White ants - the erroneous name of termites, a way of life and appearance resembling true ants. Modern science considers cockroaches not ants, but termites as the closest relatives of termites.
These insects lead a public lifestyle, like ants, wasps, bumblebees. Sociobiologists carefully study termites, trying to understand the laws by which they exist.
What kind of beast is termite?
The termites were given the name "white ants" by the people mainly for their whitish color and ant lifestyle. Externally, the termite from the ant can be distinguished not only by color, but also by the absence of a jumper between the breast and abdomen.
The termite size is not more than 1 cm. The body length and weight of an individual depends on its belonging to a certain type of insect and the social position of the individual in a termite family.
Like other social insects, termites in one colony are divided into castes, each of which is engaged in its own work.
Female and male individuals of the reproductive caste, as its name implies, are designed to maintain and optimize the size of the termite family. They are distinguished from termites of other castes by the presence of organs of vision and the dark color of the body, as well as a pair of triangular-shaped wings that will fall off after the first and last flight of the individual.
The remaining white ants assume construction, military, security and other social functions.
Scientists have data on almost three thousand types of termites in nature. These insects prefer a hot climate, so in the south of Russia there are only two species of white ants, in the countries of the former USSR there are only seven varieties. Some of them cause significant damage to private property and production.
Termites in nature
All the continents of our planet, except Antarctica, can boast that certain types of termites live on their expanses. The warmer the climate, the more free termites live.
Africa is the record holder for the number of varieties of these insects. Many-meter termite mounds have become an attraction and a hallmark of these hot places.
White ants erect peculiar high-rise buildings for themselves, using soil, their own saliva and their own excrement as building material.
Such termite mounds owe their enormous size to the tireless work of working individuals.
Do not expect good from cockroach relatives
Unfortunately, the impressive termite structures do not fully satisfy their tenants. Since termites prefer cellulose as food, their habitat can be not only the desert, but also human household buildings, wooden houses. This is the reason for their appearance, because they are forced to constantly seek food for themselves.
Residents of Asia, especially China, South America, Australia suffer most from termite pests. The damage done by these creatures amounts to billions of US dollars annually. The walls of wooden houses can form like cards, if you give free rein to termites, not to mention spoiled furniture and outbuildings.
White ants in the apartment may appear if the house has wooden floors. If we are talking about the southern latitudes, even the concrete foundation will not save from the invasion of termites, who will find a way to penetrate the house, even if this requires at least paving the way through the water pipes.
Are there termites in the house?
Little white ants can bring big trouble. To avoid complications and to start the fight for your own home in a timely manner, you must be vigilant. Termites in the middle of the living room will not build pests, but traces of their presence can be detected differently.
The main sign of the appearance of uninvited guests in an apartment or house, in addition to a personal meeting with insects, is the presence of small holes in wooden elements. You should carefully examine the doors, window sills, railings and stairs, furniture, walls of a wooden house at the level of the first floor, especially on the porch at the front door, for traces of the past feast of white ants.
Here you can find barely noticeable wood dust and reddish or black waste products of termites.
If voids appeared in the tree, the sign of which is a characteristic sound when tapped, this also indirectly indicates the work of termites.
If termites could not be detected on their own, but doubts remain, specialists should be called in who can use the thermal imager to determine the places where insects have accumulated.
Self termite control
It is not known what will cause the housing more damage, fire or white ants in the apartment. How to remove annoying pests?
The main means of controlling termites are special poisons, mainly based on chlorine compounds, with the exception of those that, being safe for humans and harmful to pests, can harm the well-being of other animals and plants, which is why they are even forbidden to use.
Mixtures of naphthalene, gasoline, kerosene, alcohol, turpentine, boric powder, mercuric chloride, creosote and even tar, wood tar from coniferous trees are also used for control.
Practice shows that independent struggle with termites is not always effective, therefore this matter should be left to professionals, and afterwards take care of the implementation of preventive measures.
Professional termite control
In the arsenal of termite control specialists, stronger drugs than those available on the free market. Destroying sick and weak individuals, such tools can even strengthen the colony of surviving termites.
Professional sanitation workers know exactly how to get rid of white ants in an apartment. To combat termites, gasification is used, smothering the treated surface with special substances. Of course, to achieve the perfect result, this method is suitable only in the case of processing portable wooden structures, such as furniture, since fumigation is carried out in special chambers.
Sanitary services will not only process the house, apartment and other affected objects, but they will also find and neutralize the nest of white ants that can live away from home. If termites have chosen an apartment or a house of neighbors, then processing the entire residential sector will be more effective than targeted strikes against the enemy.
The unpleasant proximity to termites is a dubious pleasure. Therefore, when buying a home, especially in warm places, attention should be paid not only to the quality of repairs and the prestige of the area, but also to signs of a possible "free application" in the form of such woodworms.
If it is planned to build a house, then the place for this should be chosen drier, the foundation should be poured higher, and metal should be preferred over a wooden fence. Also, for areas of high "thermite risk", sanitary specialists can offer preventive treatment of the house and its surroundings. These measures can minimize the risk of unwanted encounters with white ants in their own housing and in the workplace.