Halloween is a holiday full of children dressed up in costumes, running from one home to the next, looking for tasty treats. Some dress as princesses, while others aim for spooky ghosts or goblins. In the animal kingdom, there is a wood-chewing pest that doesn’t have to dress up to look scary. The termite has a head with long pincers and no eyes. Hollywood couldn’t create a creature as scary looking as this pest. What makes things even more frightening is that termites cause billions of dollars in damage each year. No zombie could terrorize the world like this bug can, and they do it without you being aware of them! Eradication begins with regular inspections and quality termite treatment of your Hayward home.

Life Cycle of the Termite

Having a termite infestation is a frightening thought. You may wonder how you missed the sign of these homewreckers. They have a life cycle that ensures they can terrorize you all year long:

  1. Reproduction: Have you seen any wings on your windowsills? If so, you have witnessed the start of a new colony. Swarmers are the winged reproductive termites that break off from the colony in search of new areas to infiltrate. Seeing wings indicates a reproductive male and female have begun procreating. They will become the king and queen of this new colony.
  2. Eggs: Now that the king and queen have mated, the queen lays her eggs. She can lay thousands of eggs each year and lives up to 15 years. That means there are thousands of eggs hatching in your walls and foundation.
  3. Larvae: Eggs in the existing colony molt and grow to become one of three types of castes: workers, soldiers, and nymphs. Nymphs become reproductive, also called alates, and are the ones that will fly off to start other colonies.
  4. Castes: As the larvae continue to molt and develop, they will take on the distinct physical appearance of their designated caste. Worker termites construct tunnels and feed and groom other castes. Soldiers defend the colony and are fed by the workers. Alates are born with wings for leaving the colony later in their life.
  5. Swarming: Part of the life cycle includes expanding the colony. Swarmers are mature reproductive termites that have wings and eyes. They will take off, often in the spring and summer, searching for new places to begin a colony, thus starting the life cycle all over.

Rest Easier from Termite Terror – Choose a Dependable Pest Control Company

Don’t let termites treat themselves to your home. Choose a dependable pest control company that can eradicate your problem with quality termite treatment options. Times Up Termite’s technicians are trained to spot evidence of termites and offer you options such as the eco-friendly, reduced-risk insecticide, Altriset, which is a good choice for homes with children, pets, or pregnant moms. We may also recommend BASF’s bait monitoring and bait stations to eradicate the wood-chewing insects. Ready to have a peaceful holiday season? Call us today!

Call 510-568-7200 to speak with our team of experienced, licensed professionals at Times Up Termite, Inc. You can also contact us online to request a free termite inspection or termite treatment in Hayward.