For Release May 15, 2001

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

With the recent warm weather, I’ve had the opportunity to see a lot of termites. Some were in containers brought into my office. Others were flying into my open car window as I’d sit at a stop sign or traffic light. The one thing that surprises me about termites is the amazement from homeowners when I tell them that termites are a very common insect in Kansas.

Let’s do a brief review of termites. Termites are a common ground dwelling insect in eastern Kansas. They feed on wood and anything made from wood fiber. If you drive a wooden stake into the ground now, and come back in September and pull it up, I’ll almost guarantee that you will find termite feeding damage on it.

Termites and ants do look somewhat alike, especially when you have swarming reproductives in the spring. They are easy to tell apart. Look at the waist and look at the antenna. Ants are related to wasps and have a thin, pinched in waist. Termites are thick bodied from head to tail. Look at the antenna. Ants have obvious joints or elbows in their antenna. A termite’s antenna look like a bunch of little beads strung together on a string. Don’t go on color or wings or anything like that. Look at the waist and the antenna.

Termites live in large colonies. The heart of the colony is the queen. The queen, all of her attendants and the brood chambers are located in the ground. From this nucleus, the workers move out through the soil looking for wood that they can harvest and take back to the colony for food.

If a building has wood in direct contact with the soil, it is very likely that it will eventually be infested with termites. Therefore, it becomes very important that you have no wood on your home in direct contact with the soil, and if possible maintain at least a 6 inch open space barrier between wood and soil.

Termites work quite slowly. If all the termites in an average colony worked on the same piece of wood, it is estimated that it would take them sixty days to eat one foot of a two by four. In Kansas, a colony has to be established for at least seven years before they will swarm. If you suspect that you have termites there is no need to rush into action.

There are two types of termite treatments. The traditional chemical barrier treatment is what everyone is familiar with. Large amounts of pesticide are injected into the soil all around, and sometimes under, the foundation, or slab, that your house is built on. This treatment does not kill the termites. It simply isolates those in your house from the rest of the colony. They will not cross the chemical barrier. The termites trapped in the house die of old age and the rest of the colony goes elsewhere to find food.

The newer treatment is a baiting treatment. Bait stations are placed in the ground around the structure. Once termites start feeding on the bait, it is replaced with identical bait that contains a growth regulator. The growth regulator prevents the termites from shedding their skins. If they can’t shed their skins they die and the entire colony dies in a few months.

Both treatment options are effective if done properly. If you think you have a termite problem don’t try to treat it yourself. Contact several firms, get bids and a list of referrals. Do not rush into signing any contract or fall to pressure scare tactics. Termites are common and many homes eventually become infested. Don’t panic, take your time, take steps to eliminate the infestation and then take steps to reduce the risk of future infestations.

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