If you’re concerned that your home is infested by drywood termites then the best way to confirm your suspicions is to look for their fecal pellets. This is because drywood termites have a very distinctive fecal matter called “frass.” They are at least 1mm long hexagonal shaped pellets that can be found at the base of wooden objects.
However, unlike the frass of other termites, the fecal matter of most drywood termites tend contain very little moisture. This is because drywood termites have the ability to conserve moisture by extracting water from their feces. What this basically means is that any “frass” that can be found in dry areas will almost certainly have come from drywood termites. A few good examples of these kinds of places are the attic, closets as well as areas near your windowsills.
The good news, though, is that drywood termite infestations only occur in several small areas around the world. So if you live in an area where drywood termites do not exist then you won’t really have to worry about them any time soon.
How Do You Tell the Difference Between a Drywood Termite And An Ant?
The good news is that drywood termites look just like regular termites. So if you know how to identify the average termite, you should have no problem telling them apart from regular ants. On the other hand, if you don’t know how to tell the difference between an ant and a termite, here are several tips to help you get started.
Termites
- Termites have no “waist” areas, like ants do.
- Termite bodies have a more rectangular shape.
- Certain types of termites have four wings that are of similar in size and dimensions. These wings are also often much longer than the termite’s body.
- Termites have straight antennae.
Ants
- Ants often have narrow waist-like areas.
- Ant antennae are often bent
- Flying ants have 2 large wings at the front and a pair of shorter ones at the back.
Appearance and Behavior of Drywood Termites
Ordinary drywood swarmers are usually 12 mm long. They can usually be found in wood, though they don’t need to connect such colonies to the ground, nor do they need to be close to a source of moisture. Although drywood termites can only thrive in certain areas throughout the world, the amount of damage that they can cause is also quite substantial.
Moreover, it’s also worth mentioning that drywood termites rely on a regular diet of wood and cellulose materials. They can also be found commonly in the attic as well as other isolated regions of your home which are often ignored or left empty. Unlike other termites, they also require very little moisture, so you can expect to find them around the dry areas of your home.
Unfortunately, dislodging them from these areas is relatively difficult and the only way that you can prevent any major damages to your home is to hire pest control professionals right away. This is because given their lack of need for moisture, drywood termites tend to make their colonies in more elusive areas of your home, so finding them will be relatively difficult. Rooting them out with anti-termite sprays and chemicals is also ineffective. The only way you can deal with the problem permanently is to get help as soon as possible.