Wood-destroying Organisms

Subterranean Termites This species is restricted to the West, ranging from British Columbia to Mexico. These insects are swarmers. They are about 3/8" long including wings. Bodies are dark brown to almost black. Fontanelle (frontal gland pore) is present and they have front wings with two dark, hardened veins in the front portion. The wings are brownish gray with a few barely visible hairs. Their front wing scale is distinctly larger than the hind wing scale. Legs have a slightly darkened tibia and a pale tarsus.

Drywood Termites These insects live in wood which has a relatively low moisture content (12% or less), in the Western United States, Northwestern Mexico, and Florida. They are swarmers 7/16" to 1/2 " long including wings. Their heads and pronotums are orange brown, abdomens are dark brown, and wing membranes and hardened veins are blackened. They have Antenna with 10-11 segments. They are not hairy, their tibia exhibit no spines along their length and they have no pad between their claws.

Dampwood Termites As their name implies, dampwood termites locate their colonies in damp, sometimes decaying wood. Representatives of three termite families (Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, Termopsidae) are included in this distinct habitat group. These termites vary in appearance from family to family. Almost all are larger than the eastern/western, desert subterranean termites with the nymphs being up to 3/4" (20 mm) long and the swarmers up to 1" (25 mm) long, including wings. They occur in the Pacific Coastal and adjacent states, the desert or semi-arid Southwest, and Southern Florida.

Anobiid Beetles Anobiids Beetles are the most commonly encountered of the powderpost beetles. They are also called Deathwatch beetles because of a tapping sound they make when mating. Heard in the quiet of the night by people sitting with an ill person, this tapping was believed to indicate that death was near. Adults are from 1/32 to 3/8" long. Their shape is variable but usually elongated and cylindrical. Their color is reddish brown to black, sometimes with lighter areas of pale hairs. Prothorax hoodlike enclosing head. Antennae are not symmetrical, last three segments lengthened and expanded. Larvae are white and C-shaped. Signs of infestation are round holes in wood with piles of powdery waste below.

Wood Decay Fungus Wood Decay fungus (poria incrassata) For a great discussion of this problem, we recommend the following web site. More information on poria incrassata

Carpenter Ants Several species of carpenter ants, Camponotus spp., are capable of damaging wood in buildings and other structures. Carpenter ants cause problems mainly in mountainous areas and in forested rural areas along the central and northern coastlines of California; they may also invade buildings in urban locations.