Understanding
Termites
Termites are known as "silent destroyers" because of their ability to chew through wood, flooring, and even wallpaper undetected. There are about 2,000 known termite species in the world.
In the Philippines, the most common termite is Subterranean termite, and it's colonies can have up to 2 million members! Their colonies are divided into three groups: workers, soldiers, and reproductives.
Subterranean termites are the most destructive kind of termite. They can eat a lot of wood and they can cause a lot of expensive damage to a house! They can destroy building foundations, wooden support beams, plastic plumbing pipes, sub-flooring, insulation … even swimming pool liners and filtration systems! Termites can also injure or destroy living trees and shrubs.
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Termite Queen & King
The role of the queen in a termite colony varies and changes over time. After pairing with a male, she begins her job as "founder" to get the colony started. She has to locate a suitable nest site, help excavate it, and then start producing eggs that will become workers.
The queen and king are groomed and fed by workers, which enter the royal cell through small openings in its hard protective wall. Queens lay eggs at a steady rate every day. Workers move the eggs to incubation chambers.
Soldier Termite
Soldier termites resemble worker termites in several respects. For example, both castes have rounded bodies that are colored in a pale reddish-brown or white. However, a termite soldier can be easily distinguished from other kinds of termites. Look for termites that are larger than average, have heads that are darker or a different color than their bodies, and feature either protruding jaws or snouts. These soldiers make up about 1-10% of any given colony's termite population.
Worker Termite
Subterranean termite workers are the caste found in infested wood. The workers are responsible for all of the labor in the colony. They care for the young, repair the nest, build foraging tunnels, locate food, feed and groom the other castes, and each other. The youngest termite workers perform the domestic tasks inside the colony like feeding, grooming, and caring for the young, while the older, more expendable workers take on the hazardous jobs of foraging and nest building. The termite workers are both male and female, but they are functionally sterile. They are milky white in color and have no wings or eyes. The body of the termite worker is soft, but its mouthparts are very hard and adapted for chewing wood.
Winged Reproductive (gamo-gamo)
Also known as alates or reproductive stage termites, flying male and female alates emerge from existing colonies to mate and form new nests elsewhere. A flying termite swarm near the home nest could indicate a large colony in the yard or some other nearby location. Residents who find multiple alates inside, notice their shed wings around doors and windows, or see them emerging from the house exterior may have an active infestation inside their home.