Termites are among the most infamous of wood-destroying organisms. There are approximately 2500 species of termites known worldwide, but they are most abundant in warmer climates. One group of termites, the subterranean termites, is common in soil, dead trees, and wooden structures. The other group of termites, the non-subterranean termites, are divided into two groups: drywood termites and dampwood termites. Drywood termites are the most common, although dampwood termites can be found in some limited areas.

Termites are social, highly organized insects that have become increasingly important building pests in the UAE. During the past two decades, the UAE has imported many kinds of wood and wood products to cope with the needs of industrial purposes, new buildings, constructions, and furniture.

In the UAE ecosystem, two foraging strategies are used: they are either nocturnal or they build protective soil sheeting or tunnels to protect themselves from the sun’s heat and desiccating effects.Subterranean termites are the most common and destructive termite pests in the UAE. Termites feed on plant material that may be living, dead, or decaying.

Some species are capable of reducing wooden structures to dust and may cause serious damage to buildings. Termite control professionals must be knowledgeable in building construction and termite biology and behavior. ETS uses considerable judgment in the performance of every job and can protect your building from termite infestations for years to come using a specialized integrated termite management approach.

The major termite pests are:

1- Subterranean termites (Several Species)

2- Non-Subterranean termites.

1-Subterranean Termites:

General Description

Several records pertaining to termites in the Arab Gulf countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, were made. The termite fauna of the Arabian Peninsula comprises 22 species. In the UAE, three research projects were conducted and published by Prof. Walid Kaakeh (2005 and 2006) and revealed the discovery of eight (8) species of subterranean termites:

NCN = No Common Name

The most common subterranean termites are Heterotermes aethiopicus and Amitermes vilis:

Heterotermes aethiopicus (Sjostedt)

Amitermes vilis (Hagen)

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

• Termites are social insects (i.e., there is a division of labor between different types of individuals or castes).
• Nearly all termite species have reproductive and soldier castes.

Caste system of termites:  A – King, B – Queen, C – Secondary queen,

D – Tertiary queen, E – Soldiers, F – Worker.

• In many termite societies, there is also a distinct worker caste, but in most of the more primitive species, the typical duties of the worker nymphs are food gathering, feeding reproductives and soldiers, and nest building.
• Even in species with workers, the older nymphs usually do much of the work.
• Workers and nymphs of subterranean termites perform all the work of the colony and are the ones who do all the damage to structures.
• Soldiers serve only to defend the colony against enemies. They cannot eat wood.
• Workers feed soldiers, together with the reproductive organs.
• Both workers and soldiers are blind.
• Winged adults are referred to as the primary reproductives (often called swarmers). They leave the colonies on colonizing flights at certain times of the year. After these flights, a male (the king) and female (the queen) will pair up, lose their wings, construct a small cell in the soil, mate, and the queen will lay eggs.
• In colonies where these primary forms are no longer present, supplemental or secondary reproductives without pigmentation or functional wings occur, often in large numbers. Each colony supports itself and has no contact with other colonies.
• In nature, termites help convert dead wood and other organic materials containing cellulose to humus. From this standpoint, termites are very beneficial animals. Only when people began building with wood in the natural home of the termites did they start feeding on buildings.
• Termites harbor one-celled organisms in their digestive tracts, and these organisms convert cellulose into substances the termites can digest.

Termite Social Castes

• The stages in the life history of subterranean termites are essentially the same for various species. Termites develop via gradual metamorphosis from eggs, which are laid by the primary or secondary reproductives.
• Nymphs hatch from the eggs and undergo several molts, through which different individuals develop into one of the various castes.
• Four different castes can develop from nymphs: workers, soldiers, winged primary reproductives, and supplementary reproductives.

• In new colonies, nymphs from the first small batch of eggs usually all become workers. Other forms not normally produced until later egg laying. In the species where a distinct worker cast occurs, workers are the most numerous individuals in a termite colony.
• In new colonies, nymphs from the first small batch of eggs usually all become workers. Other forms are normally not produced until later in the egg laying cycle.In the species where a distinct worker cast occurs, workers are the most numerous individuals in a termite colony.

• Worker termites perform all of the work of the colony, feeding the other caste, grooming the queen, excavating the nest, and making the tunnels. In the process of making nests and tunnels and ingesting food, they chew and eat wood, thus causing destruction, which makes termites economically important. The workers are usually light-colored and do not have wings or any specialized structures.

• Soldier termites serve specifically to protect the colony from its enemies. Their heads are quite hard and they have much larger jaws than those found in the other forms. When openings are made into termite workings, the soldiers gather with their large heads and strong mandibles facing outward and protect the colony from invaders.
• Supplementary reproductives:
• Both sexes of the reproductives are wingless or have only very short, non-functional wings.
• They are developed as needed and quickly replace a primary queen who is injured or dies.
• They usually develop in addition to the primary queen and become the most important source of eggs in the colony.
• When supplementary reproductives, with a group of males and workers, become isolated from the main colony, they can establish a new colony, thus spreading the original infestation without being visible above ground at any time.

• Primary reproductives (swarmer termites):
• They are often seen by homeowners.
• Winged adults are usually much darker than the other members of the colony.
• All four wings are the same length and extend beyond the tip of the abdomen by more than the length of the body.
• Both male and female reproductives leave the colony in great numbers (swarms), usually in the spring or fall. These swarms are often the first visible indication that termites are present.
• The environment’s conditions must be just right before termites swarm.
• The temperature, moisture both inside and outside the colony, light conditions, and even barometric pressure influence swarming activities. Swarmers emerge on warm, sunny days when the humidity is high (e.g., often on days following rain showers).
• After a brief flight, the wings are broken off, and males and females pair up and attempt to establish a new colony.
• The supplementary reproductives are responsible for the production of most of the eggs within a colony after it has become established.

Termite Ecology and Its Environment

• Construction of Mud Tubes

Termite tubes are one of the first signs of a termite infestation. They construct tubes (called “mud tubes”) when they pass over exposed areas. Tubes serve to protect the termites from their enemies (especially ants), conceal the termites, provide them with a moist environment, and protect them from dry air.

In general, the termite tubes range from 3 to 25 mm in diameter. They can be easily noticed when present along walls and near the building foundation. Tubes also may be hidden in typically inaccessible places, such as inside walls, crawlspaces, cracks in the foundation, or behind baseboards.

Four types of mud tubes are constructed by subterranean termites and serve different purposes for the colony:

Exploratory Tubes:

• Exploratory tubes are thin and fragile, easy to see because they branch out in multiple directions.
• Exploratory tubes are thin and fragile, easy to see because they branch out in multiple directions.
• They are made of feces, saliva, and dirt and can extend up to 15 feet above ground when built over concrete or metal.
• Used to search for sources of food, exploratory mud tubes rise from the soil, but they do not connect to any wood.

• Although the tubes are empty, they still indicate the presence of termites. The pests will have moved to other sections of the home to find accessible food.

Working Tubes or Utility Tubes:

• Every day, hundreds to thousands of termites are transported from their nests to food sources via working tubes.
• The tubes are organized like a highway, with some lanes used to carry food while the others are used for construction and repair.
• These tubes typically measure between 0.5 and 2.5 cm in diameter.

• These tubes are made to last longer than exploratory tubes.

• These allow termites to travel long distances along basement walls and home foundations.
• They may also be found around window and door frames.

Swarm Castle / Swarm Tubes:

• Termite workers construct swarm castles to temporarily accommodate the numbers of termite swarmers leaving the colony during a swarm.
• Swarm castles can be very large and delicate.

• The location where swarmers gather before leaving the nest is smooth and free from debris. When the time is right, workers begin to direct swarmers to the protective castle, and the swarmer termites move through the numerous exit holes, take flight, and begin the process of establishing other colonies.

Drop Tubes

• Drop tubes are suspended between the ground and wood members of the structure.
• They’re easy to identify.
• Their purpose is to make food sources more accessible to termite workers and to re-establish a connection with the ground and working tubes.

• Drop tubes are lighter in color than exploratory or working tubes because they contain more wood fibers. However, they have a similar diameter and brittleness to exploratory mud tubes.

Communication in the colony

• Communication is needed to maintain efficient social integration and the division of labor. The basic means of communication in termites are via:

1- Chemical (pheromone) communication:

• Each colony develops its own characteristic odor.
• Any intruder (a termite from another colony, an ant, or any other natural enemy) is immediately recognized as foreign when it enters the colony.
• An alarm pheromone is always secreted by the colony that triggers soldier termites to attack and kill the intruder. If a hole in the termite workings occurs, it is immediately required by the workers.
• When a foraging termite worker finds a source of food, it recruits others to the food source by laying a chemical (pheromone) trail. The more foragers that find the food and return with it to the colony, the more intense the pheromone trail becomes.  As the food source is depleted and the foragers no longer deposit the pheromone, the trail deteriorates and eventually is abandoned.

 2- Sound:

• Termite soldiers and workers bang their heads rapidly on the surface of their mud tunnels or wood galleries when the colony is disturbed.
• The vibration of the surrounding surface is perceived by others in the colony, and they too take up the banging activity. This activity, like the alarm pheromones mentioned earlier, serves to mobilize the colony’s defences.

3- Trophallaxis (the reciprocal exchange of nutrients and food between colony members):

• Trophallaxis permits the efficient use of nutrients within the colony, enhances recognition of colony members, distributes chemicals involved in caste regulation, and transfers cellulose-digesting protozoans.
• Termites exchange food from both the mouth and the hind gut. When termites shed their skin during molting, they also lose their hindgut contents, including the protozoa they need for digesting wood. To get a new supply of protozoa, they must feed from the hind guts of other colony members. The feeding of the queens and soldiers by the workers is also a form of trophallaxis.
• The proportion of the castes in the colony is also regulated chemically. The soldiers and reproductives produce chemicals that are distributed to other colony members by trophallaxis. These chemicals inhibit the production of additional sperm and eggs. Termites may react to a high level of soldier-produced chemicals by killing some of the soldiers.
• In most subterranean termite colonies, nymphs can molt into workers, soldiers, or reproductives; workers can change into soldiers, nymphs, or supplementary reproductives; and nymphs that have begun developing wing buds may actually lose them with additional molts and return to the worker stage. All these changes are chemically regulated within the colony, depending on its needs.

Feeding Damage and Economic Implications

1. Food Preference and Wood Consumption

• Subterranean termites have preferences in the type of wood they will eat. Although woods like cedar are less preferred by termites, no wood is completely immune to attack.
• The condition of the wood is also important. Decayed wood is eaten faster and is preferred over sound wood. Termites working in the wood facilitate decay by increasing the moisture content. Thus, termite damage is usually associated with decaying wood.

• Termites working in the wood facilitate decay by increasing the moisture content. Thus, termite damage is usually associated with decaying wood.
• Depending on the subterranean termite species, a termite worker consumes wood at approximately the rate of 2 percent of their body weight each day.

• Factors affecting the consumption rate include environmental conditions, termite size, and colony size. Also, some species are more destructive than others. A colony of one species containing one million workers may consume 5 grams of wood each day, while other species containing 400,000 workers may consume 30 grams of wood every day.
• Although the quantity of wood being eaten is small over a short period of time, significant damage can be done over months of time.

• The mud and moisture brought into a structure by termites exacerbates the damage. Thus, early detection and control of an infestation are desirable.

2. Foraging Territory

• The foraging territory of subterranean termites varies with species. Workers from one species may forage in a 10 m2 foraging territory, whereas workers from another species may forage in a 100 m2 area or within a 100 m linear distance.
• It seems that there might be geographic differences in the size and number of colonies, influenced by food availability and environmental factors.

2 – Non-Subterranean Termites

Termites other than subterranean termites are divided into drywood and dampwood termites.  Of these, drywood termites are the most common, and belong to the family Kalotermitidae, while the rotten and dampwood termites belong to the families Kalotermitidae, Termopsidae, and Rhinotermitidae.

A- Drywood Termites:

 General Description

No published records on the drywood termite fauna of the UAE are available.

 Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

• Drywood termites live (feed and nest) in structural wood that is not decayed and has a very low moisture content.
• Unlike subterranean termites, they do not require any contact with the soil to live. Therefore, they can seriously damage not only buildings but also movable wooden objects, such as furniture.
• A male and female pair (called alates) work their way into the wood chosen for the nest. The opening, through which they enter the, is sealed with a plug of brown cement-like material about 3 mm in diameter. They excavate, behind this plug, a chamber where the queen lays the first eggs.
• The nymphs (called larvae by some termite specialists) that hatch from these eggs go through a more complex metamorphosis (several stages) than subterranean termites before becoming soldiers and reproductives. These nymphs perform the work of the colony, and there is no distinct worker caste, as with subterranean termites.
• During the swarming season, nymphs make round holes (1.5–3.0 mm in diameter) through which the reproductive forms leave the wood. When swarming is complete, these holes are plugged in the same way as the original entrance holes.

    Feeding Damage and Economic Implications

• The damage done by drywood termites is entirely different from that caused by subterranean termites. These termites cut across the grain of the wood, excavating large chambers connected by small tunnels.  The chambers used by the colony are kept clean.  Excreta and other debris are stored in unused chambers or cast out through small openings in the wood surface (openings called Kick-Out Holes).
• Excreted pellets are a distinguishing characteristic of non-subterranean termites. These pellets are hard and have six distinct concave surfaces on the sides; only the ends are rounded.
• Entrance into wood is usually made through a crack or crevice that termites can enter before boring into the wood.
• Because of their ability to live in wood without soil contact, non-subterranean termites are frequently carried in infested furniture and other wooden objects into geographical areas where they are not normally found.
• Drywood termites may attack wood products of all kinds, structural timbers and woodwork in buildings as well as furniture and other wooden objects may be damaged (less damage than subterranean termites).

B- Dampwood Termites

 General Description

No published records on the dampwood termite fauna of the UAE are available.

    Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

• The dampwood termite group contains some of the largest termites, with alates (winged termites) as much as 2.5 cm long with wings.
• These termites do not require contact with the soil to obtain moisture, but wood with a high degree of moisture is needed. They are usually associated with wood decay.

    Feeding Damage and Economic Implications

• Dampwood termites plug openings into the wood and excavate galleries, as do drywood termites, but they do not keep the galleries clean.
• The termite pellets can be found throughout their tunnels in infested wood, although many of the six-sided pellets are discarded from the galleries through small openings in the surface of the wood. However, the pellets are only slightly six sided, and they lack the longitudinal ridges that give drywood termite pellets their characteristically sculptured appearance.

The post Termites appeared first on ETS.

General Description

Several records pertaining to termites in the Arab Gulf countries, especially in Saudi Arabia, were made. The termite fauna of the Arabian Peninsula comprises 22 species. In the UAE, three research projects were conducted and published by Prof. Walid Kaakeh (2005 and 2006) and revealed the discovery of eight (8) species of subterranean termites:

NCN = No Common Name

The most common subterranean termites are Heterotermes aethiopicus and Amitermes vilis:

Heterotermes aethiopicus (Sjostedt)

Amitermes vilis (Hagen)

Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

• Termites are social insects (i.e., there is a division of labor between different types of individuals or castes).
• Nearly all termite species have reproductive and soldier castes.

Caste system of termites:  A – King, B – Queen, C – Secondary queen,

D – Tertiary queen, E – Soldiers, F – Worker.

• In many termite societies, there is also a distinct worker caste, but in most of the more primitive species, the typical duties of the worker nymphs are food gathering, feeding reproductives and soldiers, and nest building.
• Even in species with workers, the older nymphs usually do much of the work.
• Workers and nymphs of subterranean termites perform all the work of the colony and are the ones who do all the damage to structures.
• Soldiers serve only to defend the colony against enemies. They cannot eat wood.
• Workers feed soldiers, together with the reproductive organs.
• Both workers and soldiers are blind.
• Winged adults are referred to as the primary reproductives (often called swarmers). They leave the colonies on colonizing flights at certain times of the year. After these flights, a male (the king) and female (the queen) will pair up, lose their wings, construct a small cell in the soil, mate, and the queen will lay eggs.
• In colonies where these primary forms are no longer present, supplemental or secondary reproductives without pigmentation or functional wings occur, often in large numbers. Each colony supports itself and has no contact with other colonies.
• In nature, termites help convert dead wood and other organic materials containing cellulose to humus. From this standpoint, termites are very beneficial animals. Only when people began building with wood in the natural home of the termites did they start feeding on buildings.
• Termites harbor one-celled organisms in their digestive tracts, and these organisms convert cellulose into substances the termites can digest.

Termite Social Castes

• The stages in the life history of subterranean termites are essentially the same for various species. Termites develop via gradual metamorphosis from eggs, which are laid by the primary or secondary reproductives.
• Nymphs hatch from the eggs and undergo several molts, through which different individuals develop into one of the various castes.
• Four different castes can develop from nymphs: workers, soldiers, winged primary reproductives, and supplementary reproductives.

• In new colonies, nymphs from the first small batch of eggs usually all become workers. Other forms not normally produced until later egg laying. In the species where a distinct worker cast occurs, workers are the most numerous individuals in a termite colony.
• In new colonies, nymphs from the first small batch of eggs usually all become workers. Other forms are normally not produced until later in the egg laying cycle.In the species where a distinct worker cast occurs, workers are the most numerous individuals in a termite colony.

• Worker termites perform all of the work of the colony, feeding the other caste, grooming the queen, excavating the nest, and making the tunnels. In the process of making nests and tunnels and ingesting food, they chew and eat wood, thus causing destruction, which makes termites economically important. The workers are usually light-colored and do not have wings or any specialized structures.

• Soldier termites serve specifically to protect the colony from its enemies. Their heads are quite hard and they have much larger jaws than those found in the other forms. When openings are made into termite workings, the soldiers gather with their large heads and strong mandibles facing outward and protect the colony from invaders.
• Supplementary reproductives:
• Both sexes of the reproductives are wingless or have only very short, non-functional wings.
• They are developed as needed and quickly replace a primary queen who is injured or dies.
• They usually develop in addition to the primary queen and become the most important source of eggs in the colony.
• When supplementary reproductives, with a group of males and workers, become isolated from the main colony, they can establish a new colony, thus spreading the original infestation without being visible above ground at any time.

• Primary reproductives (swarmer termites):
• They are often seen by homeowners.
• Winged adults are usually much darker than the other members of the colony.
• All four wings are the same length and extend beyond the tip of the abdomen by more than the length of the body.
• Both male and female reproductives leave the colony in great numbers (swarms), usually in the spring or fall. These swarms are often the first visible indication that termites are present.
• The environment’s conditions must be just right before termites swarm.
• The temperature, moisture both inside and outside the colony, light conditions, and even barometric pressure influence swarming activities. Swarmers emerge on warm, sunny days when the humidity is high (e.g., often on days following rain showers).
• After a brief flight, the wings are broken off, and males and females pair up and attempt to establish a new colony.
• The supplementary reproductives are responsible for the production of most of the eggs within a colony after it has become established.

Termite Ecology and Its Environment

• Construction of Mud Tubes

Termite tubes are one of the first signs of a termite infestation. They construct tubes (called “mud tubes”) when they pass over exposed areas. Tubes serve to protect the termites from their enemies (especially ants), conceal the termites, provide them with a moist environment, and protect them from dry air.

In general, the termite tubes range from 3 to 25 mm in diameter. They can be easily noticed when present along walls and near the building foundation. Tubes also may be hidden in typically inaccessible places, such as inside walls, crawlspaces, cracks in the foundation, or behind baseboards.

Four types of mud tubes are constructed by subterranean termites and serve different purposes for the colony:

Exploratory Tubes:

• Exploratory tubes are thin and fragile, easy to see because they branch out in multiple directions.
• Exploratory tubes are thin and fragile, easy to see because they branch out in multiple directions.
• They are made of feces, saliva, and dirt and can extend up to 15 feet above ground when built over concrete or metal.
• Used to search for sources of food, exploratory mud tubes rise from the soil, but they do not connect to any wood.

• Although the tubes are empty, they still indicate the presence of termites. The pests will have moved to other sections of the home to find accessible food.

Working Tubes or Utility Tubes:

• Every day, hundreds to thousands of termites are transported from their nests to food sources via working tubes.
• The tubes are organized like a highway, with some lanes used to carry food while the others are used for construction and repair.
• These tubes typically measure between 0.5 and 2.5 cm in diameter.

• These tubes are made to last longer than exploratory tubes.

• These allow termites to travel long distances along basement walls and home foundations.
• They may also be found around window and door frames.

Swarm Castle / Swarm Tubes:

• Termite workers construct swarm castles to temporarily accommodate the numbers of termite swarmers leaving the colony during a swarm.
• Swarm castles can be very large and delicate.

• The location where swarmers gather before leaving the nest is smooth and free from debris. When the time is right, workers begin to direct swarmers to the protective castle, and the swarmer termites move through the numerous exit holes, take flight, and begin the process of establishing other colonies.

Drop Tubes

• Drop tubes are suspended between the ground and wood members of the structure.
• They’re easy to identify.
• Their purpose is to make food sources more accessible to termite workers and to re-establish a connection with the ground and working tubes.

• Drop tubes are lighter in color than exploratory or working tubes because they contain more wood fibers. However, they have a similar diameter and brittleness to exploratory mud tubes.

Communication in the colony

• Communication is needed to maintain efficient social integration and the division of labor. The basic means of communication in termites are via:

1- Chemical (pheromone) communication:

• Each colony develops its own characteristic odor.
• Any intruder (a termite from another colony, an ant, or any other natural enemy) is immediately recognized as foreign when it enters the colony.
• An alarm pheromone is always secreted by the colony that triggers soldier termites to attack and kill the intruder. If a hole in the termite workings occurs, it is immediately required by the workers.
• When a foraging termite worker finds a source of food, it recruits others to the food source by laying a chemical (pheromone) trail. The more foragers that find the food and return with it to the colony, the more intense the pheromone trail becomes.  As the food source is depleted and the foragers no longer deposit the pheromone, the trail deteriorates and eventually is abandoned.

 2- Sound:

• Termite soldiers and workers bang their heads rapidly on the surface of their mud tunnels or wood galleries when the colony is disturbed.
• The vibration of the surrounding surface is perceived by others in the colony, and they too take up the banging activity. This activity, like the alarm pheromones mentioned earlier, serves to mobilize the colony’s defences.

3- Trophallaxis (the reciprocal exchange of nutrients and food between colony members):

• Trophallaxis permits the efficient use of nutrients within the colony, enhances recognition of colony members, distributes chemicals involved in caste regulation, and transfers cellulose-digesting protozoans.
• Termites exchange food from both the mouth and the hind gut. When termites shed their skin during molting, they also lose their hindgut contents, including the protozoa they need for digesting wood. To get a new supply of protozoa, they must feed from the hind guts of other colony members. The feeding of the queens and soldiers by the workers is also a form of trophallaxis.
• The proportion of the castes in the colony is also regulated chemically. The soldiers and reproductives produce chemicals that are distributed to other colony members by trophallaxis. These chemicals inhibit the production of additional sperm and eggs. Termites may react to a high level of soldier-produced chemicals by killing some of the soldiers.
• In most subterranean termite colonies, nymphs can molt into workers, soldiers, or reproductives; workers can change into soldiers, nymphs, or supplementary reproductives; and nymphs that have begun developing wing buds may actually lose them with additional molts and return to the worker stage. All these changes are chemically regulated within the colony, depending on its needs.

Feeding Damage and Economic Implications

1. Food Preference and Wood Consumption

• Subterranean termites have preferences in the type of wood they will eat. Although woods like cedar are less preferred by termites, no wood is completely immune to attack.
• The condition of the wood is also important. Decayed wood is eaten faster and is preferred over sound wood. Termites working in the wood facilitate decay by increasing the moisture content. Thus, termite damage is usually associated with decaying wood.

• Termites working in the wood facilitate decay by increasing the moisture content. Thus, termite damage is usually associated with decaying wood.
• Depending on the subterranean termite species, a termite worker consumes wood at approximately the rate of 2 percent of their body weight each day.

• Factors affecting the consumption rate include environmental conditions, termite size, and colony size. Also, some species are more destructive than others. A colony of one species containing one million workers may consume 5 grams of wood each day, while other species containing 400,000 workers may consume 30 grams of wood every day.
• Although the quantity of wood being eaten is small over a short period of time, significant damage can be done over months of time.

• The mud and moisture brought into a structure by termites exacerbates the damage. Thus, early detection and control of an infestation are desirable.

2. Foraging Territory

• The foraging territory of subterranean termites varies with species. Workers from one species may forage in a 10 m2 foraging territory, whereas workers from another species may forage in a 100 m2 area or within a 100 m linear distance.
• It seems that there might be geographic differences in the size and number of colonies, influenced by food availability and environmental factors.

The post Subterranean Termites appeared first on ETS.

Termites other than subterranean termites are divided into drywood and dampwood termites.  Of these, drywood termites are the most common, and belong to the family Kalotermitidae, while the rotten and dampwood termites belong to the families Kalotermitidae, Termopsidae, and Rhinotermitidae.

A- Drywood Termites:

 General Description

No published records on the drywood termite fauna of the UAE are available.

 Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

• Drywood termites live (feed and nest) in structural wood that is not decayed and has a very low moisture content.
• Unlike subterranean termites, they do not require any contact with the soil to live. Therefore, they can seriously damage not only buildings but also movable wooden objects, such as furniture.
• A male and female pair (called alates) work their way into the wood chosen for the nest. The opening, through which they enter the, is sealed with a plug of brown cement-like material about 3 mm in diameter. They excavate, behind this plug, a chamber where the queen lays the first eggs.
• The nymphs (called larvae by some termite specialists) that hatch from these eggs go through a more complex metamorphosis (several stages) than subterranean termites before becoming soldiers and reproductives. These nymphs perform the work of the colony, and there is no distinct worker caste, as with subterranean termites.
• During the swarming season, nymphs make round holes (1.5–3.0 mm in diameter) through which the reproductive forms leave the wood. When swarming is complete, these holes are plugged in the same way as the original entrance holes.

    Feeding Damage and Economic Implications

• The damage done by drywood termites is entirely different from that caused by subterranean termites. These termites cut across the grain of the wood, excavating large chambers connected by small tunnels.  The chambers used by the colony are kept clean.  Excreta and other debris are stored in unused chambers or cast out through small openings in the wood surface (openings called Kick-Out Holes).
• Excreted pellets are a distinguishing characteristic of non-subterranean termites. These pellets are hard and have six distinct concave surfaces on the sides; only the ends are rounded.
• Entrance into wood is usually made through a crack or crevice that termites can enter before boring into the wood.
• Because of their ability to live in wood without soil contact, non-subterranean termites are frequently carried in infested furniture and other wooden objects into geographical areas where they are not normally found.
• Drywood termites may attack wood products of all kinds, structural timbers and woodwork in buildings as well as furniture and other wooden objects may be damaged (less damage than subterranean termites).

B- Dampwood Termites

    General Description

No published records on the dampwood termite fauna of the UAE are available.

    Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

• The dampwood termite group contains some of the largest termites, with alates (winged termites) as much as 2.5 cm long with wings.
• These termites do not require contact with the soil to obtain moisture, but wood with a high degree of moisture is needed. They are usually associated with wood decay.

    Feeding Damage and Economic Implications

• Dampwood termites plug openings into the wood and excavate galleries, as do drywood termites, but they do not keep the galleries clean.
• The termite pellets can be found throughout their tunnels in infested wood, although many of the six-sided pellets are discarded from the galleries through small openings in the surface of the wood. However, the pellets are only slightly six sided, and they lack the longitudinal ridges that give drywood termite pellets their characteristically sculptured appearance.

The post Non-Subterranean Termites appeared first on ETS.

Introduction

Stored product pests are usually found living in products (such as dried fruits, spices, flour, bran, peas, dried vegetables, dried flowers, grain, milled cereal products, dog food, nuts, candy, pasta, cheese, and other similar items) and are considered the most severe pests that share food with humans. They cause great losses on grain and stored foodstuffs.  Stored products are exposed to a number of harmful insects during their storage period, after harvest, when they are collected after harvest, or while they are in the field. Losses resulting from insect damage to stored grain are estimated at 5–7% annually (and may reach 15%).  Most pests of stored grains belong to the order Coleoptera, except for butterflies, which belong to the order Lepidoptera.

Stored food pests cause much damage.

• by consuming or borrowing a large part of the foodstuffs, and the weight of grains may decrease to half of their original weight.
• decreased food quality and nutritional value. Infestation with pests affects the appearance, smell, and taste of foodstuffs, insect excrements accumulate among the stored grains.
• Low economic returns and non-acceptance of foodstuffs commercially.
• Infestation with pests may cause subsequent infestations with other pests and microorganisms that increase damage and losses.
• damage to grain containers and loss of quality.
• low germination rate of grains in the case of reusing them as seeds.

Stored product pest control professional and managers of warehouse facilities should know that:

• Infestation of homes with pests of stored foodstuffs is due to human behavior in keeping various types of foods in his house, the method of preserving and caring for them, and the rate of consumption.
• The amount of damage caused by pests varies according to the density of the pest, the value of the food and the type of damage, whether by consuming the food or transmitting a pathogen to humans or animals.
• Stored food pests usually enter homes hidden in food packagings such as bags and boxes, or are transmitted from infected food that was accidentally brought home. And when they find the right environment and conditions, they increase in number and attack uninfected food.
• Stored foodstuffs (cereals, dry foods, and their products) are infested with a large number of pests of more than 200 species. Including what affects healthy or previously infected grains, what feeds on dry fruits or vegetables and nuts, and what affects processed products such as cheese, chocolate, candy, and meat.
• Some pests are specialized for one type of material and others attack many types of food (they are considered general feeders such as ants, cockroaches, flies, rodents, silverfish, and some types of booklice).
• It is necessary to indicate the type of pest harmful to foodstuffs so that appropriate protection or control measures can be taken.
• There are several systems for defining food pests, some of which depend on the ranks and species that follow them, while others depend on the damage they cause or the food families that affect them.

The most common stored product pests are:

I – Internal Feeders:

Internal feeders are insect larvae that feed entirely within the kernels of whole grain and palletized product, and thus may remain undetected until adults emerge from the kernels. The most common species are:

1. Angoumois Grain Moth – Sitotroga cerealella Oliv) (Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera
2. Granary Weevil or Wheat Weevil – Sitophilus (= Calandra) granarium (Curculionidae: Coleoptera)
3. Rice Weevil – Sitophilus oryzae (Curculiondae: Coleoptera)
4. Lesser Grain Borer – Rhizopertha dominica (Bostrichidae: Coleoptera)

II – External Feeders:

External feeders feed on the outside of the grain.  They may also chew through the outer seed coat and devour the inside.  The most common species are:

1. Indianmeal Moth – Plodia interunctella (Hübner) (Pyralidae: Lepidoptera(
2. Cigarette Beetle – Lasioderma serricome (Fabricius) (Anobiidae: Coleoptera)
3. Cadelle Beetle – Tenebroides maurilanicus (L.) (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
4. Khapra Beetle or Trogoderma – Trogoderma granarium (Everts) (Dermestidae: Coleoptera)
5. Drugstore Beetle – Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus) (Anobiidae: Coleoptera)

III- Scavengers:

Scavengers feed on grain only after the seed coat has been broken, either mechanically or by some other insect.  The most common species are:

1. Mediterranean Flour Moth – Ephestia (Cadra) kuehniella Zeller (Pyralidae: Lepidoptera)
2. Confused Flour Beetle – Tribolium confusum (Jacquelin du Val) (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
3. Red Flour Beetle – Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
4. Sawtoothed Grain Beetle – Oryzaephilus surinamensis Linnaeus (Cucujidae: Coleoptera)

IV – Secondary Pests:

Secondary pests feed only on materials that are deteriorating, damp, and have some mold growth present. Some of them feed on mold rather than the food product. The most common species are:

1. Yellow Mealworm – Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus) (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)
2. Dark Mealworm – Tenebrio obscurus (Tenebrionidae: Coleoptera)

V – Rodents (please link to rodent section)

Click on each pest species to learn about its general description, life cycle, common characteristics, and its damage and economic implications.

I – Internal Feeders:

1. Angoumois Grain Moth

General Description

• The adult is 5-7 mm yellow-brown. The forewings are narrow, pointed at both ends, and have black dots. The hind wings are gray and end in the shape of a finger.
• The larva is 5-7 mm long, cylindrical, red at hatching, and white when fully developed.
• The pupa is red or light brown.       
• Life Cycle and Common Characteristics
  • The overwintering occurs at the caterpillar stage in cold regions (there is no overwintering in warm regions).
  • Females lay eggs on grains individually or in groups between rows of corn or in cracks of wheat or barley grains or on wheat spikes in fields with a reddish-white color.
  • The female lays 40-390 eggs.
    • Incubation of eggs from 3-10 days in summer and 20-30 days in winter.
    • The larva feeds on the contents of the bean and weaves silk threads, infecting the bean with one larva.
  • There are 3 ages for the caterpillar (20-24 days).
  • Pupa stage takes about 9-12 days.
  • The adult insect lives 12 days in the summer and 28 days in the winter.
  • The generation period is 5 weeks in the summer and 9-10 weeks in the winter.
  • There are 5-6 generations per year

   

  Damage and Economic 

  

  • It is frequently found on infected grains, and it is fast flying and moving insect.
  • The larvae feed on the starchy materials inside the grain and weave silk threads around it, and the corn grain may lose 15-25% of its weight during the feeding of the larvae, and therefore they cause huge losses to the grain in the store. Also, the germination strength of the grain decreases and the value of flour decreases due to the abundance of feces and other insect parts.
  • The grain is infested by one caterpillar (i.e., significant economic damage).

   

  2. 4. Khapra Beetles or Trogoderma
        1. Indianmeal Moth Granary Weevil or Wheat WeevilGeneral Description
           

           · The adult length is 3-4 mm. · The adult cannot fly. There are elongated dents on the anterior pronotum. · The color of the adult is dark chestnut or black closely resembles the rice weevil · The larva is 3 mm long, legless, and arched. The head is red-brown and the body is white. ·  The pupa is white with her head down.

           Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

           • There is no hibernation.
           • The insect lives 10 months.
             • The female lays eggs (total of 200-300 eggs) individually in small holes that the female makes through her mouth in the grain, and then covers with a slimy substance.
             • The larva feeds on the contents of the grain, and after completing its growth, it makes a cocoon inside the grain from the particles of the infected grain, and it pupates.
           • The adult emerges from a hole in the bean.
           • The insect does not develop in grains if the moisture content is less than 10%.
           • The generation is about one month in the summer and longer than that in the winter.
           • Notes: In areas with high temperatures, the incidence of granary or wheat weevil decreases and the incidence of rice weevil increases.

            

           Damage and Economic Implications

           • The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grain (wheat, rice), dried fruits, grain products, and tobacco leaves.
             4. Lesser Grain BorerOne grain infested with one caterpillar.
                3. Rice Weevil

                 

                General Description

                ·  The adult is 3-5.3 mm in length, dark brown, with four yellow spots on the forewings.  the body is narrow and elongated and the front of the head extends like a beak.  The hind wings are present.  The adult is able to fly. ·  Larva and pupae: similar to the granary weevil.

                Credit: Udo Schmidt

                Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

                • Similar to the granary weevil.

                 

                Damage and Economic Implications

                • The damage of the rice weevil is more than the granary or wheat weevil because it has the ability to fly.
                • It infests grain (rice, wheat, barley, and corn) in the field before harvesting.
                • It multiplies rapidly in the summer.
                • The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grains, destroying them and making them vulnerable to other insects.

                 

                4. Lesser Grain Borer

                 

                General Description

                · It is distinguished from the rest of the grain insects by its cylindrical shape and small size, as the adult is 2.5 mm long. The body is rough, dark chestnut or glossy black, and there are concave spots on the forewings arranged in the form of lines. The head is curved downwards and is equipped with powerful jaws that enable it to pierce wood and grain. ·  The larva is 2.5-4 mm in length, and white.  It is thick-bodied, cylindrical, and grub-like.  The head is brown and arched and the legs are small. ·  The pupa is whitish in color (it looks like an adult).

                Credit: CSIRO

                 

                Damage and Economic Implications

                ·  The larva and the adult insect feed on the stored grain and products (wheat, barley, corn, rice, pasta). · The adult digs into the dried grains. ·  The larvae feed on the grains after being infested or feed on the damaged grains or products.

                Credit: Clemson University – Bugwood.org

                IiI- External Feeders:

            

        General Description

        • The adult is 7-10 mm long, the basal third of the forewings are gray and the remaining section is reddish-copper. Hind wings are gray with dense pubescence.
        • The larva is 10-17 mm long, white (yellowish-greenish-reddish), pinkish-white, and has brown spots on its body.
        • The pupa is brown and 11 mm long.

         

        Credit: Mvuijlst

        Credit: Pudding4brains

         

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The larva overwinters inside the stored products.
        • Females lay eggs (350 eggs in total) in groups on stored products or beside food.
        • The eggs hatch after a few days, and the egg incubation for 3-12 days.
        • The larva needs 4-6 weeks to complete its development in the summer and 20 weeks during the winter.
        • The fully developed larva weaves a silken cocoon, which turns into pupae inside.
        • The pupa phase is 26 days (16°C) or 4 days (31°C).
        • The generation period is 3-7 weeks in warm regions.
          • The larvae of the last generation, at the end of autumn, hibernate.
          • There are 6-7 generations per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • The larva feeds on the stored materials (flour, yellow corn, dried fruits, biscuits, chocolate, dried milk dates) and secretes silky threads surrounded by the materials it fed on.
        • The larva pollutes the feeding site with feces and renders the materials unsuitable for consumption.

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The larva overwinters inside the stored products.
        • Females lay eggs (350 eggs in total) in groups on stored products or beside food.
        • The eggs hatch after a few days, and the egg incubation for 3-12 days.
        • The larva needs 4-6 weeks to complete its development in the summer and 20 weeks during the winter.
        • The fully developed larva weaves a silken cocoon, which turns into pupae inside.
        • The pupa phase is 26 days (16°C) or 4 days (31°C).
        • The generation period is 3-7 weeks in warm regions.
          • The larvae of the last generation, at the end of autumn, hibernate.
          • There are 6-7 generations per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • The larva feeds on the stored materials (flour, yellow corn, dried fruits, biscuits, chocolate, dried milk dates) and secretes silky threads surrounded by the materials it fed on.
        • The larva pollutes the feeding site with feces and renders the materials unsuitable for consumption.

         

        2. Cigarette Beetle

         

        General Description

        · Adult cigarette beetles are light brown, about 3 mm long, and fly readily. The head is bent downward, so the beetle has a distinct hump-backed appearance. · The larva resembles the drugstore beetle larva, but the body hairs of the cigarette beetle are considerably longer, giving it a more fuzzy appearance.

        Credit: Udo Schmidt

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The female lays about 30 eggs over a period of about three weeks in newly harvested tobacco or other susceptible food items.
        • The adults are most active during the early evening hours- unless temperatures are below 18.3°C, which causes them to stay closer to their harborage areas.
        • Adults hide during the day in dark places. Even though they are strong fliers, their primary means of spreading is via infested materials transported by humans.

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • The cigarette beetle is the most important pest of stored tobacco. It may also be a serious pest of items such as books, flax tow, cottonseed meal, rice, ginger, pepper, paprika, dried fish, crude drugs, seeds, pyrethrum powder, and dried plants.
        • Larvae feed on dried tobacco leaves, causing great damage.
        • The color is nearly white throughout, except for a distinctive group of yellowish-brown markings on the front surface of the head. The lower margin of the head is colored, and a series of four spots are arranged just above this area in such a way that a pattern suggestive of a little clown-like face is formed.
        3. Cadelle

         

        General Description

        ·  The adult is black, about 8-12 mm long. The body is oblong and tends to be an oval in shape. It has strong jaws, and its head and thorax are connected to the abdomen by a small ring. ·  The larva is relatively large in size and may reach a length of 18 mm. The color of the larva is yellowish-white, and the abdomen ends with two strong thorns, dark brown or black in color.

        Credit: Rosa Henderson

         

        Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

        • The insect spends its winter hibernation in the larval stage or an adult.
        • The female lays eggs in groups on or near food items (from 10-60 eggs per group).
        • One female can lay about 1000 eggs.
          • The eggs hatch after 7-10 days on average into larvae that complete their development in a period ranging from 2-14 months,
          • The larva may live for 3.5 years before turning into a pupa.
          • It is considered one of the longest-lived food insects, as the average life reaches about a full year and may extend to two years. They can survive for a long time without food.
        • An insect has one generation per year.

         

        Damage and Economic Implications

        • This insect infests flour, crushed grains, and cereal products.
        • It is sometimes considered one of the most dangerous insects of stored grains, and if it is abundant, its damage becomes severe, especially in mills.
        • It has the ability to puncture food packaging bags and cartons.

        The larva has a habit of burrowing into the wood and is difficult to remove when performing normal cleaning operations. It prefers to feed in the embryo area on whole grains and can feed on other insects.

     General Description

     · The adult is 1.6 -1.8 mm long. The body is brown, and the chest is reddish-brown. The body is covered with soft fluff and this allows it to glide between the grains. The antennae are yellow, and consisting of 10 segments. · The small, fast-moving larva is orange-yellow, with a brown halo on the last three abdominal rings.  It is 3 mm long.  The body is covered by long hair. · The pupa is a larva-like structure and remains within the last larval skin.

     Credit: USDA

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays 35-126 eggs between the cracks of the grain without giving them a glue substance, as in other insects, and lays them individually, or puts them in the cracks of the walls of the stores.
       • Incubation of eggs from 5-12 days in the summer.
       • The growth of the larva is completed within 20 days at 40°C and 40 days at 25°C.
     • The larva overwinters in the cracks in the walls.
     • The larva molts 4-14 times (depending on the amount of food).
     • The larva has the ability to live for a year without food.
       • The larvae enter dormancy in the cracks of the walls of the storage area, and this depends on the exposure of larvae to low temperatures and their exposure to high or low humidity.
       • All stages are resistant to heat and drought and can withstand a temperature of 45°C.
     • The larva can live in a relative humidity of less than 2%.
     • The larva lives in empty warehouses for 4 years without food.
     • There are 10 generations per year, one generation per year, or one generation over a year (depending on the environmental conditions).

      

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • They live on grain products such as flour, groats, pasta, and biscuits. They multiply on castor seeds and cotton. A type of them has been found that lives on all animal products, especially wool.
     • The larva and the adult insect feed on wheat and corn grains, destroying and polluting the grains.

      

     5. Drugstore Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is small in size, no more than 3 mm in length. It is reddish-brown in color and covered with short yellow hairs. ·  The larva is white in color and reaches a length of 5 mm when fully grown. On its arched body, there are short, translucent bristles.

     Credit: Siga

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays eggs individually in cracks in the surrounding products.
     • The time required for the transition from the egg to the full insect varies greatly depending on the prevailing temperature. In warm weather conditions, the development of the stages takes place within one month, while in cold weather it takes a whole year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • It feeds on many food products (food products such as bread, flour, spices, leather products, books, and carton packages). It may pierce sheets made of tin and lead, and is characterized by digging in a straight line in those materials.
     • The larva is the only feeding stage and can survive several weeks without feeding.
       • The insect has the ability to infest toxic substances such as poisoned pills and medicines.
     • Some specialists call this pest “the pest that eats everything but iron.”

      

     III – Scavengers:

     1. Mediterranean Flour Moth

      

     General Description

     · The adult is about 1 cm long.  The distance between the two ends of the flat front wings is 2.5 cm. The color of the forewings is light gray, each with two brown stripes. The hindwings are white with gray flanks and long fringes on the forewings and hindwings. · The larva is pale yellow or pink in color. On the body, there are small black tubercles, from which long hair appears, and the color of the head is dark brown. When fully grown, it is about 1.5 cm. ·  The egg is oval in shape, and white in color, and on its shell from the outside are simple protrusions resembling adjacent circles.

     Credit: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays eggs individually in accumulations of flour or other milled products.
     • The female lays about 200-300 eggs. The eggs hatch after about a week into larvae that begin weaving threads, starting at the third larval stage.
     • The duration of the larval stage is from 4-6 weeks. Before turning into a pupal stage, the color of the larva becomes dark green.
     • The pupal stage is from 8-14 days.
     • The duration of the generation is 7-18 weeks, and it has 3 generations per year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The larvae feed on dried fruits and pollen in beehives. They are found in grain and its products. They can adapt and reproduce at 1% relative humidity.
     • The larvae make tunnels in the foodstuffs that infect them and secrete thick silky threads on them that stick the particles of the food together and turn them into adjacent masses that are difficult to remove or clean.

      

     2. Confused Flour Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is 3-4 mm long and 1-1.2 mm wide.  Oval in shape. Its color is reddish brown. ·  Egg: very small, flattened, oval ,and white in color. · The larva is white-tinged with yellow, and the upper surface of the body segments is dark in color and covered with yellow hairs. The larva is cylindrical in body shape.  The fully developed larva is about 6.5 mm long. ·  The pupa is white tending to yellow. It is about 4 mm long.

     Credit: Sarefo

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays 350-450 eggs on stored foodstuffs during her lifetime.
     • The incubation period for eggs ranges from 5-25 days, depending on the temperature.
     • The duration of the larval stage is 33 days.
     • The duration of the pupal stage is from 6-20 days.
     • The adult insect lives from 170-200 days.
     • The insect has 4-5 overlapping generations per year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The insects is found on stored foodstuffs such as wheat, wheat, and corn flour, as well as dates that are packed in warehouses.
     • It does not cause economic damage.

      

     3. Red Flour Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is 3-3.7 mm long and 0.9-1.2 mm wide. ·  This insect resembles a flour beetle that is similar or confusing in appearance and color but differs in that the last three or terminal segments of the antennae are enlarged and enlarged suddenly from the previous ones so that the antennae look like a club. · The egg is cylindrical in shape and white in color. ·  The larva is white with a yellowish tint. When fully grown, they are about 6.5 mm long. The larva is cylindrical in shape, its pectoral legs are growing, and the abdomen ends with two short spines (anal horns) that are brown in color. ·  The pupa is naked and lives in the same environment as the larva.

     Credit: Udo Schmidt

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The female lays 400-500 eggs on stored foodstuffs during her lifetime.
     • The eggs hatch after 3-32 days.
     • The incubation period for eggs ranges from 10-25 days, depending on the temperature.
     • The larva goes through six larval instars (up to 12, depending on the type of food).
     • The duration of the larval stage is from 33-100 days.
     • The pupal stage lasts from 5-18 days.
     • The adult insect lives from 170-200 days (and may live from 1-1.5 years sometimes).
     • The insect has 4-5 overlapping generations per year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The insect infests stored dates, flour, grains, dried fruits, nuts, and other stored foodstuffs.
     • It does not cause economic damage.

      

     4. Sawtoothed Grain Beetle

      

     General Description

     ·  The adult is 3 mm long and 1 mm wide. There are six waw-like projections on each side of the thorax. ·  The adult is unable to fly. ·  The larva is 4-5 mm long, narrow in body form, and it is yellowish white.  Each of its abdominal segments bears a yellowish plate on the top side. · Pupa is 4 mm long, yellow with toothy protrusions on the edges of the body.

     Credit: Udo Schmidt

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The adult spends the winter hibernation on the stored products or in the cracks of the walls of the stores.
     • The female lays eggs (total 45-285 shiny eggs) in small masses in crevices in the food supply, although they are also laid freely in flour.
     • The female does not lay eggs below 24°C (the optimum is 30°C).
     • Egg incubation is 5-15 days.
     • The larva feeds on stored products and molts 2-4 times.
     • The larva is fully developed from 2-10 weeks.
       • The larva pupates and the pupal stage takes about 1-2 weeks.
     • The generation period is 3-4 weeks.
     • The insect has several generations a year.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The larva and the adult insect feed on stored and crushed grain and flour (flour, pasta, chocolate, tobacco, hazelnuts, pistachios).
     • The larvae damage the products and pollute them with their waste.

      

     IV – Secondary Pests:

     1. Yellow Mealworm

      

     General Description

     ·   Adults of the yellow mealworm are shiny dark brown or black, about 1.25 cm long. ·  When the larva is fully grown, it is a little over 2.5 cm.   The body is elongated and cylindrical, and has a harder body wall than the larvae of most other stored product pests. The body has a shiny yellow or light brown appearance, with only a few scattered setae.

     Credit: Udo Schmidt

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • Mealworms (adults and larvae) are usually found in dark, damp places in spoiled grain products. In residences, they are common in basements or at soil grade level.
     • Mealworm adults are slow-moving insects.
     • Adult mealworms live only about 10 weeks.
     • Each female lays about 275 eggs, which hatch into larvae that grow to 2.25 cm long.
     • The insect may remain in the larval stage for up to 600 days, depending on temperatures.

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • Larvae are active and are found in all sorts of unusual places in addition to breakfast cereals, macaroni, and feed mills.

      

     2. Dark Mealworm

      

     General Description

     ·  Adult dark mealworms are the same size as yellow mealworms but are dull black. Larvae are dark brown, as compared to the shiny yellow to light brown yellow mealworm.

     Credit: NobbiP

      

     Life Cycle and Common Characteristics

     • The dark mealworm has a similar life cycle and habits to the yellow mealworm.

      

     Damage and Economic Implications

     • The dark mealworm causes similar damage caused by the yellow mealworm.

      

     V – Rodents (please link to rodent section)

      

The post Stored Products Pests appeared first on ETS.

The main threat to wood at homes is from subterranean termites or ‘white ants’ Termites are nature’s recyclers; they have evolved over millions of years to become one of the most destructive forces of nature. Their job in the environment is to break down dead and dying tree matter and vegetation into nutrient filled dirt and they play a very important role in our eco system.

So why are termites such a worry to us? Not all termites eat wood, however the termites that are a threat to homes have developed a supreme appetite for wood. They’ll eat almost any timber structure including logs, stumps and building construction elements such as wall and roof framing.

Have you recently found live termites at your home or something suspicious and you’re not sure what it is, like:

• Bubbling or cracked paint on walls or trim timbers.
• Areas with mud or dirt trails.
• Strange unexplained noises (Scratching or faint clicking sounds).
• Damaged timbers and/or window frames

What should you do about termites?

It is very important not to disturb, touch, spray with fly spray or expose the area (termites are very shy insects and may leave infestation areas temporally when disturbed making effective treatment more difficult to carry out).

It is extremely important for homeowners to insist on regular termite inspections of their home and even workplace. A termite inspection is the best way to determine whether or not you have termites and also a great way to learn about hints and tips that will help you protect your home from future attacks from these little devils.

Termites damages

The damage bill from a termite infestation can quickly and this is not covered by home and contents insurance.

One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to ensure your home doesn’t get eaten out from under you is to insist on an annual termite inspection. A termite inspection won’t stop you from getting termites but it will find them if you do and, if you’re having your home checked annually, the damage will be minimised. A termite inspection is also a good way to alert you to any potential risk areas as well as give you sound advice on minimising the risk of a future termite attack.

At ETS we firmly believe in the saying “Your home is your castle” and we know our clients do too. We know when it comes to your home you want the very best for it.

The post Termites appeared first on ETS.