What are desert termites?

The desert termite has a light brown body, and is about 3/8 inches. These termites are also social creatures who live in large colonies. The three castes within a colony are workers, soldiers and male and female reproductives. The most abundant are the worker termites.

How are termites treated in the desert?

For desert termites you known are residing in the soil in turfgrass, the best way to control them is by treating the soil with a high-quality termiticide, such as Taurus SC. Taurus SC does a great job of killing termites and is a non-repellent.

Are termites common in the desert?

Drywood termites are most prevalent in southern California, including the desert areas, but also occur along most coastal regions and in the Central Valley.

How long does it take for termites to destroy a house?

A large Formosan termite colony can cause significant damage to a house in approximately two years, if it is not controlled. Other termite species would take several more years to cause the same level of damage as Formosan termites since other species have much smaller colony sizes.

How big is a termite in the desert?

Desert termite alates are larger (1/2 to 5/8 inch long) than subterranean termites (less than 1/2 inch long). The desert termite body and wings are light brown, while subterranean termite wings are transparent and the body dark brown to black (Fig. 2). Behavioral characteristics also can help with identification.

What kind of life cycle does a termite have?

Having trouble with Termites? 1 Eggs. After the fertilized queen lays her eggs, they hatch into pale white larvae. 2 Nymphs. A nymph is a young termite that is going through molts, a process of shedding its exoskeleton, to become a reproductive. 3 Larvae.

How big does a subterranean termite colony get?

They are small in size compared to dampwood and drywood termites, but mature colonies can contain hundreds of thousands of individuals. Reproductive winged forms of subterranean termites are dark brown to brownish-black with brownish-gray wings.

Why are termites important to the desert ecosystem?

Desert termites help regulate the flow of carbon and nitrogen in an ecosystem. They process as much as half the dead roots and litter in annual and perennial grasslands. Bacteria in the termite’s hindgut convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia.