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Subterranean Termite

(Length: 1/8" – 3/8")

These are social insects living in colonies in the soil. The colony is made up of workers, soldiers and reproductives. Subterranean Termite colonies feed on wood (where humidity is high) or other cellulose material such as paper, cardboard and fiberboard. They do excessive damage in the U.S. every year. Workers are blind and cream colored, entering homes while foraging for food, through cracks as small as 1/64". The workers return to feed the other members of the colony on a regular basis. Winged reproductives (swarmers) are dark, and many lose their wings shortly after their swarming flight. Founding queen may live more than 3 years.

Subterranean Termite Swarmer

(Length: 1/2")

These dark brown to black winged insects are the male and female reproductives. They emerge from the colony in a dark cloud at least once per year. Their short flight drops them to the ground where they then seek the proper conditions for the king and queen to start a small brood chamber in the soil. The swarmers are often confused with winged ants. The major visible differences are the waist (pinched in the ant, broad in the termite), the antenna (elbowed in the ant, straight in the termite) and the wings (two different sizes in the ant, all the same size in the termite).

Powder Post Beetle

(Length: 1/8" – 1/4")

Adults are reddish brown to black and very slender. The Powder Post Beetle damages seasoned hardwoods such as flooring, furniture and structural woods. The larva, living in and eating the wood, can take up to four years to develop. Their presence is often indicated by piles of fine dust and by small exit holes in the wood. Control requires treatment by fumigation or replacement of the infested wood.

House Borer

(Length: 1/2" – 3/4")

This is a member of the group known as "long-horned beetles". Eggs are laid in crevices of the bark of cut logs. The whitish larva live 3-5 years or more, eating through the wood. During quiet times, their feeding may be heard as clicking and rasping sounds. Adults leave infested wood through oval holes about 1/4" in diameter.

Carpenter Bee

(Length: 3/4" – 1")

These large dark bees that resemble bumble bees are often seen hovering around the eaves of a house, wooden fences or the underside of deck in the late spring. They bore round holes into wood to nest. They will nest in a wide range of woods, but prefer weathered and unpainted wood. Typically they do not cause serious structural damage unless a large number of bees are involved over a long period of time. Male carpenter bees tend to be territorial and can become aggressive towards humans by hovering close by. But this is merely a show as they have no stinger.