Termites

At some point in life, everybody must have had an encounter with the seemingly tame and harmless insects called termites. Most people mistake termites for ants, since they are also display the same social behaviors as most ants do. Although they play a very important role in the decomposition of some living things, termites have proven to wreck havoc in homes and caused pestilence and damages amounting to millions of dollars in a year. They are known to eat up wooden structures and bore holes in soils that make it difficult for people to actually detect their presence until its too late.

Like the bees and ants, termites also have a colony or more aptly called the caste system, which has the queen, king, worker, soldier and reproductive termites, all working in perfect synchronization. However, it is surprising to note that although most of us would associate termites to woods, not all species actually feed on wood. There are actually other varieties that eat grass and other materials that can be found in the ground. However, all of them thrive in high humidity that is why termites usually build mounds or nests to regulate the temperature necessary for their survival.

Since termites avoid light and would rarely come out into the open, they effectively escape the notice of building owners until it’s much too late to actually control the damage. Most homeowners reported that they have detected the presence of termite in the homes purely by accident, especially in working on some structural repairs. Once these destructive pests have underground access to a structure, they do not purely limit their consumption on wood alone but are known to devour papers, carpets, clothing and any other cellulosic materials that they could reach.

You may wonder how plants are able to withstand even if the area is practically infested with termites. The reason behind this is that wood plants have their own highly effective defense against these nasty critters. By secreting natural antifeedant chemicals such as oils resins and lignin, wood trees are able to efficiently ward off and resist attacks from termites.

Nowadays, there are some chemicals that are specially formulated to effectively repel termites. A popular commercial product formulated from Australia called ‘Blockaid’ is an especially effective in forcing termites to starve to death rather than feed on the wooden material that is treated with toxic materials. If kept in a very close proximity, the chemicals will cause termites to be disoriented and eventually die.