Pest Identification

Unlike the Subterrean termite, drywood termites do not require any contact with the soil. They live in undecayed wood with a low moisture content.

Description:
Drywood termites are in distinct forms or castes - reproductives, workers, and soldiers. Each performs a separate biological function. Only the reproductive drywood termites are winged (4 wings).

Their are no workers in the drywood termite group - instead the young reproductives and soldiers serve as workers until they mature. The vast majority in the drywood termite colony is the worker caste and the workers and the reproductives have chewing mouthparts especially adapted for chewing wood. In drywood termites, it is the workers who do the widespread destruction. The soldiers have powerful mandibles to attack their enemies (usually ants).

Male and Female reproductives up to 1/2 inch long.

Drywood termites have bodies soft and cylindrical in shape, usually pale brown in color; six legged; they have compound eyes and chewing type mouthparts. During the winged stage there are 4 equal size wings that extend longer than the body by 1/8-1/4 inch.
Drywood Termites - Soldier 3/8 inches;

Diet:
Wood and occasionally other cellulose materials. They eat wood in houses, utility poles, furniture and dying trees. They cannot digest the cellulose directly. They have other microorganisms (protozoan and bacteria) in their stomachs that help break down the cellulose which then can be digested by their own metabolism.

Habitat:
Drywood termites live in small social colonies in dry wood. They mate and fly to new dry wood areas; enter a small hole in the wood and start to form a colony. In the first year, colony size may be only around 50. After 4 years, there may be as many as 700 individual drywood termites in one colony. At this time, the colony may swarm to start the cycle over again. After 15 years, the drywood termite colony will have grown to approximately 3,000 individuals. Drywood termites do not need a source of water and live off of the water that is produced from the digestion of the cellulose.

Drywood termites infest dry, undecayed wood, including structural lumber as well as dead limbs of native trees and shade and orchard trees, utility poles, posts, and lumber in storage.

The Drywood termites variety have a low moisture requirement and can tolerate dry conditions for prolonged periods. They remain entirely above ground and do not connect their nests to the soil.

Piles of their fecal pellets, which are distinctive in appearance, may be a clue to their presence.

From these areas, winged reproductives seasonally migrate to nearby buildings and other structures usually on sunny days during fall months.

Drywood termites are usually found in the humid coastal and subtropical regions (i.e. California, Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, South and North Carolina, New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Puerto Rico). They usually infest attic spaces or exterior wood members exposed to them when they swarm in early spring or summer.

Typical signs of drywood termites infestation include:
1. Shed wings
2. Ejected pellets
3. Galleries inside wood are typical signs of a drywood termite infestation.
4. Swarming ants are many times confused with drywood termites, but their differences are easy to recognize.
5. Piles of their fecal pellets, which are distinctive in appearance, may be a clue to their presence. The fecal pellets of drywood and dampwood termites