Eastern subterranean termites attack one in five New Jersey buildings. If undetected, a mature termite colony of 60,000 insects can consume one lineal foot of 2X4 structural wood every 120 days. Since colonies typically number in the hundreds of thousands to millions of insects, a termite infestation can cause significant structural damage to your Monmouth County, NJ business or Ocean County, NJ home in just a few years.
While “a few years” might not seem alarming, termites perform their destruction out of sight and can go undetected for many years. If not discovered during an annual termite inspection and promptly treated by an expert termite exterminator NJ, termites can cause significant structural damage that can be expensive to repair.
The caste system under which New Jersey termites live makes these voracious wood feeders formidable foes. The size of a rice grain, termites are divided into four distinct classes which determine each individual insect’s function in the colony and its appearance.
Reproductives are the colony’s founders whose sole task is to reproduce and grow the colony. Over-size queens are capable of producing 2,000 eggs a day. Growing to 1/2 inch long, queens dwarf the 1/8-inch workers that constantly tend them.
Accompanied by fertilizing kings who are of average-size, termite queens spend their entire lives immobile, ensconced in a special chamber located in the center of the underground nest. Tasked with producing the colony’s future generations, queens and kings may live for 20 years, 10 times the average 2-year life expectancy of worker termites.
The key to preventing termite damage is early detection and prompt treatment. Allison Pest Control’s termite extermination experts recommend an annual termite inspection during the winter months before colonies expand in the spring. Call today to schedule your NJ termite inspection.
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