^{Termites also referred to as white ants, are one of the most destructive pests to have in your home or business. Termites can cause substantial damage to the building if they are not controlled by qualified pest professionals.}

Termites – Social behavior and Biology

Termite colony

The termite life cycle includes the stages of egg, nymph, and adult, with nymphs developing into specialized adult castes (workers, soldiers, or reproductive) after a series of molts.

The cycle begins when a queen lays eggs, which hatch into pale, wingless nymphs. The nymphs then molt, and their development into a specific role is determined by the colony’s needs, influenced by chemical signals.

Through molting, nymphs develop into one of three adult castes. A termite colony consists of queens, kings, workers and soldiers with each member having designated duties.

Workers

The most numerous caste, responsible for feeding the colony, building tunnels, and caring for the queen and young. They are sterile, blind, and wingless until they reach the reproductive stage.

Soldiers

These termites defend the colony with specialized, large jaws or other defensive features. They are also sterile, wingless, and blind and rely on workers for food.

Reproductives (Alates)

Also called swarmers or secondary queens and kings. These winged termites are the only ones that leave the colony to mate and start new colonies. After they shed their wings, they become the king and queen of a new colony.
The queens and kings are the reproductive elements of the colony, the workers forage for food and build or expand the nest and soldiers defend the colony. After several molting, the workers will develop into queens and kings.

Depending with the nest size and species, termite can have more than one fully grown termite queen, and several secondary and tertiary queens.

Fully grown queens do not move. The workers feed them. This is called stomodeal trophallaxis. This is the mouth-to-mouth transfer of food and fluids between individuals, most commonly seen in social insects like ants, bees, and termites. This oral-oral exchange is a primary method for distributing food, sharing colony-specific chemicals, and spreading antimicrobials to increase disease resistance throughout the colony.

They (workers) also carry the eggs laid by queens to incubators.
With the invention of chemicals that can be transferred from one termite to another, stomodeal trophallaxis plays a greater role in chemical control of termites and ants.

Termite Damage

Termites thrive in an environment that is dark, humid and protected, which is what makes them so hard to find, until it’s too late. Since termites are a species of wood boring insect, they attack any wood in your property, which weakens the structure of your home.

How to spot the signs of termite damage:

Termites leave signs indicating their presence and often it’s the termite damage that is seen, rather than the actual termites themselves.

Mud tubes: Look for termite mud tubes (tubes built from dirt and other materials) in the sub-floor area, foundations, skirting boards, cornices, moldings and roof timbers. Bits of dried mud falling from wall joints when tapped.

Tight fitting doors or windows: Doors & windows that are hard to open:
Termites devour timber, their excrement or ‘mud’ creates a protective environment that traps heat and moisture. This causes timber to swell, making it harder to open a window or close a door. Soft floor boards, bulging, staining or rippling of painted timbers: When termites consume timber, they eat from the inside out, leaving a thin veneer of timber or paint. When you knock or tap on an area that has termite damage, it will sound hollow or papery due to parts (or all) of the timber having been eaten away.

Brittle skirting boards: As termites have eaten away the structural integrity of the timber, such as a skirting boards, doorframes or architrave, bumps or pressure will easily cause damage. This will also lead to cracks in the cornice or door jams.

Clicking noises: Some species of termites make a “clicking” noise, which is usually heard at night time.

Structural damages

Factors Contributing to Termite Infestation

• Timber offcuts from construction works.
• Untreated foundations and under slab surfaces.
• Moisture: Leaking pipes, gutters and downpours sloping towards foundations.
• Wood staked on the ground act as food source.
• Compost or garden waste stored close to the house or in flower beds and under trees.

Prevention

Homeowners and building contractors should make sure all woodcuttings are cleared from within foundations before the area is compacted and slab is cast.

Treat foundation trenches and under slab surfaces.

Perform regular maintenance of taps and pipes to prevent leaks and drips. A leaking pipe provide constant supply of moisture that is required by termites. Fix all leaky pipes and gutters. Do not allow flood water to flow towards the house.

Stack firewood at the far end of the garden usually in top of shelves to allow air circulation. Wood that is directly in contact with soil gives termites easy access.

Make sure that leaves and garden waste are stored far away from your house. Always treat compost areas once in two years.

Schedule regular inspection of the property by a professional pest control consultant i.e

Ultimate Pest Control Services

Termite Treatment and Proofing Service

Termite inspection:

We will conduct an initial termite assessment of your property to ascertain the extent of damage and determine a suitable termite control solution for your premises and costs. We provide written assessment reports.

Termite Treatment:

Our professional pest control technicians will implement fast and efficient termite treatment solutions using internationally approved chemicals and procedures with no disruption to your daily operations or damage to your property.

Our termite control solution involves applying a chemical barrier to soil, under flooring or around your perimeter of your building’s foundations to create an effective barrier against termites.

There was a significant improvement in chemical technology and available and internationally approved termiticides can destroy the whole colony if applied properly without any significant digging or damage to property.

Termite Monitoring

1. To act as a strong defence against termites, we put in place a pest management solution to help control termites and prevent the infestation from reoccurring. We will also use termite baits to prevent termites attacking the buildings.

Frequent termite inspections:

To give you peace of mind, we perform inspections before and after construction, to get rid of termites before they cause serious implications. We also provide annual termite inspections to ensure that the best protection against termites is in place and to prevent long-term termite damage to your property.
Based on the layout of your property and the degree of termite infestation, Ultimate Pest Control Services will create a customized termite treatment plan tailored for your situation.