Dark Termites

At the heart of the colony is the termite queen who is responsible for egg production.

Dark termites. The dark southeastern subterranean termite has three castes workers soldiers and reproductive. Mud tubes are structures that subterranean termites build to connect the nest to the source of wood. They have black bodies and wings that are not only veined but also clear. Drywood swarmers are generally not dark black in color.

Worker termites do not have wings but still have the same antennae. Swarmers of the most common species subterranean termites have black bodies and clear veined wings. There is a strict hierarchy among the insects. Subterranean termite swarmers are solid black drywood swarmers are solid red while carpenter ants are usually red and black or dark brown.

Swarmers are the type of termites that can be black. Any soil to wood contact wood debris left in your yard or around your home wood debris buried under your slab or porch below grade stucco or veneer siding improper drainage or moisture around the foundation of your home mulch or gravel that is against the foundation that can hold in moisture. Dark southeastern subterranean commonly found in the east coast regions of new jersey virginia north carolina connecticut maryland and rhodes island this dark southeastern subterranean species of termites is a one third inch long and usually has a dark brown or black body. Workers soldiers and the reproductive caste.

There are also yellow termites such as the dampwood termites. These are the termites you are likely to see and inspect. Leave it to your pest management professional. Termite swarmers can be black.

This fact sheet focuses on how you as a consumer can identify and help protect your property from termites through effective prevention measures and appropriate use of termite treatments. Workers perform most of the efforts needed for colony maintenance as well as feed reproductives and soldiers. The other big difference is in the body. Sawdust or sand like material near windows and door frames which could be droppings of dry wood termites.

Identifying termites is not an easy task. Termites all have a long body with no small segments attached. They are described as having light yellow bodies. Workers also construct the mud tubes that enable them to move from the soil to above ground food sources.

Termite larvae can lay over a thousand eggs in a single day. Carefully pick one up and look at under a magnifying glass. Wood termites colonies live and develop similarly to colonies of ants and bees. They are white in appearance and sometimes translucent.

Look for the most common sign the color.