Types of Termites in Tucson
With the dry weather in Tucson termites aren’t as abundant as say they might be on the damper east coast, but that’s not to say they don’t exist in magnitudes.
This is somewhat misleading because it merely means that there aren’t as many prominent species of termites in Tucson as there are in other regions that contain more moisture.
In the science world, there are over 2,000 species of termites, only two of which actually exist in the Tucson area – those being subterranean termites and dry wood termites.
It’s important to know about the differences between to two, so as your local Tucson pest control professionals and termite experts we’ll be giving you a bit of a ‘bio’, if you will, on each of these types of termites.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are just that – they live underground, but that’s just where they colonize. To reach “food sources”, or rather your home’s infrastructure, they build what we call “mud tubes” and can do so even between small cracks in your concrete foundation.
These types of termites have a make-shift class system in place, so if you happen to find a tube in your home you would most likely find the workers inside.
Workers are the destructive force behind subterranean termite colonies and they appear about 1/8”-3/8” in size and are a creamy, sometimes brownish, color, hence why the Australians refer to them as “white ants”.
Typical treatment for these types of termites involves drilling evenly spaced holes either around a building’s perimeter or directly around the affected area and injecting it with the pesticide Termidor.
As the wood in Tucson homes can be extremely dry due to our climate, mostly you’ll find these types of termites are foraging through your home’s drywall and occasionally nibbling at the surrounding wood.
It may seem minimal as your home could be loaded with drywall, but with colonies of up to 2 million termites, they definitely pose a huge threat and prevention is key and highly recommended in order to avoid costly treatment and repair.
Dry Wood Termites
Dry wood termites are extremely rare in comparison to subterranean colonies in Tucson. Subterranean termites are essentially commonplace in homes here and most people have had some sort of pest control done within the last year either to prevent or treat a subterranean Tucson termite infestation.
On the other hand, you won’t find many people who have encountered dry wood termites. This is mainly because they don’t form large colonies (compared to those of subterranean termites); however, since they actually live within the wood, and the more space they chew out the more room they have for a larger colony, they pose a somewhat greater threat.
Colonies of dry wood termites, which are a bit bigger than the subterranean type and don’t operate under a caste (all the termites are destructive), can reach up to 2,500 and treatments are more direct meaning the termites are either sprayed down or the infested wood is injected with pesticide.
If there are multiple infestations in a home, or the colonies are thriving in hard to treat places this could mean “tenting” off your home for fumigation is necessary.
A Friendly Reminder
You don’t want to have to deal with time consuming, costly solutions like fumigation, so make sure to contact your local Tucson termite treatment specialists at Gecko Pest Control to prevent either of these types of termites from ruining your home!
Termites can go unnoticed for years and potentially destroy most of a home in that time, so don’t think you’re not infested just because you haven’t noticed any activity, or spotted any mud tubes. Do yourself a favor, and have your home checked and serviced for pest prevention regularly – it’ll save you in the long term!
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