Termite biology and information about termites in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area.

In the Cincinnati- Dayton corridor of the Ohio valley we live in a moderate to heavy termite pressure area. We typically have Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) which is the most common and widely distributed termite throughout North America. It occurs south of the line where the average annual minimum temperature is -22° F.

Click on image below for larger PDF of Termite vs Ant Picture

Swarmer about 3/8" (10mm) long including wings. Body dark brown almost black. Wing is translucent (slightly milky) to slight smokey in color

Soldier head is rectangular in shape with a length about 1.5 times width. Mandibles lack teeth and with tips, especially left incurved about 70-90°.

Worker are slightly smaller than soldiers and spend most of their life foraging for food sources. They mark food sources with pheromone scent trail. Termites can enter a structure through cracks less than 1/16" (1-2 mm) wide. If secondary moisture is available from a leaky pipe or roof a secondary colony can exist without ground contact.

Nymph are all stages between egg and adult. During this timeframe they can shift and become either a supplementary reproductive to help support the colony, a soldier or a worker depending on what the colony needs.

Termite Shelter Tubes are typically 1/8-1/4" wide and can become wider when multiple tubes are built together. The shelter tubes help the termites control the moisture in their environment, protect them from predators and provides support to the cellulose material the are consuming. When you take a small section of the tube out 1/2" or so if it is active termites will be traveling along this highway back and forth. Workers will typically re-seal the area within a day to keep the food source active.

(This is a outside of a structure on the foundation. Which is why we recommend you keep your mulch below your siding so you can visibly check for this activity.)

(This is the interior of a slab foundation where the termites have come through the expansion joint on the slab and up into the wall.)

Damage. Subterranean termites eat mostly the spring wood and leave the harder summer wood which they cannot effectively digest. Hence, damaged wood appears to be layered. Also soil is typically found in the galleries.

Termite Colony. A mature termite colony may consist of 60,000 to over a million workers. Sixty thousand workers can/may eat 1/5 ounce or 5 grams of wood each day. At this rate, such a colony could completely consume 2 1/3 linear feet of a pine 2" X 4" board in 1 year. However, there may be several colonies associated with a single building.