Termites, Pest Control

Termites primarily feed on wood (doors, beams, furniture, windows…) and cellulose (textiles, cardboard, paper…). In Andalusia, all affected structures and constructions belong to the Reticulitermes sp. species, better known as subterranean termites since they move and access homes through the ground or walls.

Therefore, the first signs of attack appear in the lower parts of doors located in basements and ground floors of homes, mainly in bathrooms, kitchens, and doors leading to gardens or patios.

Termites, or as they are popularly known, white ants, are social insects that live in underground colonies and feed mainly on wood cellulose.

Types of termites:

Within a termite colony, the following castes are distinguished:

Workers:

Generally, small “white ants” are observed in large numbers; these are the workers. They are solely responsible for the damage. They consume and digest cellulose, which they can later regurgitate to distribute to other members of the colony; this process is called trophallaxis. They are constantly searching for food, without rest periods, and moving in all directions in a random search. They are also the ones that build the mud tubes.

Soldiers:

They are less numerous, white, and have a hypertrophied head with 2 large mandibles. They are in charge of protecting the population against enemies (mainly ants). Their hypertrophied head does not allow them to feed themselves, and the workers feed them through trophallaxis.

Neotenics or secondary reproductives:

They are longer than workers (5-6 mm) and have two small wing buds on their back. They can move through the galleries created by the workers, and if the colony divides, they can form a new colony.

The reproducing pair

At the origin of a termite population, there is a pair of reproducers. It consists of a dark-colored king, capable of moving and still retaining his wings, and a wingless queen, also dark but with an abdomen of various brown colors. This abdomen is hypertrophied (from a few millimeters to several centimeters) and houses a reproductive system capable of producing several thousand eggs per year.

The queen is unable to move and, therefore, to feed herself. Like the rest of the population, she is fed by the workers .

The swarming

A visible and often spectacular manifestation of their presence, swarming usually occurs once a year (from January to May, depending on the species and area) when populations are already well established.

At this time, hundreds of primary reproductives fly out through holes created by the workers. These reproductives are winged and dark in color. Their flight is very short. By chance, pairs are formed, and the luckiest ones, which find a cavity in the wood to nest, will be able to reproduce and create a new population.

With the exception of winged reproductives, all other termite castes are apterous, meaning they lack wings. They move and communicate thanks to specific substances they leave behind that their fellow termites recognize. These are trail pheromones. There are also alarm pheromones, secreted in case of danger and intended to alert the rest of the population.

Therefore, termites are social insects that communicate: they not only exchange food but also information that indicates both the path to follow to find food and alert to the presence of danger.

Development of termites

Like most invertebrates, termites grow in stages. At the end of a growth period, when the external skeleton (cuticle) becomes too small, it gradually sheds and a new larger shell forms immediately. This process is called molting. Termites molt approximately ten times before reaching their final size.

The Sentritech system is the most effective and innovative system on the market to tackle the problem of termites. Its operating principle is based on the diffusion of an insecticide product to all individuals in the colony: hexaflumuron.

This insecticide used has a delayed effect, distributed in bait form or food, containing a special formulation that will be consumed by worker termites. Little by little, through the phenomenon of trophallaxis (food exchange), it will cause the entire colony to be intoxicated and die.

The product used is an insect growth regulator: hexaflumuron, which inhibits the synthesis of chitin, the main component of the insect exoskeleton. Thus, when the termite molts, the new cuticle does not form and, without this protective skin that serves as its skeleton, the insect cannot live.

NOT TOXIC: The product is specific to insects and has no effect on humans (neither adults nor children) nor on domestic animals or other vertebrates. In this way, the product has a relatively slow action, which allows enough time to spread the insecticide within the entire colony.

NO EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT: The amounts of insecticide product used are very small and are only placed in areas where there is clearly an infestation. We have available, and it is at the disposal of interested parties, the authorization SENTRIBOX HD REG. 17-30-08895, SENTRISOL HD REG. 16-30-08351, CTBP Certificate, Safety Data Sheets, and a doctoral thesis titled ‘Study on the use of Hexaflumuron for the control of subterranean termites’ which demonstrates the 100% effectiveness of the Sentritech System.