There is no secret that Arizona is full of termites. They seem to be everywhere–in homes, business, yards, and even desert areas. There are many different types of termites, but below are the five that cause the most problems in Arizona.
1. Desert Subterranean Termites
This is the one of the most common termite in Arizona. Their colonies can number up to 300,000 termites. These termites most often live in dry, desert-like conditions in plants such as cacti, but the fact that they can survive off of dry wood means that they will easily survive off of the wood from a building. They are small and can fit into a gap or crack as small as 1/32″ wide.
2. Arid-land Subterranean Termites
This is the most abundant termites found in Arizona. Like the Desert Subterranean termites, the Arid-land termites can survive in dry, desert-like conditions and can also attack dry wood. They have similar jaws as the desert termite but the jaws are slightly thicker, leading to more damage from them. These termites appear brownish to black in color.
3. Western Drywood Termites
These are considered non-subterranean termites because they don’t live in or thrive in the ground. These termites strictly live in wood and can cause the most dry wood damage of all drywood termites. Western Drywood termites have small colonies–on average, about 2,000–but a place can be affected by more than one colony at a time.
4.Pacific Dampwood Termites
These termites are the largest in the United States. These termites, as the name suggests, prefer moist, damp areas but they will attack any type of wood if necessary. On average, a Pacific Dampwood colony would contain about 4,000 termites. Colonies can be slow-growing.
5. Desert Dampwood Termites
These termites in Arizona usually attack moist, untreated wood below ground level. They are a common problem in citrus groves where they can attack the trees underground. These are unique in that they will be found in the soil underneath a tree, as well as in the tree. Their damage can be so significant that they kill trees and shrubs and they also have a bad odor.
Summary
Termites are a very common problem in Arizona and can cause home-owners and business-owners a lot of grief. If you notice damage to the wood in your building, termites are most likely the blame. In order to get rid of them, you have to know how to determine which termite family they belong to. Identification is half of the termite battle and this guide gave you a head start.
