Termite Facts
Termite Species Found in Southern California:
- Drywood termites
- Subterranean termites
- Dampwood Termites
How to Identify These Termites:
- Drywood termite workers are a creamy white color and grow up to ½ inch long. Drywood termite swarmers have a dark brown body with a reddish brown head and
grey colored wings.
- Subterranean termites are similar in color to drywood termites but are a lot smaller.
Subterranean termite swarmers are black with grey colored wings, can sometimes be confused for flying ants.
- Dampwood termites are the largest of the species and can grow up to an inch long.
Similar in color to drywood termites.
What to Look For Around Your Home:
- Piles of sand-like droppings is an indication of drywood termites
- Discarded wings. All species shed their wings. You may notice these wings around windows
and doors, termites are attracted to light
during swarming.
- Bubbling paint and/or blisters on wood, this
is a sign of possible drywood termite
droppings pushing up against the skin of the paint.
- Mud tubes. Subterranean termites build mud tubes in order to get around your home looking for food (wood). Most commonly found on the exterior foundation, inside interiors in the walls and ceilings and also in garages.
Termite Notes:
- Drywood termites live only in the structure of a building and do not need moisture or a soil contact to survive. Colony sizes can range from 2000-2500 termites.
Swarming season starts around September and can go on into November. (Fall)
- Subterranean termites nest in the soil but can travel above ground using mud tubes. Inside these tubes they can keep the humidity and moisture levels the same as it is in the soil, so they can survive when foraging for food (wood). Colony sizes can range from several hundreds of thousands to millions!
Swarming season starts around March and can go into May. (Spring)
Termite Queens can live up to 30 years.
- Combined weights of all termites outweigh humans.
- Termites have been around for 250 million years.
- Subterranean termites can eat up to 7 pounds of wood a year. (UC Berkeley).
- Termites eat 24 hours a day, they never sleep.