Alex Morgen

As spring techniques so do much of our six-legged friends ... ants, roaches, and TERMITES! Today, March 15-21 has been designated Termite Awareness Week. Your friends at Tradition wish to advise you that we are here for all of your termite and bug control needs.

As we celebrate the TERMITE this week, we believed that you might want to know a few intriguing facts about this unnoticeable pest and the results that they have on our environment.

Termites are social bugs and reside in nests. Within these nests there are 3 primary castes and throughout particular times a 4th caste.

Employees (little white ants) forage for food and aid feed the remainder of the colony.

Soldiers protect the colony versus predators such as ants and other pests.

Reproductives (queen and king) help the colony grow. The queen is the essential member of the nest. All other members do their task to safeguard her.

Swarmers appear only throughout particular times of the year and at particular stages of the colony's advancement. They are the winged termites that individuals see (generally throughout the spring in Arkansas). Their task is to leave one nest and begin a new one.

There are numerous species of termites around the world. The termite species that is most common in Arkansas is the Eastern Subterranean Termite (Reticulitermesflavipes).

These termites need three (3) things for survival:

Food (Cellulose found in wood or wood-based products).

Wetness (Require a constant source of moisture).

Moderate to tropical environment.

The Eastern Subterranean Termite normally lives and forages within the soil. Nevertheless, if they are able to access a consistent wetness source above ground (i.e., leak in a home), then they have the ability to establish a satellite colony above ground (aerial colony).

A termite nest can vary in size from several hundred thousand members to a few million.

Termite nests can take in approximately fifteen (15) pounds of wood in a single week.

While the 15 pounds of wood consumed in a week sounds frightening, termites are major contributors to the environment as they assist the decay procedure in the wild. It is only when termites forage and find a home or company that they become a threat to society.

Throughout this time of year, the most common termite that people see will be the swarmer (w