Red Termites

Red termites are insects that live in a cooperative social environment, commonly referred to as “colonies. In this regard, red termites are much like ants.

However, although they are sometimes known as “white ants,” termites couldn’t be farther from ants. Both belong to entirely different taxonomic groups. The ants are in fact much closer to bees and wasps while termites are much closer to cockroaches.

There are many different types of termites. The term “red termites” often refer to the alates, a winged, adult termite that fly out of the colonies to establish a new nesting area. Since all termites, regardless of their types, reproduce in much the same way, red termites are not actually a type of termite but represent a stage in the biological cycle of this fascinating insect.

Red termites play an important role in nature. Since they usually feed on dead plant material, including decaying tree roots, tree stumps, dead wood, leaf litter, and virtually any form of wood, they help recycle wood and other plant matter, converting them into humus.

However, the feeding habit of red termites can be quite destructive to human-built structures. Because termites do not discriminate between dead wood and wood used in buildings, they sometimes end up in homes and other structures, eating the wood that keeps them standing.

Red termites can eat up to as much as 15 pounds of wood in any given week. This habit is further aggravated by their tendency to remain concealed, so they remain undetected for a long while until such a time that the timbers become so damaged that they start to exhibit surface changes.

Once red termites get into your homes, they do not usually limit themselves to wood. They can also damage paper, cloth, carpets, and virtually any other cellulosic materials they can get to. They use some of the soft materials for construction, including soft plastics, plaster, rubber, and sealants such as acrylics and silicon rubber.

Red termites are a very real threat to homeowners. Based on statistics, there are about 13 to 14 colonies per acre of land. That means under each home, there could be three or four colonies of termites present. The damage that red termites can cause is very great. In fact, one report says that approximately $2 billion is spent every year for termite damage alone.

So homeowners should take certain precautions in order to prevent termites from infesting their houses. The most common method of controlling red termites is creating a termite barrier system, which mainly consists in spraying termite pesticide to the ground around the house. Termites will not be able to penetrate this pesticide-treated ground and get into your house. There are also other methods available that are equally or more effective that the termite barrier system.