Just about anyone with a high-school degree knows that termites are a serious source of damage, annoyance and subsequent costs. They’re nearly impossible to spot in plain sight, have voracious appetites that will destroy just about any piece of aged wood (from hardwood flooring to antique furniture to wooden walls) – and they’re not exactly a breeze to get rid of. On the upside, though, there are plenty of solutions currently available for affordable pest control, in most parts of the country. Besides being a regular pest, there are several other facts about underground termites (or subterranean termites, as they have been alternatively referred to), which we bet you didn’t know. Read on to find out.
- Most people will fail to insure their residential properties against damage produced by termites. This is not just a result of oversight, but also of the fact that most home insurance policies simply don’t cover this type of calamity. If you’re investing in a home that’s got a couple of years in its history, make sure you find an insurance provider that will help you set your mind at ease and your furniture in the safety of coverage.
- You would think that all the states in the U.S. were created equal, in terms of their vulnerability at the hands of termites. And you’d be almost right – with one notable exception. Since termites don’t survive at extreme temperatures, they are rarely found at northern latitudes. As such, the state of Alaska is totally termite free.
- Not only are termites disgusting because they’re a pest, but their way of feeding isn’t exactly pleasant to consider either. First off, not all termites in a colony will go out to scavenge for food. As is the case with numerous other species of insects, the workers of the colony will feed directly on wood, then come back, throw up what they ate and help feed the rest of the ‘family’.
- Since they’re insects and are microscopic in size, it’s no wonder that there are more termites than humans on earth. On the other hand, consider the fact that a single colony of termites can host up to several million such pests. If we were to add up all the termites on the planet, their resulting collective weight would outnumber that of the human population.
- Not only are termites bad for human possessions, but they’re also quite detrimental for the environment. They produce methane, a gas that causes the greenhouse effect – and they are actually the second most important source of this gas in the world.