Termite Inspection Charlotte Home

http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com

One of the reasons that termites are so successful is that their highly developed caste system. There are four distinct castes of termites, of which three are seldom seen because they live underground.

Worker termites, like workers everywhere, are the backbone of a termite colony.These tiny, non-reproductive, wingless, grub-like creatures are responsible for foraging for food, excavating galleries in wood, caring for the young, and feeding other colony members. But before you get too sentimental, you should know that workers are also the caste that does all the damage to our homes.

Soldier termites are, well, soldiers. Their sole job (as far as we know, anyway) is to defend the colony from danger, such as predators. Soldier termites' mandibles (mouthparts) are adapted into weapons for fighting off attacks, as a result of which the soldiers can neither chew wood nor feed themselves. Therefore, the workers must feed the soldiers. Soldier termites are present only in mature colonies.

Reproductive Termites, except for the queen, have no duties within the colony other than to reproduce. Every colony has at least one reproductive known as the queen; more mature colonies may have additional reproductives known as supplementary reproductives, or "supps."
In addition to her reproductive duties, the queen also regulates the life of the colony through a complex and only partly-understood system of chemical messengers called pheromones.

Winged Reproductive Termites, properly called "alates" but often referred to as "swarmers," are produced by mature colonies. Their job is to leave the nest in pairs (commonly known as the king and the queen), clumsily flutter off into the big, wide world, find a suitable patch of dirt, and establish a new colony. Alas, the great majority will die in the attempt, and their lifeless carcasses and shed wings are often the first evidence thathomeowners see that their homes are slowly being devoured by termites.

Have you ever seen live termites? In this video by Charlotte NC Home Inspector Preston Sandlin of Home Inspection Carolina shows some termite damage to a slab house and some actual live termites in a Charlotte NC house.

http://www.homeinspectioncarolina.com

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Home Inspection Charlotte NC
• Charlotte Home Inspectors
• Charlotte Home Inspection
• Charlotte Home Inspector
• Home Inspector In Charlotte
• home inspection Charlotte
• Home inspections Charlotte
• Home inspector Charlotte

[0166882]

wow and i didnt know they were that big

[mesa401]

Eastern subterranean termite.

[scumy222]

ya they are small and i find it funny how much they can eat and so fast

[dexter1673138]

did not know they were that small!

[peekakiwi]

wow thats interesting ....