Well, it’s the rainy season once again in Florida. And with the rains comes the all too common damage of wood. Be it your shed, or an exposed corner on your home. And when wood gets nice and swollen from water, you can expect that wood-destroying pests won’t be far behind. That’s why today we’ll discuss some of the state’s most common wood eaters.
Wood Destroying Pests: Termites
Now, this was probably a no brainer to even a novice homeowner. Millions of dollars in damage are caused every year by termites. So you’ll likely have to deal with these guys at least once in your life. Termites cause more structural damage in the U.S. than any other wood destroying pests. Species that live underground are the most destructive of the bunch. They can be found throughout America, but the Southeast, including Florida, have the heaviest infestation and take the most damage.
Unlike carpenter bees and carpenter ants, termites eat the wood they infest. Cellulose, from wood or other plants, is their primary food. As their name indicates, subterranean termites live below ground in the soil. They travel through soil to reach the wood, seldom venturing into view. They often go undiscovered until extensive damage has been done.
This first sign of termite problems are often swarms of winged, reproductive termites or piles of wings they’ve shed and left behind. Spring swarms of winged termites, about 1/2 inch in length, indicate well-established colonies that may number in the hundreds of thousands. Close inspection of the insect reveals its distinctive physique. Termites have cigar-like bodies and straight, non-jointed antennae. Their front and hind wings are of equal lengths.
Subterranean termites nest where wood and moisture are plentiful. Look for sand-like, tubular passageways traveling along walls or pipes, connecting soil and wood. When tapped, infested areas sound hollow and empty. When probed with a screwdriver, their exteriors fail and reveal termite galleries inside. Unlike smooth-walled carpenter ant galleries, these are lined with soil and greyish-brown excrement. No sawdust piles exist — just remnants where wood once was.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are like the littler and calmer brother of the termite. They can be found throughout the U.S., and still cause damage to your home, but just on a much lesser scale. Normally, these ants seek out dead trees and decomposing wood in nature, but when homes offer moist, decaying wood, carpenter ants move in. They rarely invade dry, solid structures.
Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood. They excavate tunnels, known as galleries, where their colonies live and reproduce. The long, parallel channels have very smooth sides, free from sawdust and debris. Piles of wood particles and sand-like sawdust appear nearby as byproducts of their excavations. You may hear muffled, rustling sounds in walls. The first hint of carpenter ant infestation may be trails of large, dark ants leading into your home. Warm spring days bring out groups of dark, winged, reproductive ants up to 3/4 inch in length.
By the time colonies reach this stage, they’ve been in place for years. A few ants indoors may indicate foraging ants from an outdoor nest. Large numbers inside, especially near windows, signal trouble.
Follow ant trails for clues to their nesting spot. Focus on any damp areas, indoors and out, with large, dark ants nearby. Carpenter ants are often mistaken for termites, especially when winged, but these pests have distinct differences. Carpenter ants have defined waists, jointed antennae, and front and hind wings of different lengths.3 Termites have none of these features.
Carpenter bees
For our final wood-destroying pest, we probably have the least offensive. The carpenter bee is, honestly, not the end of the world when it comes to your home. These bees are similar in size to bumblebees. But, size alone isn’t good enough to readily identify them. They can be black, green, or even a shade of purple. Bumblebees, however, always have black and yellow bands on their fuzzy bodies. Outside of their hair, the abdomen of a carpenter bee is shiny and black, and they nest in the dead softwood of trees, homes, and any wooden structures. They’re unlikely to sting unless threatened as well.
To create their nests, carpenter bees bore round holes into softwood, which they then build out with expanding tunnels and galleries, or “brood chambers.” Carpenter bees prefer softwoods, such as cedar, redwood, and soft pine that is at least 2 inches thick. Carpenter bees will be seen going in and out of holes in the wood from early spring through late summer in colder climates. They appear to vanish when the weather turns cold, as they overwinter in nests deep within the wood.
Initial damage is slight, but as the bees continue to build out their tunnels and chambers to raise successive generations, the structure of the wood can be damaged and weakened by the internal hollowing. For new nests, the carpenter bees first bore a round hole into softwood. For large species, the hole is about 1/2 inch in diameter; it is much smaller for smaller species. Once the hole is about an inch deep, the bee then turns its boring to follow the grain of the wood and create a tunnel, initially about 6 to 8 inches in length. Along the tunnel, the bees construct many individual brood chambers. Into each chamber is placed a ball of food made of pollen and nectar. Then an egg is laid in the chamber and it is sealed shut.
Protect your home from Wood Destroying Pests
Like with anything else, once it gets bad it’s hard for a layman to handle a situation like this. These pests are tenacious, so you’ll likely need the help of a professional. Insects like bees, carpenter ants, and termites are all different threats to the softwood of your home. And, many times, it’ll be hard for someone with no experience to identify these threats at a glance. That’s why you should do your due diligence and call someone before it gets too bad. It’s like the old saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that goes double when it comes to wood-destroying pests infesting your home!
