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Termite Swarmers |
Video Relay - There name alone, just sounds ominous... Swarmer termites. But aside from their scary alias, these busy insects can signal a significant threat to your home. And Spring is the time when these pests are most active. Robert Hughey of Gold Web Pest Control has been dealing with creepy crawlies fro twenty years, and swarmer termites are nothing new to him. Swarmer termites... essentially half of them are male and half of them are female, and at certain times of the year, right now being our particular time. They actually fly out, literaly by the hundreds to thousands, and they'll try to pair off, mate, loose their wings and try to start new termite colonies. So essentially they are futuristic kings and queens if they're successful. But the swarmers you see are not the biggest problem. It's not the swarmers that actually eat your house. It's the working caste group within that termite colony or organization, and that could comprise of 80 to 90 percent of that termite colony. And those worker termites are active all year long in our area. Six to ten feet below ground, whether you can see the swarmers or not. When you see swarmer termites, what that's telling you is that you have a healthy, mature colony that's at least three to five years old. So the damage could be significant, if they are in your house, but it also lets us know that the termite colony is close enough to your house to pose a threat. If you do see swarmers, it's a good idea to have your home professionally inspected. Hughey says termites will do an estimated 700,000,000 dollars in damage in Florida this year, but only about fifty percent of homeowners utilize termite coverage. And brick homes are at risk as well. But there are steps you can take to help protect your home. Do not keep wood stacked next to, or directly into your house. Keep it away from your house and elevated up off the ground. If you have mulch, keep the mulch from actually comming in contact with siding of the house. And by all means, if you discover roof leaks or moisture, get those corrected immediately. |
Termite swarmers are a clear indication that a healthy termite colony is in your home, or close by. When a termite colony has matured ( usually 3 to 5 years), it will begin to produce swarmers or primary reproductives. Half of the swarmers are male and the other half female. Termite swarmers will normally try and climb as high as as they can, using a tree, fence, or house where they will fly off together using the wind currents. Most of the termite swarmers will die from drying out from the heat and elements, others might be eaten from other animals or insects. You can normally find birds and lizards showing up at swarm location, gobbling up termites as fast as they can eat them. Most termite swarms are completely uneffective, as a matter of fact if you take a healthy native subterranean termite colony that swarms once per year, over a ten year period of time, chances are that only two termite colonies will ever reach maturity from all those swarms. Keep in mind that if a swarm is successful, a termite queen may live to see the ripe old age of 30 years. When the queen does finally die, a supplemental reproductive will simply take her place. Native subterranean termites are black with clear wings and swarm durring daylight hours in the spring and sometimes in the fall. Formosan termite swarmers are a reddish brown and swarm at night (8:00pm - 10:00pm) durring the summer months. |
Usually, one of the first signs of infestation is the appearance of swarmers, which is in the spring for many species. Swarms are an indication that termites are present and that a healthy colony may be in your home, or nearby. |
Ants generally do not swarm the same time as termites, but it can happen. The following is a description of how to tell termites from ants. |
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Termite Swarmers |
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