Termites are insects which cause great damage to property.
Wooden materials, be it your furniture or the wooden structure on which your house is constructed are equally vulnerable to termite attacks.
Termites belong to the order 'Isoptera'.
They are also known as white ant because of their resemblance to ants in many respects.
They have chewing mouthparts.
Termites feed on wood, which is converted to cellulose in their body.
The protozoa living in the digestive tract of the termite convert the cellulose into various sugars.
There are at least 2000 different species of termites.
They live in colonies which may appear like a mound.
Sometimes these mounds may reach up to a height of 40ft.
Termites are social insects and live in large colonies or nests.
The largest individual in the colony is the queen.
The queen lays eggs.
Sometimes she may lay thousand eggs in one day.
A king is always present near the queen.
Other members of the colony have powerful jaws and a bulb-like head that sprays liquids.
These members are called soldiers.
The largest group that is present in the colony is the workers group.
They build the nest, gather food and spend long hours serving the queen.
Workers can be either male or female.
Queens and kings can survive for decades and individual workers can live for several years.
Termites live in mud tubes so the presence of mud tubes near your home is the first sign of termites.
Start looking for termites in places where wood meets soil.
They feed on wood and prefer moist wood which is most likely to be present near the foundation of your house.
Termite infestation is also indicated by the tunneling in wood.
Wooden structures become thin.
They lose their strength and can be easily punctured.
Damaged wood may show signs of darkening and blistering.
Termites start eating into a small hole and get inside the wooden structure.
Their next step is to make small tunnels.
With time the tunnels become long and the damage increases.
A termite damage in your home looks like a small animal making tunnels through the wood.
Another indication of termite damage is the hollow sound which is produced when the damaged wood is tapped.
Sometimes a rough dusty material is found on the exterior of the damaged material.
Termites leave behind droppings, discarded wings and cracked paint.
If you spot any of these signs, you can be sure of the presence of termites.
Just to make sure of the termite presence in your home you can refer to the internet and get pictures of termite damage.
You can use the keyword "termite damage" with the images tab and get different types of pictures on termite damage.
Every responsible home owner should pay proper attention if you want to protect his property from termite damage.
Termite treatment is essential if you want to keep your house safe from termite damage.
You can take the help of termite control companies to prevent termite from destroying your property.
If you prefer doing things in your own way, you can get rid of termites on your own by using powerful chemicals.
However you need to keep your eyes open to any sign of termite infestation in an around your home.
This is the first step towards termite control and is extremely effective when it comes to eliminating termites.