Arizona Termites

Arizona termites are a type of termites that live in the state of Arizona. Like all termites, they play an important role in nature. Because they essentially feed on dead wood and other plant matter, they help recycle these otherwise waste materials and return them to soil in the form of humus.

However, a problem occurs when Arizona termites start to “recycle” people’s homes and buildings. Termites do not discriminate. Anything that contains plant matter or wood is considered as a good food source for them, regardless of the fact that this source of food is actually the foundation of your home or your furniture.

According to statistical data, the damage that Arizona termites can cause within a given year is nearly $2 billion dollars. That is even more than the total property damage caused by fire or windstorm.

In order to solve the problem of Arizona termites, you first need to understand how they live. The biology of termites is important knowledge for homeowners who are looking for cost-effective means to prevent damage caused by termites.

Distribution of Termites

There are actually more than 2,000 species of termites worldwide. Now, seventeen of these termite species live in Arizona, making this state one of the states that suffer foremost damage caused by these wood-eating insects.

The Arizona termites are broadly divided into three major types – subterranean, dry wood, and Formosan. Out of these three, the subterranean group is said to be the one that causes the most damage. However, the other two types of Arizona termites all have the potential of causing equal damage.

Ultimately, the extent of the damage depends on how soon you discover that the structure has been infested. And in this regard, you need to differentiate between the three types of Arizona termites, since each exhibit biological behaviors that you can observe and use to determine whether there is infestation.

The subterranean group of Arizona termites, for instance, lives underground since they depend on constant contact with soil for moisture. In order to get to the woody structure, they would have to create tunnels. From the surface, you can observe these tunnels as circuitous veins made of loose soil and are usually congregated around a wooden structure.

The dry wood group of Arizona termites exhibit completely different behavioral patterns. They do not live underground but instead live on the wooden structure itself. As they eat the wood, the termites have to excrete waste matter. In order to make room, they often kick out these waste materials in the form of powdery pellets out of the structure.

So if you see any soft, powdery pellets deposited near a wooden structure in your home, chances are your house has been invaded by Arizona termites, specifically the dry wood group.