RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

Did you know that termites cause up to $2 billion in damage per year! Here's more interesting termite facts!

• Termites are actually present in about 70% parts of the world, and its population outnumbers human beings on a ratio of ten to one.
• Termite colonies can reach up several millions of termites and most properties have multiple colonies on them.
• Contrary to popular belief, wood which has been pressure treated is not immune to termite attack; termites will enter pressure-treated wood through cut ends and cracks, and will also build tunnels over the surface.
• Termites build the largest nests of any insect.
• Termites can feed off wood as well as off paper and paper products such as books, insulation and parts of swimming pools, including a pool's liner and filtration system.
• Every termite colony has a social system. The queen and king termites are at the top of the colony, and their roles are to help the colony reproduce.
• Termite royalty is unique in the insect world because they can live for several decades. Queens can live 50 years under the right conditions.
• Termites have lived on Earth for approximately 250 million years.
• In addition to having a queen and king, termite colonies also have soldiers with bulbous heads and big jaws to protect the colony. Worker termites perform other functions such as taking care of the queen and gathering food.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

It was an all you can eat buffet at the bank. An army of termites munched through 10 million rupees ($222,000) in currency notes stored in a steel chest at a bank, police in northern India said Friday.

The bank manager discovered the damage when he opened the reinforced room in an old bank building on Wednesday, police officer Navneet Rana told The Associated Press.

"It's a matter of investigation how termites attacked bundles of currency notes stacked in a steel chest," he said. The money was put in the chest in January.

The termites had damaged bank furniture and documents in the past.

The police have registered a case of negligence against bank officials in Barabanki, a town 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh state capital. In India, police register a case before opening an investigation.

Source = Yahoo News

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Termites and Carpenter Ants Drove Tiger's Ex to Demolish $12 Million Mansion

Finally, an explanation why Elin Nordegren, Tiger Woods' ex-wife, bulldozed the $12 million oceanfront mansion she bought only last year.

Her builder told People magazine the 17,000 foot, six bedroom home in North Palm Beach, Fla. wasn't built to code to withstand Florida hurricanes. To top it off, Habitat for Humanity found the place was crawling with termites and carpenter ants. So it made more sense structurally and economically to tear it down and start over with a new home.

The 32-year-old Nordegren, who's living nearby with her and Woods' two children, invited the charity to salvage tens of thousands of dollars worth of cabinets, hardware and fixtures before sending in the wrecking crew. Said Habitat's director of deconstruction, Bobbi Blodgett: When we pulled out the windows, the bugs were everywhere... To rebuild that house would have been ridiculous. We're so grateful to Elin. It's rare we get this kind of donation.

Nordegren got $100 million in her divorce from Woods so she can afford it. She never shared the demolished mansion with Woods, who recently appeared as an honorary captain for his alma mater Stanford at the Fiesta Bowl.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Termite Guts Could Lead to Bio-fuel Production

Different enzymes found in the digestive systems of termites could overcome current obstacles associated with creating fuel from wood biomass

Purdue University researchers have discovered that enzymes found in a termite's digestive system could aid in biofuel production from woody biomass.

Mike Scharf, study leader and O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Chair in Molecular Physiology and Urban Entomology, and a team of Purdue University researchers, have found that different enzymes found in the guts of termites could overcome current obstacles associated with creating fuel from wood biomass.

Scharf and his team decided to investigate termites since they eat wood, and the wood is obviously digested within these insects. The team measured the sugar output from enzymes that are created by the termites as well as output from symbionts, which are tiny protozoa that reside within termites that help digest wood. For a long time, scientists thought symbionts were the only ones responsible for digestion until the Purdue team further investigated enzymes created by the termite host.

Termite digestive systems were separated and tested based on sections that contained and did not contain symbionts on sawdust "to measure the sugars created." The team found the different enzymes, and worked to create synthetic versions with Chesapeake Perl, which is a company that produces proteins. The genes, which created the enzymes, were placed into a virus and given to caterpillars to eat, and increased amount of the enzymes were produced.

The researchers found that the synthetic versions were capable of releasing sugar from the biomass, and also discovered that the three synthetic enzymes work on different areas of the biomass. Two of the enzymes release two different sugars -- glucose and pentose -- while the third enzyme breaks down lignin, which is a compound that makes up plant walls and is one of the toughest barriers that prevents the access to sugars in biomass.

"For the most part, people have overlooked the host termite as a source of enzymes that could be used in the production of biofuels," said Scharf. "For a long time it was thought that the symbionts were solely responsible for digestion. Certainly the symbionts do a lot, but what we've shown is that the host produces enzymes that work in synergy with the enzymes produced by those symbionts. When you combine the functions of the host enzymes with the symbionts, it's like one plus one equals four."

Accessing the sugar from plants is vital for the production of biofuels since these sugars are fermented to make ethanol. This new enzyme cocktail will allow these sugars to be created from wood, hence represents a step closer to alternative fuel production.

The next step is to find symbiont enzymes that can be mixed with termite enzymes to produce larger amounts of sugar from wood.

This study was published in PLoS One.

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

• Termites cause up to $2 billion in damage per year!
• All Termites are social insects and raise their young as a group.
• The total weight of all of the termites in the world is more than the weight of all the humans in the world.
• Termites have been around since the time of the dinosaurs!
• Termite colonies eat non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
• Termites have wings that they shed once they have found a good place to build a nest.
• Live for 15 years.
• Lay 1 egg every 15 seconds.
• Burrow tiny mud tunnels to a source of wood.
• Enjoy wood resulting from leaky plumbing & other water sources.
• Found in every U.S. state except Alaska.
• Help the food chain by recycling wood for the soil.
• Termites have lived on Earth for approximately 250 million years.

George Williams
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

TERMITES WILL COST YOU SEVERELY IF YOU WAIT

Every year, termites cause billions of dollars in damage to homes, offices and other structures; early detection is the best weapon against these costly insects. It is NOT covered by insurance!

Every year, business owners and homeowners pay out billions of dollars for damages caused by termites.

It can be difficult to impossible for an average person to uncover termites on their own. You need a professional inspection. This is one area where you have to choose a company with experience & expertise because the ramifications can be severe.

Data collected over the last 100yrs suggest that 8 of 10 homes in Massachusetts & Rhode Island have had termites in the past or will have them in the future. The other issue is that past inspections do not ensure that you are safe from termites, you should have your structure inspected annually or at least every other year.

Termites are sneaky & avoid detection by eating wood from the inside out. They also can fit in a void that is 1/64” which means they can be virtually impossible to detect. Last piece of bad news is that structures that get treated can become re-infested over time. You should always maintain your annual termite warranty and make sure annual inspections are performed. The cost of waiting to control termites could be devastating since the repair costs will greatly outweigh the cost of control.

The best defense is having a professional firm like EHS offering proactive monitoring like they have with their Eco-Monitors or the Sentricon Colony Elimination System.

Tim Lynch
Termite Specialist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Avoiding Termite Infested Mulch

There have been many rumors swirling about the Internet concerning termites being spread throughout the country by large chain stores via bags of landscape mulch. In our opinion, the greater risk to structures is from termites already established in your yard as opposed to any termite stragglers that may be brought in on bags of mulch.

Termites can be found in mulch, but their survival is poor and here is why: the ability of termites to survive the chipping process to create mulch is not good; additionally, once separated from the colony, their ability to survive further decreases. Finally, even when termites are found in mulch, mulch-fed termites suffer significantly lower survival .

This is not to say that termites are not found in association with mulch. We believe that mulch does contribute to termite infestations, but not because invasive species are spread with it. Mulch increases the ability of termites to survive where they are already established by keeping the soil moist and temperatures moderate. Mulch laid too thickly (>4-6 inches) can also provide a “bridge” over the treated perimeter of a house, allowing termites to walk over from landscape to house and avoid contact with soil treated with termiticides.

Mulch is useful in keeping mud from splashing up against a house. If mulch is part of your landscape, we recommend a thin layer (<2 inches) of mulch be placed within 12 inches of the foundation to allow the soil beneath to naturally dry. Drying out (desiccation) is the termites worst enemy. Also avoid watering next to foundation walls.

Mulch that is too thick and obscures an inspection space will result in what is termed a “conducive condition” in the pest control industry.

Finally, maintain termite protection measures for your house. Protection measures most commonly include soil treatments, bait systems, or wood protection measures. Also, avoid wood to ground contact, including storing mulch off the ground.

REFERENCE: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA