What is termite and its harms

Termite are a group of Eusocial arthropod insects classified in the order Isoptera, a species of insects not closely related to ants. Termites are ecologically diverse and economically important insects that feed on cellulose, particularly wood. Termites spread worldwide, especially in the tropics, which prefer organic plant materials. There are more than 2,600 species of termites in California, with at least 23 different species.

Termites are found in California forests, woodlands, and deserts. These ants feed on felled trees and stumps, herbs, shrubs, or other parts of firewood. Termites can be extremely beneficial as they decompose woody debris, returning nutrients to the soil while providing an energy-rich food source for various predators. Trees are rarely destroyed. However, some types of termites can destroy the wood in buildings, including furniture and other wood products.

Termite damage

1- Termites cause much damage to the human body, as the termites transmit germs and bacteria to humans, and the termites infect humans with severe allergies, skin swelling, and frequent itching of the skin.
2- Termites also affect trees and human plantations and damaged wood, and have many damages to homes, which can cause the collapse of homes and threaten human life at risk.
3- For this, we can eliminate termites in many ways, including resorting to specialists in eliminating termites, including the most important specialists in eliminating termites, the termite control company that works to eliminate termites in the house.

Information about termites

1- It is one of the perennial insects whose life span extends to a few years, and the age of the queens may reach ten years.
2- It is one of the meals that some birds and lizards feed on because its body contains a group of fats and proteins.
3- It feeds directly on everything that contains cellulose, such as wooden furniture, paper, clothes, or rugs; therefore, this insect is one of the destructive insects of the entity and furniture of the house.
4- It is of great economic importance as it analyzes wood debris and returns it to the soil again. It acts as a natural fertilizer for the soil and returns important elements to it.
5- It is one of the favorite meals of some countries because it contains nutrients for the body.
6- When termites mate, they shed their wings, lose them completely, and become wingless and unable to fly.
7- Its digestive system contains microscopic organisms that are not visible to the naked eye. These organisms are present in the intestines, and their function is to convert undigested fibers into food for the colony.
8- A termite is a group of tunnels under the soil of clay and dirt and different halls for easy return to the colony again.

Signs of termites in the house

1- A person may see dirt in the wood, indicating termites’ presence.
2-Termites attack wood in the dark and the case of moisture and do not appear on the face/surface. The face of the wooden element looks smooth, but when you click on this wooden element, it looks hollow, which means that the termites are eating the wood from the inside.
3- When we see any rotting wood or any contaminated area, we find the presence of termites.
4- In the spring, termites try to get out of an old colony to form a new one, and in the process, they often find their bodies near the windows, which indicates the presence of termites.
5- The appearance of cracks in the paint on the wooden surface signifies the presence of termites in the wooden element.
6- The presence of mud streaks on the walls or the wooden members is a sign of the presence of termites in the house.
7- Termites gather at the light source at night, especially during their active times between November and March.

Termites and wood

1- Wood is considered not only a home for termites and their nests but also their first and best food source. Termites feed on a sugary substance known as cellulose, which is available in wood more than any other source by up to 33%.
2- So you find termite assemblies, each of which reaches 3 million insects, always stationed on or under wooden ceilings and floors, pieces of wooden furniture, tree trunks, and gnaws in them until it weakens its structure and makes it a nest that is easy to crumble with the touch of a hand, regardless of the strength, hardness, and quality of these woods. And her safety.
3- Textile industries such as curtains, rugs, clothes, and furniture, and protection such as records, books, papers, telephone poles and railways, raw bricks, crops in Upper Egypt such as sugar cane, rice, sesame and wheat, fruit trees, palm trees, and its fruits are among the sources rich in cellulose “albeit less than wood” as food sources. Termites include damage to vital facilities, the collapse of buildings, crop damage, and reduced productivity due to the insatiable hordes of termites.