16-1/2 long including its wings, the wings are 3/8 or longer. The head and pronotum are orange brown, its abdomen dark brown, and wing membrane are hardened or pigmented w/ blackish veins. The head has 2 ocelli; with the hairs shorter than the diameter of its eye. The antenna has 10.11 segments, with the 3rd segment slightly longer and darker than adjacent segments. The front wing has 3 dark, heavily hardened veins in the front half/portion. The tibia has spines that are absent along its length, with the apex having 3 spines.
Soldier. Forehead slopes down gradually from top of head, head flattened to slightly rounded in side view, and head orange to reddish brown with eye spot whitish. Mandibles with unequal number of teeth on each member of pair. Antenna with 3rd segment greatly enlarged and club-like.
DAMAGE: Drywood termites eat across the wood grain and create chambers,or galleries connected by tunnels. Their gallery and tunnel walls are velvety smooth, and no soil is present. Generally, there are fecal pellets present. They are hard, less than 1/32" long, elongate-oval with rounded ends. One of the unusual distinctive signs is having 6 concave sides. Evidence of infestation include swarmers, shed wings, piles of pellets, termite plugs that seal all openings in infested wood, and surface blisters caused by older, enlarged galleries very close to the wood surface.
BIOLOGY: Drywood termites are considered non-subterranean termites; they do not live in the ground, require no ground contact, and do not build mud tubes. They are more likely to be in a structure made completely of wood with poor workmanship demonstrated by poorly-fitted corner joints. The termites typically inter the ends of wood and seldom enter the sides of the section in question.
Their colonies are located in the wood they eat and are generally small in size when compared to subterranean termite colonies. The colony usually numbers about 3,000 individuals after over 10-15 years. A distinctive indication is no prescence of a worker caste and the immatures/nymphs perform all tasks typically done by workers.
Western drywood termite life history can be summarized as follows. After mating flight, they seek cracks or knotholes in nearby wood and chew a small tunnel which they close; here, they excavate a chamber after which they mate. The mating pair may remain dormant for nearly a year or produce up to 5 eggs, 20 nymphs, and 1 soldier. By the end of the 2nd year, the colony may consist of 5-40 nymphs, and 1 soldier. After 3 years, the colony may consist of 35-170 individuals, and 75-800 individuals after 4 years; such colonies have a soldier to nymph ratio of from 1:15 to 1:60. The nymphs go through 4-7 instars, with reproductives requiring the maximum. The first swarmers may be released when the colony is approximately 4 years old. Swarming typically takes place about midday on sunny, warm (800F) days, with the peak of the swarm occurring shortly after a sudden rise in temperature. It typically occurs during September and October. In Arizona, swarming takes place in July and occurs at night. Swarmers usually number in the dozens, occasionally the hundreds. Night-time swarmers are attracted to lights.
HABITS: Swarming drywood termites fly into structures and infest wood directly. When swarming, they often reinfest the same structure. They typically first infest exposed wood such as window/door frames, trim, eaves, attics, etc. They do so by finding a protected crevice or other area, such as the joint between 2 pieces of wood, where shingles/paper overhang timber or molding, etc., and then attack the wood.
Drywood termites are often distributed by human activity, commonly by transporting infested furniture, picture frames, and wood to new areas. The western drywood termite has been found in St. George, Utah, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cleveland, Ohio, Niagara Falls, New York, etc., but it has failed to become established in such areas outside its normal southern and mostly coastal range.
|
