Termite troubles are no fun. In fact, they are quite the opposite. When you have termites infesting your home or business property, things can quickly go from bad to worse. These pests wreak havoc on your property from the inside out and can create costly damage and personal stress.

In a termite emergency, a Nowra termite expert like the team here at Termite Solutions can come quickly to the rescue. Ideally, however, you’ll use prevention and regular termite inspections to keep a massive infestation at bay. This is the best way to ensure termites remain a distant entity for you and your home.

But don’t get overconfident. Being cavalier about termites might cause you to miss or even ignore the signs they’re in your home. And these insects are wily. Check out these 6 facts about termites. They’re sure to help you stay on high alert.

1. It is believed that there may be more than 250 trillion termites on earth.

That’s more than 40,000 termites per person on the planet. Yikes! A great reminder that termites could be nearly anywhere.

2. Termites can chomp through more than just wood.

Those extra-strong mandibles mean that termites are capable of consuming more than just your average piece of timber. They prefer moist, rotting wood when possible, but will chew through other materials to get to their favourite treat. What can termites eat through? Paper, cardboard, and even plastic.

3. Young termites are able to fly.

While not all within the termite caste can fly, reproductive alates can do so from the time they are born. After emerging, they fly away from their home colony to mate and establish a fresh colony elsewhere. During this season, you might spot their discarded wings around your property. This can be a sign that a new colony has just sprung into existence—a great time to give your Nowra pest control expert a call.

4. There are approximately 2,300 species of termites in the world.

In Australia alone, there are 350 types of termite. While the Shoalhaven and other areas of NSW don’t face as extreme of a termite threat as our neighbours to the north, we still need to be on guard. This part of the country is the habitat of a few of the most destructive wood-eating termites. A scary termite fact for sure!

5. Compared to the worker termites, a termite queen is gigantic.

A queen basically lives, eats, and reproduces. She is capable of producing 30,000 eggs per day, which accounts for the enormous potential size of termite colonies. She can also live up to 20 years. That’s a lot of baby termites.

6. Termites are essential to a healthy earth.

Despite the damage they can cause to our homes and businesses, termites remain an integral part of a thriving eco-system. Their consumption of waste helps other plant life to thrive. Termites aren’t going away anytime soon.

For now, this just means the battle wages on….

Need help getting rid of termites in your home? Give us a call immediately for a fast, effective solution.