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Thousands of termite species have been documented, but all of these species can be narrowed down to three different types of termites known as subterranean, drywood and dampwood termites. In the US, dampwood and drywood termites can only be found in the southern...

Subterranean termites are the most destructive structural pests in the world. The most damaging termite species found in the US, the eastern subterranean termite, is abundant in all areas of Massachusetts. Subterranean termites dwell in colonies beneath the ground...

For several decades, chemical termiticides have been used to control subterranean termites. Subterranean termites dwell in colonies located beneath the ground soil. Colony workers leave colonies in order to gather food sources, such as dead roots, twigs, stumps, other...

Of all arthropod and rodent pests in the world, termites inflict the greatest amount of property damage. In the United States alone, subterranean and drywood termites are responsible for more than five billion dollars in damage to homes and buildings annually, and the...

Since termites naturally feed on cellulose, which is the fibrous material within all forms of plant matter, including wood, termites can feed on just about any wood source within a home. However, due to their need for constant moisture, subterranean termite workers...

Several subterranean termite species that inflict damage to structural wood within homes can be found in the US, but the eastern subterranean termite is the only termite pest species found in Massachusetts. However, this species is the most destructive termite pest in...

Just like ants, bees and wasps, termites form colonies that operate as a social hierarchy, or caste system. Subterranean termite colonies contain a worker caste, which accounts for a majority of individuals, a soldier caste, and the royal pair (queen and king). The...

During the early twentieth century, building code regulations were introduced in order to make structures as safe as possible for human occupants. By the mid 1990s, the International Code Council published the first edition of the International Building Code manual,...

Modern termite control methods aim to prevent infestations in structures, as preventing a termite infestation is less costly and stressful than treating an active infestation. Although barrier and baiting systems currently protect many homes from subterranean termite...

Subterranean termites are the most economically significant pests of homes and buildings, as they inflict more than one billion dollars in property damage each year in the United States alone. Several subterranean termite species damage structural wood in the US, but...

Unlike drywood and dampwood termites, neither of which can be found in Massachusetts, subterranean termites live below the ground surface where workers gather food for their nestmates by excavating foraging tunnels in the soil. The most economically significant,...

In many states, people selling homes are legally required to tell buyers about past and current termite infestations on the property, but this is not necessarily the case in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, home-sellers do not have to disclose information concerning...

Hundreds of millions of years of living below ground have made subterranean termites highly dependent on soil contact. The ground soil contains a significant amount of moisture that subterranean termites need in order to thrive. In fact, subterranean termites will...

The cost of termite damage repairs (not including termite control costs) in the US easily exceeds 1 billion dollars annually. Many entomology and pest control websites state that the annual cost of both termite damage repairs and termite control costs is around 5...