Wondering what types of termites exist out there? Drywood vs. subterranean vs. formosan?
What are the differences?
This guide breaks it down by providing the facts you need to understand each type.
If you live in a particular area of the United States (we’re looking at you, Gulf Coast), it can be difficult to tell which kind of termite could be lurking around in the backyard.
Luckily, we’ve got the scoop on how to tell the difference between the most common — and the most destructive — types. Keep reading for all the key facts!
Ed has been working in the pest control industry for years helping 1,000's of homeowners navigate the world of insect and rodent management. He manages Pest Strategies now helping homeowners around the world!
Table of Contents
白蚁的主要类型是什么？
世界各地都有一些白蚁物种类型的类型，但是在大多数情况下，您需要担心的是两种主要类型。
Those types are:
- Subterranean Termites:在美国，您有两个子组。东部地下白蚁和福尔摩山白蚁。两组都喜欢生活在水分中或周围。这
- Drywood Termites:Unlike subterranean termites, drywoods prefer to live in dry conditions. You’ll find them living in furniture, attics, walls, etc.
Drywood Termites vs Subterranean Termites
这se two types of termites are truly apples are oranges to one another.
When looking at subterranean termites vs drywood termites, it’s important to remember that though they’re both termites, their habitats are so different that it can lead to different infestation methods.
What does that mean? Let’s have a look.
What Does Each Look Like?
Drywood termites tend to be larger, producing worker caste members with creamy-white bodies throughout.
Drywood termite soldier caste members maintain the milky body color but have larger bodies and darker heads which lookalmost scorched.
这drywood termites with wings, however–otherwise known as swarmer termites–will have a series of complex veins running along the topside of the wing which is a surefire way to tell which type of termite you’ve got on your hands (that is, if you can see that close).
Subterranean winged termites, however, havejust one veinwhich runs along the top line of the wing instead of the series of veins characterized by the drywood termites.
此外,地下termi的尸体te soldier and worker caste members are smaller than that of their drywood cousins.
Which is Worse?
In terms of infestation, there is no real “worst type of termite.” Anytime you have termites in the house, you’re looking at a ticking time bomb ofdamage to be done to your property.
A drywood termite colony size isa bit smallerthan a subterranean, which is a plus. Drywood termites also take longer to reproduce, meaning they take longer as a whole to chew through your house.
A key difference, though, rests in how these little guys make their way inside in the first place: drywood termites reside in–you guessed it–dry wood like furniture, trees, and wooden structures.
Subterranean termites live in earthen soil and make contact with woodthrough the dirt, commonly boring their way through the soil to tree roots and wooden structures from the ground up.
Given that you can target soil to eliminate subterranean termites, we’re they are slightly “easier’ to treat, whereas drywood termites usually require a costly fumigation to ensure removal.
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Which Does More Damage?
While drywood termites definitely eat their way through a fair share of homeowners’ savings accounts…
…地下白蚁是most destructivetypes of termites.
It’s estimated, in fact, that the damage done by subterranean termites across the USAexceeds $5 billionannually.
Where Does Each Live?
Drywood termites can survive anywhere with untouched forest and moisture in the air.
Because they draw their hydration from the air around them, this species prefers to live in a subtropical,humid environmentsuch as the southeastern US states along the Gulf Coast.
Subterranean termites, though, are found innearly every US state(with the exception of Alaska), although they favor the humidity and warmth of the southeastern states as well.
Which Termites Do the Most Damage?
虽然干木白蚁在房主的储蓄账户中占有一部分，但地下白蚁是最具破坏性的白蚁类型。
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Formosan Termites vs Subterranean Termites
A quick Google search for the different types of termites will probably have your head spinning after a few minutes…
…especially when you throw Formosan termites into the mix.
What Does Each Look Like?
Termites can usually be identified by their cream-colored, segmented bodies which blend in with the grains of wood, camouflaging them perfectly within the grains.
Not Formosan termites.
Despite the fact that Formosan termites are a type of subterranean termite (aka thy like to live in the ground) originating from Asia and brought to the US during World War II, they looking more like crawling lava. Formosan termites are characterized by theirloud, orange bodies, easily seen in soil and on wooden surfaces.
Traditional subterranean termites have more brownish bodies and lack the small hairlike follicles on the Formosan termite.
对于大多数人来说，他们看起来会非常相似。
Some of the main differences between Formosan and Subterranean Termites are:
- Habitat:Formosan Termites prefer the warmer, southern states where Subterranean can be found in almost every state in the United States.
- Body Type:Formosan Termites have a more elongated body, with a short head, and short pinchers, where Subterranean Termites have longer head and body, with long pinchers.
- Nesting:Formosan Termites also build their nests in such a way that it allows for better moisture circulation and less trips to the soil.
Which is Worse?
这甚至几乎不是一场比赛 - 福尔摩山白蚁在本轮比赛中获胜。
这mention of this type of insect is incredibly unnerving to some coastal property owners, and for good reason: once a colony of Formosan termites has taken up residence in an area, there has beenno recordof one ever successfully being eradicated.
这是因为在殖民地位置之间进行长隧道。此外，他们实际上不必生活在土壤中。一旦找到了充足的食物来源，白蚁可能会留下安全，潮湿的土壤，并在其上方的房屋中雕刻出新的巢穴。由于它们的外观，这些巢有时被称为“纸箱”。
Which Does More Damage?
这winner here, unsurprisingly, is going to be the Formosan termite.
在路易斯安那州，福尔摩山白蚁设法通过5亿美元在短短一年的时间内，结构和财产损失的价值。
To combat the destruction caused by these insidious insects, the state of Hawaii regularly budgets年度控制成本在1亿美元附近。
Florida, as well, budgets around $60 million annually to account for the damage done by Formosan termites.
Formosan termites are just harder to eliminate because they don’t always live in soil. This drastically reduces the treatment options pest control professionals can refer to making their infestations more difficult and costly.
Where Does Each Live?
Here’s a silver lining.
Though subterranean termites are spread throughout the continental USA (and the Formosan termites is a type of subterranean termite), the Formosan termite is limited to only ahandful of states.
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Virginia
如果未列出您的网站，它应该给您一些舒适度，但请始终咨询当地的灭虫者有关您的特定社区的舒适度，并询问预防治疗方案。
It’s important to remember that no termite is ever a “good termite to have.”
Sure, some termites are less destructive than others, but at the end of the day, they all have the same objective: to eat you out of house and home…literally.
If you notice the warning signs of termites in your house, don’t panic! Here at Pest Strategies, we want you to equip you with all the knowledge necessary to make smart decisions about how to handle your pest problems before they get out of hand.
When you know what kind of termite you’ve got, you know exactly what termite control methods to take, and how soon to act.
