There are three main termite species that will infest the home – subterranean, dampwood and drywood termites. In this article, we’re going to take a look at two of them, the subterranean and dampwood termites, and find out which is more destructive.
Subterranean termites
Subterranean termites will build their colonies underground, hence their name, and from these colonies, they will infest nearby pieces of wood. This offers them several advantages over dampwood termites, because it allows them to expand their colony as much as they want, sometimes reaching millions of members, and they can deploy hundreds or thousands of workers at once whenever they find a piece of wood.
Subterranean termites are also generally harder to control than other species because of the way in which they build their colonies. Insecticides cannot be applied directly to the nest in order to destroy the workers and the queen, so chemical barriers and baiting systems need to be used. Chemical barriers are usually the go to option, because they stop an infestation almost immediately, but they have the drawback of leaving the colony itself intact, and so baiting systems are used in conjunction with a barrier to kill off the colony as well.
Dampwood termites
Dampwood termite infestations tend to be the rarest of the bunch, because these termites will only go for wood that is very high in humidity, and this type of wood is not found very often inside the home. However, if a piece of wood is very close to a constant water source, such as a leaky pipe or gutter, it will become moist enough for dampwood termites.
The big threat posed by these termites is that they will spread to healthier and drier wood after the initial infestation, being able to infest a large portion of the home. It is at this point that they become more expensive to remove than subterranean termites, requiring tenting and fumigation.
Working with a pro
The first step in controlling a termite infestation is to identify which species is responsible. When you hire a pro to deal with termites, the first thing he will do is perform an inspection. Then, he will talk you through the options you have at your disposal for getting rid of the termites in the building. If you would like to know more information about how these two species are controlled, or if you have a termite infestation in your home, contact us today.