White ants in the apartment: how to get rid and the reasons for the appearance

White ants are the wrong term for termites, a way of life and appearance resembling true ants. Modern science classifies to the nearest relatives termites not as ants, but as cockroaches.

These insects lead a social way of life, like ants, wasps, bumblebees. Sociobiologists carefully study termites, trying to understand the laws by which they exist.

What kind of animal is a termite?

The term "white ants" termites received in the people mainly for their whitish color and ant lifestyle. Externally, termites from an ant can be distinguished not only by color, but also by the absence of a jumper between the breast and abdomen.

The size of the termite is not more than 1 cm. The length of the body and the weight of the individual depend on its belonging to a certain type of insects and the social status of the individual in the termite family.

Like other social insects, termites in one colony are divided into castes, each of which is engaged in its work.

Female and male individuals of the reproductive caste, as its name suggests, are called upon to maintain and optimize the number of the termite family. The termites of other castes are distinguished by the presence of the organs of vision and the dark color, as well as a pair of triangular-shaped wings that will disappear after the first and last flight of the individual.

The remaining white ants take on construction, military, security and other social functions.

Scientists have data on almost three thousand species of termites in nature. These insects prefer a hot climate, therefore in the south of Russia there live only two kinds of white ants, in the countries of the former USSR there are only seven varieties. Some of them cause tangible damage to private property and production.

Termites in nature

All the continents of our planet, except for Antarctica, can boast of the fact that in their expanses live certain types of termites. The warmer the climate, the more free the termites live.

Africa - the record for the number of species of these insects. Multi-meter termites have become a landmark and a visiting card of these hot places.

White ants build their own high-rise buildings for living, using as a building material soil, their own saliva and their own excrement.

By their enormous size, such termites are indebted to the tireless labor of the workers.

From cockroach relatives of good do not wait

Unfortunately, the impressive structures of termites do not fully satisfy their tenants. Since as a food termites prefer cellulose, their place of residence can become not only a desert, but also human farm buildings, wooden houses. This is the reason for their appearance, because they are forced to constantly look for food.

Residents of Asia, especially China, South America, Australia suffer the most from termite pests. The damage inflicted by these creatures is estimated at billions of US dollars per year. The walls of wooden houses can be formed as if they were card, if you let the termites go, let alone the damaged furniture and household buildings.

White ants in the apartment can appear in the event that the house has wooden floors. If it is a question of southern latitudes, even a concrete foundation will not save from the invasion of termites, which will find a way to penetrate the house, even if this requires at least a way along the pipes of the aqueduct.

Are there termites in the house?

Small white ants are capable of causing big trouble. To avoid complications and timely start a fight for your own home, you need to be vigilant. The pest will not be built in the middle of the living room, but traces of their presence can be detected differently.

The main sign of the appearance in the apartment or house of uninvited guests, except for a personal encounter with insects, is the presence of small holes in wooden elements. You should carefully examine the doors, windowsills, railings and steps of stairs, furniture, the walls of the wooden house on the ground floor level, especially on the porch at the entrance door, for the traces of the past feast of white ants.

Here you can find hardly noticeable wood dust and reddish or black products of termite life.

If there are voids in the tree, the sign of which is a characteristic sound when tapping, this also indirectly speaks about the work of termites.

If it was not possible to detect the termites on their own, but doubts remained, specialists should be called up who can identify places of insects gathering with the help of a thermal imager.

Self-control of termites

It is not known what will cause the house more damage, fire or white ants in the apartment. How to get rid of pesky pests?

The main means of combating termites are special poisons, mainly based on chlorine compounds, except for those that, being safe for humans and damaging to pests, can harm the welfare of other animals and plants, which is even forbidden to use.

Use for the fight is also a mixture of naphthalene, gasoline, kerosene, alcohol, turpentine, boron powder, sulfate, creosote and even tar, wood tar from coniferous trees.

Practice shows that an independent struggle with termites is not always effective, so this business should be left to professionals, and then take on themselves the concerns about carrying out preventive measures.

Professional struggle with termites

In the arsenal of specialists in the struggle against termites are stronger drugs than those that are available on free sale. Destroying sick and weak individuals, such remedies can even strengthen the colony of surviving termites.

Professional health workers know exactly how to get rid of white ants in the apartment. To control the termites use gazation, smudging special substances treated surface. Of course, to achieve a perfect result, this method is only suitable for the treatment of portable wooden structures, such as furniture, because fumigation is carried out in special chambers.

Sanitary services are processed not only the house, apartment and other affected objects, but will also find and neutralize the nest of white ants that can live away from home. If termites have chosen an apartment or a neighbor's house, then processing the entire residential sector will be more effective than point strikes against the enemy.

Unpleasant neighbors with termites are a dubious pleasure. Therefore, when buying housing, especially in warm areas, attention should be paid not only to the quality of repairs and the prestige of the area, but also to signs of a possible "free application" in the form of such woodwormers.

If it is planned to build a house, then a place for this should be chosen dry, the foundation should be poured higher, and a wooden fence should be preferred to a metal fence. Also for areas of high "termite risk", sanitation specialists can offer preventive treatment at home and its environs. These measures can minimize the risk of unwanted encounters with white ants in their own homes and in production.