Drywood Termites
The most prevalent termite species in Southern California, especially in beach communities, is the drywood termite species. Drywood termites live in garages, attics and the walls of a structure and create what entomologists refer to as “galleries” (or nests) in the wood members of a structure. Drywood termites enter the wood they will make their dinner usually on sunny days in the late summer or fall. They come in through exposed wood, vents, little cracks and knotholes in the wood. They also live in and feast on utility poles, dead trees, and stored lumber.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites invite themselves into homes at cracks in the foundation or anywhere there is wood in contact with soil, eating through decks and siding to form their nests in the moist soil. Subterranean make tunnels called “mud tubes” the diameter of a pencil up the side of concrete walls or cinderblocks. In these tubes they move from the soil to the structure without exposing themselves to the sun, tunneling their way underground to get to the wood. Subterranean termite damage is far more detrimental than drywood termites, so it is wise to take quick action in the case of a subterranean termite infestation.
Formosan Termites
The Formosan subterranean termite is often nicknamed the super-termite because of its destructive habits. This is because of the large size of its colonies, and the termites’ ability to consume wood at a rapid rate. A single colony may contain several million (compared with several hundred thousand termites for other subterranean termite species) that forage up to 300 feet in the soil. A mature Formosan colony can consume as much as 13 ounces of wood a day and severely damage a structure in as little as 3 months. Because of its population size and foraging range, the presence of colonies poses serious threats to nearby structures. Once established, Formosan termites have never been eradicated from an area.
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