Dampwood Termites Facts
Dampwood termites are primarily seen in the North American continent, and they’re the biggest termite species in the region. If you’ve ever had moisture problems in your home, then you too might have experienced termite activity or infestation.
What Is The Size Of A Dawood Termite?
The dampwood species are almost triple the size of other termite species, such as the subterranean and drywood termite. King and queen dampwood termites are as much as 5/8th of an inch in length.
Otherwise, the worker dampwood termites can be even bigger, with winged termites to 3/4 inch in length. And nymph dampwood termites are generally around half an inch in length. Usually, nymphs perform the duty of protecting the king and queen dampwood termites in termite colonies.
Where Do Dampwood Termites Live?
You’ll likely find dampwood termites living in areas with high moisture content, such as fence posts, sheds with moisture issues, and damp wood that’s been in contact with the ground.
Moreover, dampwood termites require contact constantly with water, which is why they look for spots with high moisture content to inhabit.
What Do They Look Like?
Despite being from the same family, a soldier or worker termite looks different from the nymphs. On the one hand, soldiers look a lot more aggressive than nymphs, with flattened heads and an overall dark brown look to their whole bodies.
On the other hand, nymphs look much more muted, as they can be described as cream-colored.
Can Dampwood Termites Fly?
Some Neotermes family members can fly, but not all of them. Other than the reproductive swarmers, none of the members can fly. The king, queen, and soldiers all don’t have wings, which is why it’d be a rare sight to come across a winged swarmer.
How Do You Deal With The Termites?
It can be worrisome to experience termite infestations at home, but it’s essential to classify the types of dampwood termite to make sure you know how to deal with the ones you come across.
Dampwood termite control sounds complicated, but it’s easy once you know what type of dampwood termites live in your moist wood or other infected furniture. So, that’s why dampwood termite identification can be crucial.
Types Of Dampwood Termite Species
It’s important to understand that there are sub-categories to the dampwood termite, and classifying them allows you to get rid of them more efficiently. We’ve already talked about some members of the dampwood termite colonies, like nymphs, the worker caste, and the king and queen.
Unlike other termites like drywood termites and subterranean termites, the dampwood termite is large and can be more aggressive against wood. So, if you ever find wood decay in a spot with moisture, know it might be the work of a dampwood termite.
Florida Dampwood Termites
Also known as rottenwood termites due to their rotten wood-dwelling, dampwood termites are classified into three major species according to the region of land they’re in. The first, and the least aggressive one, is the Florida dampwood termite, which usually stays away from home infestation.
These Florida dampwood termites, as the name suggests, are commonly found in Florida, typically around the southern Florida region. Florida is a common ground for termite infestation, as there are many termite families there, including the drywood termites.
Pacific Dampwood Termite
We also have the Pacific dampwood termite, which usually resides in mountainous regions and can be found in Pacific Coast states, like Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.
Moreover, pacific dampwood termite infestations can bring about severe dampwood termite damage in homes, including damaged wood, dead trees, and more.
Additionally, the aggressive quality of Pacific dampwood termites makes it suitable to be an economic pest. They love to damage wood and will eat away your wooden furniture if you have a moisture problem at home.
Nevada Dampwood Termite
The third type of the dampwood family, the Nevada dampwood termite, is very similar to the Pacific dampwood termites. Just like it, Nevada dampwood termites love to hunt moist and sound wood. You can find these in and around the area of Nevada, Montana, and Idaho.
Moreover, you might even come across the Nevada dampwood termite in the regions of Pacific dampwood termite, as they can often be found in the same areas.
How To Treat Dampwood Termite Infestation
Removal Of Moisture
Dampwood termite control uses similar treatment methods as you would with the drywood termite when they’ve infested wood that isn’t in contact with the soil. In that case, you have to make structural changes to extract water content from the wood and the ground, which is also done when controlling subterranean termites.
However, unlike subterranean termites, termite control with dampwood termites requires the replacement of wood. You could also do wood treatment with Bora Care, an excellent chemical treatment for pest control.
Using A Baiting System/Insecticide
After you’ve removed all moisture from the wood, you can proceed to apply a termite baiting chemical, such as the Hex Pro Termite Baiting System, which is one of the best termite insecticides on the market.
Even if removing the water content from your wood seems undoable, you can still use the Hex Pro Termite Baiting System directly. That’s because it’ll act as an aggressive pest control against any type of termites, be it drywood termite, subterranean termites, or just the regular dampwood. Most species will be eliminated by the use of the Hex Pro baiting system.
Preventive Measures For Infestation
Before any treatments, you should initially resort to simply keeping all areas of your home well ventilated and free of moisture. This can be in dark, small spots, such as the attic or the shed.
These measures will allow you to avoid the infestation in the first place instead of getting rid of it later on. Take extra measurements of fixing any leaking water sources beforehand so that you can avoid the infestations altogether.
Bottom Line
Once you’ve figured out the type of termites at your home and whether they’re in a shed or infesting a structure of wood, it’s a simple task to get rid of them. But, first, you need to treat your wood or soil with a pest control wood treatment.
Afterward, you apply the termite Baiting System, and you’ll be clearing out your home from termites like a pest management professional!
Overall, termite pest control might sound a little overwhelming at first, and you might feel the urge to put it off or call someone to do the job. However, if you do the research and work with the correct pesticides, you’ll be able to treat your infested home without much difficulty.
