AgriLIFE Extension -Denton County

                                                                                                                                                                   306 N. Loop 288, Suite 222

                                                                                                                                                                    Denton, Texas 76209-4887

March 19, 2008

SWARMING TERMITES MAY BE SIGN OF TROUBLE

 Contact:  John N. Cooper, County Extension Agent-Horticulture, 940.349.2883

  e-mail: jn-cooper@tamu.edu

          An estimated two billion dollars in property damage is inflicted in the United States each year by an insect no bigger than a grain of rice, subterranean termites.  Most losses occur in the southern U. S., including North Texas and we are now entering their peak reproductive season.

          As their name suggests, subterranean termites live underground.  They only emerge from the ground to reproduce.  Although termites can swarm anytime, they are most active in spring.

          Winged, reproductive adults emerge from the soil and fly in swarms.  If they’re on the outside you probably won’t see them but if they’re emerging from within your home, you will very likely see them trapped in windows, laying dead on window sills trying to escape.  Although termite reproductives, a.k.a., “swarmers”, that emerge from walls indoors die quickly without causing further damage, the colony from which they came will continue eating your house.

          Ants of all kinds also swarm during the spring and it’s easy to confuse them with termites.  Termites are the same size and shape as ants but there are two ways to tell them apart.  Ants have a pinched waist, whereas termites do not and, although they both have two pairs of wings, ant wing pairs are not the same length , whereas those of termites are.

          Mated females lay only a few eggs at first and their colonies grow slowly.  After two to four years colonies become mature enough to produce swarming reproductive adults of their own.  If you have winged reproductive termites emerging into your house they are from mature, well-established colonies and need to be controlled.

          If you have termites, don’t panic.  They didn’t develop overnight, so take time to explore your options.  At the same time, termites are nothing to fool around with, so hire a professional.  Pest control companies licensed by the state to control termites are trained to find them if they’re present, and provide safe and effective control when found.

          Before chlordane, heptachlor, and chlorpyrifos were banned a few years ago we could expect 30 years of protection from a single treatment.  The new, lower-toxicity termiticides are just as effective in killing termites but will probably only provide 5-10 years of protection.

          Due to lower expectations from chemical treatments many companies have gone to baiting systems.  Sentricon® has the longest track record and has proven to be effective by itself when used properly by trained professionals.  Newer baiting systems such as Subterfuge®, Exterra®, and Advance®  may prove just as effective in time, but are often used in combination with one of the new, non-repellant, soil-applied termiticides, such as Premise®, Phantom® or Termidor®.  These same soil-applied termiticides can also be used alone without the baiting systems for spot or even “whole-house” treatments.

          Each company bidding on your job may recommend a different termiticide or baiting system, exclusively or in combination.  How do you decide between them?  Which will provide the best value?  Remember all you are buying is termite control.  If the service you purchase guarantees control, do you really care how they do it?  If you get a warranty and the company stands behind it, it’s as good as gold.

          If you contract for a single treatment of a soil-applied termiticide, consider buying the extended warranty to limit your risk, at least for the second year after treatment.  Whether or not extending the warranty beyond two years is worthwhile depends on your comfort with risk.  Some people feel better about the added coverage and having someone to call on when a problem arises.  Some prefer to take a wait and see attitude, weighing the cost of the warranty versus the cost of re-treatment.  Learn more at http://termites.tamu.edu.

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The information given herein is for educational purposes only.  Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by AgriLIFE Extension is implied.

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Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System U. S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.