Your Broken Arrow exterminator can help you take care of termites and get rid of them from your home or business. In Oklahoma termites are a plague. It’s really not a matter of if it’s more a matter of when. These wood eating insects are all around us. Many people don’t even know where they are or that they’re even there. But if you’ve owned a home for any length of time, you probably have had to deal with some sort of termite issue. So in this article, let’s take a look at termites, their life cycle, and how your Broken Arrow exterminator can help you to get rid of them.
WOOD EATING TERMITES AND BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
Termites are wood eating insects. They have a special enzyme in their gut that breaks down the cellulose found in wood. Wood essentially has two parts. The two parts are lignin and cellulose. A majority of the wood is the cellulose part. It’s this part that gives these insects the energy that they need to live and do what they do. There are very few animals or insects that can use wood as a food source. But termites are very important in the ecosystem because they can break down fallen trees and broken branches. This is necessary to be able to reuse the materials from these dead trees.
Termites are eusocial insects. They use a caste system to maintain their colony. The colony is full of millions of individuals that each depend upon one another to do the things that are necessary to live as a unit. At the top of the caste system you’ll find the reproductives. The queen is the lead of this caste. She’s tasked with laying the eggs for the entire colony. She will provide every individual necessary for the colony to grow. Termite queens lay eggs 24 hours a day from the day they are fertilized until the day they die. In addition to the queen, you have the aelates. These swarmers are special termites that are resilient to the outside air. They have wings and are able to fly. Call your Broken Arrow exterminator for help.
SWARMING TERMITES AND BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
Every year in the spring time they will leave the colony in attempt to find a mate from another colony. These winged termites will swarm in an attempt to pair up. Once a male and female pair up, they will mate in mid air and then search for a good place to start a new colony. Once they find it, they will land there, lose their wings, and then dig out what’s known as a royal chamber. This royal chamber is where they will begin their colony. The female will immediately start laying eggs and the male will become the first worker in the colony. He will tend to the eggs, forage for food and maintain the royal chamber. Once the eggs hatch and grow to full adulthood, they will become workers. They will replace the king and he will die. The colony has begun.
Next in line, we have the soldier caste. These termites have large heads and powerful mandibles. They are tasked with protecting the colony from invasion. If a predator invades the colony, such as ants, these individuals come to life. They rush to the scene and attack the ants head on. Their large heads will clog up the tunnel long enough for worker termites to fill in the tunnel behind them. They will sacrifice themselves for the sake of the colony. But before they sacrifice themselves, they will fight the good fight, and usually take a few of their predators with them before they go. Your Broken Arrow exterminator will have more information.
WORKER TERMITES AND BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
Lastly, we have the worker termites. These are the most numerous termites in the entire colony. They are all females, and they are tasked with taking care of the menial day-to-day work of maintaining the colony. They will forage for food, gather food, build new tunnels, tend to the eggs and young, feed the reproductives and soldiers, take out the trash and much more. Anything that’s necessary to keep the colony going, these workers are tasked with completing.
Termites are actually quite fragile insects. They require a high level of humidity in the air around them. In Oklahoma, the eastern subterranean termite is commonplace. Because of this, these termites must remain underground to keep in the humid air. This keeps them from drying out and dying. If you break away the colonies tunnels and expose these insects to the open air, they will die within about 30 minutes. In order to go above the surface and forage for food, the workers will build mud tubes at the sides of buildings and trees in order to forage. These tubes are common signs you may have a termite infestation. If you’re seeing mud tubes of the side of your foundation, then it’s important that you contact a Broken Arrow exterminator right away.
SIGNS OF ACTIVITY AND BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
In addition to the small tubes, sometimes termites will come up inside a wall. They will feed upon the paper on the inside of the drywall. As they do, the gypsum will wear away until the paper on the outside of the wall becomes fragile. If you can find soft spots in your drywall, this is often a clue that you have a problem with termites. It’s important that if this happens, you also contact your Broken Arrow exterminator. Lastly, you could also find the some swarmers in your home. If you have a colony under your house, sometimes the swarmers will come up inside the house. They will attempt to get out through the window, but without an exit they will die in the windowsill. This can be a very strong tip off to a termite problem.
If you’re having issues with termites or any other pests, it’s time to call in a professional Broken Arrow exterminator that can help you get the job done. TermMax Pest Control is the best in the business when it comes to dealing with termites or any other pests. We service a greater Tulsa area, including Turley, Owasso, Broken Arrow, Prattville, Sapulpa, Sand, Springs, Jenks, Bixby, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa and much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!