Where Do Termites Live?

Even if you have a new house built with stone you could still have a termite problem

Termites might be secretly infesting a house without being noticed by the homeowners. Pest Management Professionals, however, are trained to determine several signs of termite infestation. These people know where to specifically look for these signs and are able to assess the severity of the infestation by means of careful observation.

Detecting the presence of termite activity is one thing, looking for their nest is a totally different procedure. This would require lots of work, searching and tracing. People sometimes even fail to really get to where these termites reproduce and nurse their larvae. Where do termites live? What made them choose such places to build their colonies? What are the conditions necessary in maintaining a colony or nest?

Answering the question “Where do termites live?” is relatively easy. Generally, termites live on pieces of wood and underground. Determining their exact location in your house or property, however, is quite difficult and you need to consult experts in order to come up with a full-proof termite management and eradication program.

Many types of termites live on soil. They are referred to as subterranean termites. Traces of these termites are mud tubes that are built to connect their nests to their food sources. These mud tubes function as pathways in when they gather and transfer food and also provide additional protection from harsh environmental conditions and natural enemies like ants.

Where do termites live besides underground? Termites also thrive well in dry wood. Such choice of habitat gave them the name drywood termites. These organisms live in the same place where they get their nutrition. Signs of their nesting activity include leaks, holes and cracks on wood portions of the house such as posts, doors, and flooring. Decayed wood, timber and tree trunks in the yard are also appealing places for drywood termites. Decayed wood is easy to digest and contains fungi that are also good sources of nitrogen for termites.

Where do termites live? What makes these places ideal environment for colony formation? Termites prefer an environment with adequate moisture content or where there is an adjacent water source. Places that provide them protection from extreme weather conditions and secure them from their natural enemies like the ants are ideal niches.

During winter when the temperatures drop to below zero, termite activity is greatly reduced. But if these organisms are successful in establishing colonies in places that keep warm even during winter, they can continue in their activities and create massive destruction to your property. Termites are sometimes unpredictable and adaptive to their environment and even though you are armed with the knowledge of where termites live, you may still find it difficult to actually locate them and destroy their nests.

Fortunately if you live in a northern state, you have a possible blessing in that winter could kill off an entire colony.