Reports from American Housing Survey (AHS) proves that more than 28 million United States residents experience pest issues in their home. And the leading common invaders are cockroaches, rodents, and termites, among other insects.
The truth is that neither of the above pests is worth living with. They can cause severe devastation if you don’t identify them earlier.
This post is all about termite eggs, how they look like, how to identify them, and more.
Areas Where You Can Find Termite Nests
The first step you need to consider before identifying termite eggs is where you find them. As you know, termites are big fans of woods.
This means you can locate most termite nests in wooden areas around your garage, home, or other wooden structures.
You can also find termite nests around hardened mud. But you have to break the termite mud tub so that you can see them.
Be cautious in woods, especially when breaking them off, as termite soldiers might bite you.
For this reason, it is a good idea to always contact your reliable termite expert to save you time and stress.
How do Termite Eggs Appear?
Identifying termite eggs is never easy unless you know what you are doing. In some cases, you may be required to explore underground because termites don’t lay eggs open.
After all, predators might eat them. And this is one of the reasons why you will scarcely encounter termite eggs.
But if you are lucky to find their nest, the first thing you will begin to notice is a large number of small size balls.
Yes, termite eggs are tiny but visible to the naked eye. They appear like caviar, but they are even little.
You will find them scattered ear the surrounding, so you can imagine the difficulty when seeing them.
The approximate size of a termite egg is about 0.55 mm, but it can grow up to 1 mm in length.
But this depends on the exact number of eggs laid by termite queens and the termite species.
Smaller species such as Formosan termites tend to lay many eggs to create a robust and well-established colony.
When it comes to color, termite eggs are entirely different from caviar.
They are off-white, nearly appearing translucent kind of color. But they can also appear pale or yellow depending on when they are laid.
The initial badge has a yellowish color. While the following badge appears almost white or off-white.
Inside the nest, you will also find termite balls. These are dark brown balls combined with egg clusters.
The primary purpose of these termite balls is to steal food produced for young termites. Termite ball colors range from yellow, orange, white, or brown.
How Termites Lay Eggs
Like any other pest, termites are reproduced by hatching out. But termites’ male/female dynamic isn’t what most humans expect.
The termite queen’s nest can get fertilized with eggs from many swarm participants so that they keep their culture going.
Once the queen lays the eggs, it is now the responsibility of worker termites to transport all of them into the incubation chamber.
The incubation period takes about 1-2 weeks before the eggs hatch. Yes, the days may vary depending on their hatching environment.
After the eggs hatch into adolescent termites, they are then moved to nursery chambers for feeding until they become adult termites.
How Many Eggs Can a Termite Queen Lay?
The short answer-it depends on the species of termites and the environment surrounding them. An active, productive termite queen can lay an average of one egg per three seconds.
The average lifespan for female termites is 15 years. So, they will have produced thousands of eggs before passing their responsibilities to another mother.
Termite colonies work on a caste system. This means each egg has a different level of caste which will become termite soldiers, termite workers, reproductive termites, and termite kings.
As the reproductive mother approaches its lifespan, it lays a cloned successor. The newly born queen starts to lay eggs, and the process goes on and on.
Where Do Termite Eggs Come From?
Here are the members of termite colonies that play an essential part in egg production.
The Queen Termites
Just like other pests, termites also have their queen. These termites are best known to lay eggs in the new colony.
The average lifespan of a queen termite is 15 years, which is significantly higher than the worker and soldier termites.
Considering this, queen termites can produce thousands of termites within their lifespan.
They have around and wide abdomen and feature a protective shield. The queen termites are available only for one purpose: to reproduce.
They don’t explore outside the termite colony unless it is mating season. That is why it is pretty challenging to find and eliminate them.
The Soldier Termites
Soldier termites are the pillars of the colony. Without them, it becomes difficult for the queen termite to lay more eggs.
Their primary purpose is to protect the territory and ensure other termites work without interruptions.
Soldier termites explore outside, especially when threatened by things that may force them to protect themselves.
These might be predators and other insects such as cockroaches that may want to invade them.
A termite soldier is distinguishable by its wide and shorter heads. They have a pointy mandible for biting.
The straight antennae are short, and their waist is elongated compared to other types of termites.
Signs of Termites
Termites are well known for their extensive damage to people’s properties. They are destructive pests and harmful creatures that can infest your house seriously.
Eliminating termites and their nests is worth considering if you want to save your wooden structures from termite infestation.
But this will only work if you are aware of a termite attack at your home.
Several various indications ensure the availability of termites.
For instance, you can identify the presence of termites by checking the condition of your wooden structure. If your furniture starts to rot, track its hollowing out.
You can also notice termites by checking your walls, ceiling, and floors. All these might be the apparent symptoms of termites.
How to Eliminate Termite Eggs?
Don’t wait any longer. From the first sign of termite eggs, act immediately and get rid of them.
Eliminating termites requires some level of expertise. If you are lesson ideas, it is good to consult with an expert.
For this reason, you can contact your nearby pest control specialist for a bit of professional advice.
There are a plethora of companies out there ready to help you with your professional skills and tools to eliminate this kind of termite problem.
Also, you can opt for termite product killers, which you can buy to help get rid of termite eggs.
What if You Identify Termite Droppings But no Termites?
Termite dropping is an excellent indication that predicts there are termites around. Termite droppings, also known as frass, are small pellets appearing like sand.
But sometimes, they look like coffee powder. They have no particular colors. You can find them in black, and occasionally brownish, sand color.
Check your wood or walls if you want to know whether the thing you are seeing is termite dropping or not. If you notice some cracks, there are higher chances of termite presence in your house.
Can Termites Hurt Humans?
Undoubtedly, termites can bite humans. Thankfully, they are non-toxic in nature. This means they can’t transmit any disease to the human body, unlike other pests.
Generally, termites aren’t harmful to humans, but they can hurt people’s finance. Once they invade your home, the structural damage they give is worth thousands of money to recover.
FAQ
How does a baby termite appear?
The termite lifecycle starts with a fertilized egg. After the termite larvae hatch, it enters the nymph stage. These termite nymphs undergo several molting before turning into adult termites.
Baby termites appear like tiny white ants. The only main difference is that their antennae point straight out and have a broad waist. As they feed and grow, they slowly begin to darken in color.
Where to find termite eggs?
You can locate termite eggs laid deep within their nests and protected by the worker and queen termites.
For eastern subterranean termites, you can find their eggs about 4 to 8 inches below the ground. Dry wood eggs can be located in wood decks, dead tree limbs, or any wooden structure.
What is the incubation period of termite eggs?
The average days a termite egg can take to hatch is between 1 to 2 weeks. This, however, depends on the environment they are in and the termite species.
The geographical location and climate can also impact the duration termite eggs can take to hatch. Termites love building their nests and laying eggs in warm and moist environments.
How do dry wood termite eggs appear?
Dry wood termite eggs are tiny and appear white in color. The oval-shaped eggs look like white powder with naked eyes.
You can mostly find these eggs on wood structures, measuring about 5 to 10 inches in diameter.
What period can termites take to damage a house?
This depends on the number of termites invading your home. The more the termites, the less time they will take to damage your house.
The survey proves that United States residents spend over $5 billion, covering the termite damages.
If you notice any termites dropping your furniture, call your nearest pest control team for help.
What does it imply when spotting termite eggs?
Termite eggs mean termite infestation hidden in deeper nests. You are lucky if you notice them, especially during their infant stage.
This means you can control them. If you find many eggs, immediate action is required. A lot of eggs indicate well-established new colonies ready to attack.
What do termite eggs look like? Final thoughts
If you have been worrying about what termite eggs look like, this post has been helpful.
Termites are one of the most destructive creatures that can destroy your furniture, floor, ceiling, and even your home’s foundation.
Earlier detection can save you a lot. And if you encounter insect eggs that you guess are termite-related, the best way is to consult with your nearest pest control expert so that they can identify them for you.
Termite Related Posts
- How Easily do Termites Spread from Wall to Furniture
- What do Termite Holes in the Ground Look Like? (with pictures)
- What Do Termites Sound Like? (Listen)
References https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/how-many-american-homes-have-pests.html
