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Everyone has heard of termites and many have seen exterminators drilling through foundations when eradicating homes of infestation, so what are termites anyway? Like humans, termites are very family oriented living together in family units that can be as few as hundreds to many million family members -- yikes! That's a pretty large family. Fond of warmer climates, they are well known for eating wood destroying homes.

With over 2000 types of termites, they are an insect that is related to the cockroach and go back to ancient times with fossils discovered of their ancestors. These colonies resemble ants although they are hard to see because of their white - almost translucent bodies -- that can resemble a moving grain of rice. Most of the termites are workers and are approximately two-fifths of an inch long and have six short legs. These workers are constantly working together to find food.

Soldier termites are the defenders for the family and they have strong jaws that are twisted in varying sizes and can be either male or female but are more often male. The soldier's head is not only large but it is muscled and is used to block the entrance to a home when being attacked. Their mandibles are used to spit a sticky solution or saliva.

Some termites have wings and are the reproductive units of the family. Their wings are relatively weak as they are not often used except when there is a lot of humidity and the air is very still. Their wings are shed just prior to mating at which time they become a king and a queen and form their own empire. A Queen is the biggest family member and can become up to four inches long and reproduce by laying eggs at a rate of one every three seconds with some laying as many as 30,000 eggs in a single day. This means she can lay millions in her lifetime and when she dies - probably of exhaustion - another reproductive member will replace her and carry on. After mating and the nest is functioning well, the Queen no longer eats wood but is fed by the workers with saliva or fungi.

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The winged termites are darker so they are easier to identify and they are the only ones that have eyes. The winged termites also have four wings that are twice as long as their bodies -- all equally sized, thick bodies with straight antennae. With workers having a life span of approximately two to four years -- their cousins, the  reproductive termites can live for as little as twenty years and sometimes as long as fifty years!

Living in the dark for the most part, except for winged termites -- or perhaps eating away at a tree trunk or your patio cover! These little creatures are capable of hollowing out huge trees or even your house if given the chance. Their favorite food is wood and they gnaw away at it endlessly unless stopped. As termites eat they patch up the surfaces with dirt or their own feces so you might see evidence of this when there is a bubble on the surface of painted wood. Another indication that you have termites is if you see their wings on a floor or patio because they shed their wings once they have finished swarming.

Because they live in the dark and usually have hollowed out a space in your wood post on your patio cover or in a wooden window casement, you might never know that they are there unless you are really looking for the little culprits! If there are any gaps in wood or something chips off, you might see an army of them frantically scamper when exposed to the light of day. They will quickly try to find a small space to hide in or wander around until they find another family member -- with so many that can't be too hard to find!

With wood as their primary source of food, some species have ventured out to include other sources for food that include dead grass, leaves, plant debris, organic soil, humus or decomposed wood, dung, fungi or lichen. Their home or termitaria is usually made up of the tunnels which they made while they were foraging for food but whenever they are above ground they erect covered walkways to protect themselves from the drier air that they do not like. They use the soil and their saliva and feces to construct the home to their liking. In Africa and Northern Australia there have been termitarias found that were as large as eight meters high!

Their significance to humans is that they are mostly considered a pest and even their name termite is from Latin for terminal or terminate or to bring an end and destroy. Modern man has developed defenses that were not available until the 1940s when synthetic pesticides were introduced that provided a way to literally do away with them. These in turn have led to substances being used that were hazardous not only to the termites but to humans and other things as well, including plants and animals. Some regulation has resulted in removal of these pesticides, but there are still many rather toxic compounds used to fight this pest that proliferates wherever they get the chance. Newer methods to control termites include microwaves, liquid nitrogen, heat and electrical treatments for combating the common infestations of termites found in buildings. These techniques have provided safer ways to fight the problem with better safety for humans and animals.

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