Termites

Termites - Basic Field Identification
SUBTERRANEAN WORKER SOLDIER	Worker – small, whitish in colour Soldier – has two pincers. Narrow tunnels made of mud or clay from the sub-soil; much lighter in colour than the Nasuties tunnels.
DRYWOOD	Drywood termites somewhat larger and white in colour, are often referred to as Wood Lice and can be easily identified by the presence of faecal pellets, resembling grains of sand. They do not leave trails or build tunnels.
NASUTIES	Worker – small, whitish in colour Soldier – no pincers; has a pointed nose. Wider tunnels made from tiny bits of regurgitated tree bark and leaves; much darker in colour than the Subterraneans’ tunnels.
Although the facts above can assist in determining the type of infestation that exists, there are many more factors involved and only a trained Trinidad Pest Control Operator can make positive identification.
SUBTERRANEAN Termites Subterranean termites are responsible for perhaps as much as 90% of the structural damage done to buildings in Trinidad &Tobago. A well-established colony can take a house apart in 6 months. This species, as the name implies, builds its colony deep in the sub-soil and is very prevalent throughout the country. With plenty of cellulose, such as dead tree trunks to feed on, a colony could consist of hundreds of thousands of individuals. As early as 1963, Trinidad Pest control Ltd developed and introduced a method to protect newly constructed buildings from Subterranean termite infestation. The method is known as Pre-Construction Soil Treatment. This procedure includes treating the soil below the proposed foundation with approved chemicals prior to construction, thus setting up a chemical barrier between the soil and the building’s foundation. The treatment is applied at specific rates of application while the building is under construction. If this barrier is not broken either by severe flooding, untreated building extensions or any type of damage done to the foundation it will last for at least 10 years and in most cases even more. This chemical barrier system has proved to be so effective that houses treated over 20 years ago show no sign of infestation today. However, if this treatment is not done before construction then termites that are living in the soil and consuming the roots of old tress and bush below the foundation will eventually come through the floor slab to attack the buildings. At this point the procedure becomes much more costly. The method Trinidad Pest Control Ltd has developed for this treatment is known as Soil Impregnation and requires drilling along both sides of the supporting walls of the structure, and sometimes the floor itself, to set up a chemical barrier below the existing foundation.
DRYWOOD Termites Drywood termites unlike other species, lives in small colonies within the wood and over time, can do sever structural damage. Drywood termites do not depend on soil contact – they exist independently in the wooden structures they inhabit and are therefore very difficult to control. Quite often wood used to build houses is already infested with drywood termites. Since these termites live their entire life in wooden structures, the structure itself has to be treated to control their infestation. Pressure treating of wood is effective in preventing infestation of Drywood Termites. Spraying or surface treating the infested area is usually ineffective, as chemicals do not penetrate the wood well enough. Trinidad Pest Control introduced the only effective method of eliminating Drywood Termite infestations in buildings. This method known as fumigation involves sealing the house and introducing a highly penetrating poisonous gas into the area for eighteen to twenty-four hours. This gas can only be applied by trained personnel. (For more info on Methyl Bromide* click here.)*
NASUTIES Termites Nasuties termites appear to be the most common species in Trinidad & Tobago since their colonies are built above ground and are very visible. These are the big dark nests often seen on electrical poles and trees. This termite is considered a garden pest as it consumes damp rotting cellulose material. Although this type of colony is very large, these termites do little damage to man-made structures. Nasuties Termites are commonly mistaken for Subterranean termites because both termites build tunnels along the walls as a pathway. One easy way to tell the difference is that a Subterranean’s tunnel is made of ‘mud’ or clay from the subsoil below the ground, it is light in colour and very narrow. The Nasuties termite tunnel is dark brown in colour and is made from tiny bits of regurgitated tree bark and leaves and is wider than the Subterranean termite tunnel. Drywood termites do not make tunnels at all. The workers of both Nasuties and Subterranean termites are small and whitish in colour, but the soldiers in both casts are distinctly different. The Subterranean termite soldier has two pincers, used for fighting their natural enemies. Whereas the Nasuties’ soldier’s protection is to spray a pungent chemical through a pointed nose system – hence the name Nasuties. Proper species identification is extremely important and can avoid unnecessary expenditure. A professional Trinidad Pest Control inspector can do this at no initial cost to you and give the recommended procedure required.
Termites in this country can be divided into 3 distinctive groups: Subterranean, Drywood and Nasuties. In each case the behaviour pattern and thus the control methods are different. Since the method of treatment and control is quite different with the different termites, it is very important to get an accurate identification.