1. Termites

2. O 45 species of termites in US O Only 2 species are native

3. Termites O Gut symbionts help digest cellulose (wood) O Bacteria and protozoans

4. Termites O Mature queen lays up to 10,000 eggs per week O She can live 10 years or more O Thats 60 million eggs

5. Termites and Ants O Both swarm same time of year O When reproductive take flight O Start new colony

6. Termites and Ants O Ants have constricted waist O Between thorax and abdomen

7. Termites O Spread chemical messages through frequent grooming O Anal trophallaxis O Fluids exchange anus to mouth O Also transfers gut symbionts through colony

8. Caste System O Reproductive Castes O Produce a queen

9. Caste System O Worker Caste O Food, grooming

10. Caste System O Soldier Caste O Enlarged mandibles

11. Moisture O Carry moist soil above ground O Mud tubes O Keep termites moist

12. Moisture O Cemented with saliva and fecal matter O Mud left behind in wood

13. Moisture O Leaky pipes O Wet areas O Shrubs against house

14. Food O Radial paths spreading from colony in search of food O Spokes on wheel O Cant find food, likely bump into it

15. Food O Cellulose is food source O Untreated wood O Trees, stumps, firewood, O Attracted to partially decomposed wood

16. Food O Eat softer spring wood in growth rings O Leave harder summer wood O Only eat 20% of total wood O Lattice symptom

17. Food O Mud left in tunnels O Carpenter ants leave clean tunnels

18. Inspection O Shed wings or dead swarmer termites O Window sills O Mud tubes O Tiny holes in baseboards O Hollow thump

19. Prevention O Eliminate wood to ground contact O 90% of infestations O Firewood away from house O Untreated wood 6 above ground O Use treated wood for ground contact

20. Control Termiticide Treatments O Chemical barrier around house O Trenching and rodding O Slabs are drilled and injected

21. Control Bait Stations O A non-lethal food source around house O Stations every 10 to 15 O 12 to 18 from house O Frequently monitored

22. Control Bait Stations O If termites are present, non-lethal food source replaced with poison bait O Slow-acting poison taken back to colony

23. Prevention O Keep vegetation and mulch away from house O Mulch serves as a moisture conduit O Mulch not a food source O Even pea gravel

24. Prevention O Gutters and downspouts away from house