Thalasar Ventures

Termites have been around since the dinosaur age, and evidence supports the theory they evolved from the wood roach. They are similar to bees and ants as they live and work within a social order. A colony of those pesky little critters includes a king and egg laying queen, soldiers, workers, reproductives and nymphs. The queen can live for 20 to 30 years and has the capacity to lay an egg every 15 seconds. The majority of termites in any colony are workers. The workers live for about 4 or 5 years without rest or hibernation and work to bring food to the rest of the colony. They forage 24 hours a day usually within a 300 to 400 foot radius around their colony for food. They eat anything that is cellulose such as dead wood, fallen tree limbs, mulch, boards, buried wood scraps, drywall, and cardboard boxes and just about anything else they can sink their teeth into. After they eat their fill, they return to the colony and regurgitate their meal for the other termites to enjoy.

There are about 4000 different species of termites and only about 10 percent pose a threat to buildings, forests and agriculture. Subterranean termites come from colonies 3 to 12 feet underground. If they cannot tunnel through something, they will build mud tubes to bypass what they cannot get through and bring their environment along with them. The critters typically stay put while the food supply is plentiful, but an outside force will drive them from their home. When termites move they swarm and fly to their next location. After landing they generally lose their wings and continue on with life in the colony as usual.

The swarmy little buggers live in colonies of a million or more. They cannot hear or see in traditional ways but have other ways to communicate through vibrations, contact and chemicals. This allows them to find food, sense danger and perform other functions. They communicate through chemicals known as pheromones. It is a substance they secrete to indicate a food source, signal danger or select mates. Each colony has its own unique smell. To alert other colony members, they will hit their head against a wall of a mud tube, what they are eating or in some cases, each other. If enough termites are hitting something at the same time, the noise is audible to the human ear. If you think you hear something that goes “bump” in the night, it might a colony of termites partying hearty on your house.