Termites at Work: Could They Be Clocking in at Your Facility?

Termites are the ultimate workaholics.

These “silent destroyers” toil around the clock and can hide in areas of your facility without any immediate signs of damage. Charged with causing more than $5 billion in damage each year, termites’ relentless chewing could create an expensive problem for you before you even know they’re at work.

While many commercial properties have concrete foundations, termites can still find their way inside to infest structural supports made of wood. Other wood-based structural elements like floor joists and window frames can be vulnerable to termites, as well as interior wood since termites will pass through plaster, siding and foundational cracks in search of wood.

What attracts termites to businesses?

Termites are attracted to businesses primarily due to their need for food, moisture, and suitable nesting environments. They are detritus feeders consuming cellulose found in wood, paper, and other plant materials, making wooden structures and untreated materials prime targets. Excess moisture from leaks or poor drainage creates ideal conditions for termite colonies, while structural vulnerabilities like cracks in foundations provide easy entry points. Landscaping choices, such as dense vegetation and mulch, can also retain moisture and obscure signs of activity. To prevent infestations, businesses should maintain dry conditions, use non-wood materials, and conduct regular inspections by pest control professionals.

How to Identify Termites

The three common types of termites that can invade commercial businesses are subterranean, drywood and Formosan:

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites prefer soft woods and usually nest in moist soil. The complex tunnels they create into buildings to locate food can cause structural damage.

What do subterranean termites look like?

Subterranean termites vary in appearance by caste. Workers are cream-colored, 1/8 to 3/8 inches long, and wingless. Soldiers have brown heads and large mandibles. Winged reproductives, also known as swarmers, are dark brown to black, measuring ¼ to ½ inch. They build mud tubes to access food and primarily feed on cellulose in wood. Colonies can contain up to two million members, thriving underground but sometimes establishing above-ground nests when moisture is present.

Drywood Termites

Drywood termites infest wood that is not in contact with soil. They construct nests in wood above ground such as lumber in sub-flooring, walls, roofs and wood furniture.

What do drywood termites look like?

Drywood termites are typically cream-white to light brown and range from 3/8 to 1 inch long. They have a thicker, oval-shaped waist, short legs, and straight antennae, with wings of equal length. Unlike subterranean termites, they do not require soil contact and infest dry wood, often leaving behind distinctive fecal pellets known as frass. Swarmers can be seen during warm weather, and their presence is often indicated by discarded wings and small kick-out holes in the wood.

Formosan Termites

Formosan termites infest structures that come into direct contact with soil, traveling through mud tubes. They are attracted to places that abound in moisture and can even infest roofs.

What do formosan termites look like?

Formosan termites are yellowish-brown to tan, with workers measuring 1/8 to 3/8 inches long and cream-colored. Soldiers have large, oval-shaped orange-brown heads and curved mandibles, while winged swarmers are about 1/2 inch long with wings of equal length. They build distinctive mud tubes and carton nests, forming colonies that can contain millions of termites. Known for their aggressive wood consumption, they swarm at dusk during warm, humid evenings from April to July and can establish nests without ground contact.

6 Key Signs of Termites

Termites are an unseen threat, living mostly underground and in the walls of your facility. Look out for these indicators of a termite infestation:

• Damaged and decaying wood structures

• Brownish-tan droppings that resemble wood pellets

• Mud tubes found on the siding of structures

• Cracked or bubbling paint on the walls

• Termite swarms, or hundreds of winged termites, typically seen after a rainstorm or on a cloudy day

• Small wings from termite swarms discarded near doors and windows of buildings

6 Ways to Help Prevent Termites

Since termites are a constant threat to your facility, here’s how you can help monitor for, and manage, their activity:

• Check water drainage sites to ensure they remain cleared and effective

• Monitor the collection of moisture by fixing pipes, gutters, downspouts, A/C units and other fixtures susceptible to leaking

• Caulk around utility lines or pipes

• Get rid of rotting wood and debris near building

• Place screens on outside vents

• Check wooden structures for damage

Small steps can make a big difference in preventing termites and sustaining an effective termite treatment plan.

Want termites clocking out of work at your facility sooner rather than later?

Read here for more information on these chewing champions (and many more where that came from in our Pest Library).