Termites are whitish, social insects that live in soil and eat wood. When people see them, it is usually by breaking a door frame down that is already damaged, breaking a wall of mud down, or lifting soil. These little pests look like grains of rice. Only in the spring does their appearance seem like that are black ants with wings when in fact they are winged termites. Once you notice a couple of these flying around, it is vital you seek help for Termites in Columbia MD.
People could say that the life cycle of termites begins with the males from mature colonies mate with females. After fertilization, both lose their wings and form new colonies thus becoming the king and queen of the new habitat. More than 2,800 species of termites exist in the world today of which only 7% are considered pests associated with economic damage. There are at least three major groups within the most destructive species:
* Subterranean Termites in Columbia MD usually attack wooden elements of a property. They live in the soil and not in wood as is commonly thought. Only the cellulosic elements that termites collect will feed the rest of the colony. Therefore, the King and Queen, which are directly responsible for the growth of a termite, live underground, making them difficult to spot.
* Damp wood termites are a group of termites that feed on decaying wood and old trees, rotting logs and pieces of buried timber. Once established, they can move on to healthy wood structures, like homes or businesses.
* Dry wood termites, as its name suggests, have their nests built in its food source, in this case, wood without high humidity.
The extent of the damage caused by termites is associated with a number of cellulosic elements easily accessible to them. If a property has wooden structural elements, the presence of subterranean termites can culminate in the collapse of the property, which is to be considered as a serious issue. Therefore, urgent intervention by a company specialized in treatments to eliminate termites is needed. In general, home remedies that are used to combat termites are completely ineffective and produce a spread of the pest because all these remedies do is disturb the termites. Contact Atlas Exterminator Co. Inc. to learn more.