for M A Y Pacific dampwood termite PROPER NAME: Order Isoptera, Family Termopsidae, Zootermopsis angusticollis. WHEN MOST PREVALENT: In damp wood all year round; winged reproductives appear in April and May, then again in July and August. SIZE RANGE: Nymphs range from 13-20 mm in length; adults can reach 25 mm in length. [View magnified Insect] WARNINGS: Our local termite infests only damp wood, never dry, sound lumber. Therefore, a termite infestation in your home means that you have wood that needs replacing because it has suffered some sort of water damage. Porches, windowsills, and foundations are particularily susceptible. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Pacific dampwood termites are found in the lower mainland and on southern Vancouver Island. They can extend as far north as Prince Rupert and the Queen Charlotte Islands. SOUNDS: Place a glass or stethoscope against a wall in your home and listen for the chewing sounds! In nature, Pacific dampwood termites live in dead coniferous trees, stumps, or logs. Wood that is already rotting is easier for them to invade. Wood in your home that never dries out completely between rains or is in constant contact with ground water is as attractive to them as their natural habitat. Winged reproductives leave a termite colony in search of new homes in late summer each year. A male and female pair up, select a suitable site, and start a new colony. After landing, they break off their wings and begin their burrowing lifestyle. The original male of the pair will become the king of the colony, and the original female will become the queen. She lays only about a dozen eggs at first, which hatch in a few months. Nymphs are either workers, taking care of the colony, or soldiers, defending the colony. The colony grows to as many as 4000 individuals, with reproductives being produced yearly. The cycle begins again in each new location selected by the termite pairs. Although nymphs do not live for long periods of time, some termite queens may live several decades, producing thousands of eggs during this time. Termites actually ingest wood and recieve nutrition from it, unlike carpenter ants which merely burrow in wood to make their nests. Termites are capable of breaking down wood in their bodies by either the presence of a cellulase (an enzyme that degrades cellulose) or symbiotic bacteria in their guts. Termites are often mistaken for carpenter ants, as they are similar in general appearance. However, termites have no waist (a constriction between the thorax and abdomen) like ants do, and their antennae are small and inconspicous, unlike the prominent, elbowed antennae of ants. If you suspect an infestation in your home, but are finding it difficult to locate the insects themselves, look for evidence of termites in the form of small, brown fecal pellets. Sometimes you can even hear them instead of seeing them, by placing a glass or stethoscope against a wall in your home and listening for the chewing sounds. FAMILY RELATIONS a) Order Isoptera, Family Rhinotermitidae, Reticulitermes hesperus - the western subterranean termite. b) Close cousins: Order Hymenoptera, Family Formicidae, Genus Camponotus - the carpenter ants. [TO TOP] [BUG of the MONTH TABLE] [HOME]