Dampwood Termites

WBurke17 · Dampwood Termites

DAMPWOOD TERMITES
Zootermopsis angusticollis
Class: Insecta
Order:Isoptera
Family:Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, Termopsideae

Overview;
Size: Dampwood termite nymphs are up to 3/4 in (20mm)long,swarmers up to 1 in (25mm) long.
Characteristics: The dampwood termites in these three families vary in appearance, but are in the same habitat group. Most of these species are larger than the eastern/western/subterranean termites
Pellets: Pellets are about 1/32 in (1 mm) long, the color of the wood being eaten. They have a long oval shape, like those of drywood termites but with the six sides flattened. However, they may be round or sphere shaped if the wood is very moist. Pellets of the desert dampwood termite are cone shaped.
Geographic Range: Dampwood termites are found in Pacific and adjacent states, the desert or semi-arid southwest, and southern Florida.
Comparison with other species: The three families that represent this dampwood termite habitat group contain species of varying appearance. Almost all of them are larger than the eastern/western/desert subterranean termites, nymphs being up to 3/4 in (20mm) long, and swarmers up to 1 in (25 mm) long including wings.
Habitat: Termites are wood destroying insects that live in damp, sometimes decaying, wood, such as logs, stumps, and dead trees that are still standing. One species is found in the dead limbs of living trees. Dampwood termites move into buildings where wood is in contact with the ground, or where there is a leaky pipe or other source of continual moisture.
Food: Dampwood termites eat wood.
Biology: Dampwood termites are not subterranean, and do not require contact with damp ground (except for desert dampwood termites). They do need damp wood, such as that in contact with the ground or constant moisture. They do not usually burrow in soil. Swarming time varies depending on the family. Check locally known species for specific information on swarming time. Swarmers excavate a chamber in wood, enter, seal it off, mate, and the female (queen) lays eggs. There is no worker caste; immatures do the work.
Invasion: From decaying wood outdoors, during swarming time.
Damage: Dampwood termites eat across the grain of wood, through both spring and summer wood, making chambers and galleries, and the tunnels which connect them. The walls are smooth and the galleries free of soil, except that in moist conditions droppings may stick to the gallery walls. In dry conditions the droppings accumulate at the bottom or are expelled. Pellets are used to seal off galleries.
Life Cycle:
Most termite species swarm in late summer or fall, although spring swarms are not uncommon for subterranean termites. New kings and queens are winged during their early adult life but lose their wings after dispersing from their original colony. An infestation begins when a mated pair finds a suitable nesting site near or in wood and constructs a small chamber, which they enter and seal. Soon afterward, the female begins egg laying, and both the king and queen feed the young on predigested food until they are able to feed themselves. Most species of termites have microscopic, one-celled animals called protozoa within their intestines that help in converting wood (cellulose) into food for the colony.
The majority of the dampwood colony consists of nymphs (immatures) that are pale and soft-bodied. Although they have no true worker caste, the nymphs perform the basic "house-keeping" duties similar to subterranean workers. This involves enlarging the gallery system, tending to the needs of the king and queen, care of the eggs and newly hatched young, and obtaining food for other colony members. As nymphs mature, they become reproductives (alates) or soldiers. The soldiers have pale, soft bodies, but large, dark, hard-shelled heads with powerful mandibles. The soldiers defend the colony against invasion by ants. Because their mandibles are so specialized, they are unable to feed themselves, and must rely on care from the nymphs. Physically, dampwood termites are larger than the subterranean and drywood termites, and the dampwood soldier can be quite formidable in appearance. .
The Nevada dampwood termites are slightly smaller and darker than the Pacific species; reproductives are about 3/4 inch long.
The Nevada dampwood termite occurs in the higher, drier mountainous areas of the Sierras where it is an occasional pest in mountain cabins and other forest structures; it also occurs along the northern California coast. It differs from the Pacific dampwood in being subterranean in "habit". It attacks only moist wood. This termite is of horticultural importance because it frequently attacks the underground parts of shrubs and young trees. It occurs often in citrus groves. It is also found in fence posts, baseboards and door frames of buildings. Flights occur in July and August in evenings after rains.
They don't require contact with the soil in order to obtain moisture, but wood with a high degree of moisture is needed. They are usually associated with wood decay. Because of their high moisture requirements, they most often are found in cool, humid areas along the coast.
Pacific dampwood termites (at times called a “rotten wood termite”) are a major pest at low altitudes along the coastal areas of California, Washington and Oregon.
Winged reproductives are dark brown with brown wings. Soldiers have a flattened brown or yellowish brown head with elongated black or dark brown mandibles. Nymphs are cream-colored with a characteristic spotted abdominal pattern caused by food in their intestines.
Dampwood termites nest in wood buried in the ground.
In nature, they are commonly found in tree stumps and fallen tree branches. In your home the most likely areas to find them would be an older wood deck, leaky roof eaves, leaky showers or tubs, or substructures with inadequate ventilation or plumbing leaks.
The Dampwood termite is much larger than the drywood and subterranean, measuring in at 3/8 to 3/4 of an inch. They can swarm periodically throughout the year and it is common to see the swarming reproductives caught in spider webs next to exterior lights since they are instinctively attracted to light.
The work of the colony is done by the immature soldiers or reproductives, there is no worker caste.
Swarms are small.
They produce a fecal pellet similar to the drywood termites, but it is slightly larger and has a more irregular shape. Damage in wood can be identified by a velvety appearance in the galleries.
They produce distinctive fecal pellets that are rounded at both ends, elongate, but lacking clear longitudinal ridges common to drywood termite pellets; flattened sides are noticeable.

Picture links
http://www.termitesurvey.com/dist...isAngusticollis_alate_698x800.jpg

http://www.termitesurvey.com/dist...Angusticollis_soldier_446x800.jpg

http://www.termitesurvey.com/dist...sticollis_Znevadensis_800x599.jpg