Termites in Ohio: Types, Risks, and How to Prevent Them

Nicknamed “white ants,” termites look similar to ants save for their pale coloring. However, unlike ants, termites pose a massive threat to your home. Compared to carpenter ants, termites produce significantly more damage in a shorter time, so preventing them is crucial. Several termite species may be found throughout the United States, and Ohio is no exception. Find out which types of termites are in Ohio, the risks to your home, and how to prevent them.

Types of Termites in Ohio

While there are five main types of termites that homeowners across the United States fear, there are only two main types in Ohio. They are subterranean termites and drywood termites.

Subterranean Termites

This type of termite affects every state except Alaska. They construct underground colonies consisting of up to two million termites. One telltale sign of subterranean termites is the “mud tubes” which these termites build to access wood sources. These tubes protect termites from dry air and predators as they travel from food source to nest.

What Subterranean Termites Look Like

There are three main forms of subterranean termites to identify: atlates, workers, and soldiers.

• Atlates: Also known as “swarmers,” the atlates have wings and are the ones that leave the colony to reproduce and form a new colony. They are dark brown to black in color and only grow to be ¼ to ½ inches long, with wings nearly the same length.
• Workers: The workers maintain the colony tunnels and care for the queen and eggs. They do not have wings and are about ¼ of an inch in size or smaller. Worker termites are creamy-white in color and have hardened, pronounced mouth parts and heads.
• Soldiers: Tasked with defending the nest, soldier termites have large mandibles and heads for defending against threats (usually ants). Soldier termites are wingless and creamy-white in color with often brownish heads.

What Subterranean Termite Damage Looks Like

Since subterranean termites build their colonies underground, you may often spot an accumulation of soil or mud within the tunnels of wood they’ve eaten through. This type of termite only eats soft wood, so the damage to wood within your home may have a layered appearance. This is because the worker termite eats around the hardwood sections. Also, a big difference between subterranean termites and drywood termites is that subterranean termites eat along the grain of the wood. In contrast, drywood termites eat across the grain.

How to Prevent Subterranean Termites in Ohio

Because they need moisture to survive, a good way to prevent subterranean termites is to ensure that all structural wood beneath your home is at least 12 inches above the soil. Keep humidity low in crawl spaces and, in general, keep things dry.

Drywood Termites

Commonly found in crawl spaces or other dry areas of your residence, drywood termites are not native to Ohio. Often, they Trojan horse their way to places in wooden objects such as furniture or wine crates. Then, drywood termites establish a colony of up to 5,000 insects.

What Do Drywood Termites Look Like

Drywood termites have three different castes, like the subterranean termites: atlates, workers, and soldiers.

• Atlates: On the whole, these swarmers are glossy brown to dark brown in color with whitish wings that are almost as long as their bodies. They grow to be 3/8-1 inch in size.
• Workers: These wingless workers range from creamy white to light brown in color. Their bodies are long, narrow, and oval in shape.
• Soldiers: Equipped with large mandibles and heads for defending the colony, the soldiers have coloring and body shapes similar to the workers. They are also wingless.

What Drywood Termite Damage Looks Like

Once they have established a colony in your walls or furniture, it might take you several years to notice. It can take up to five years for drywood termites to cause conspicuous damage. Some signs you may look for are shed wings from swarmers or fecal pellet piles beneath the infested wood. Also, drywood termites eat across the grain of the wood and build galleries within the wood that are very smooth and clean. Unlike subterranean termites, you won’t find any soil along the tunnels in the wood.

Risks of Termite Infestations

If you do not treat a termite incursion right away, you are risking damage to the structural integrity of your home. Some affected areas include:

• Foundations
• Flooring
• Walls
• Support beams
• Crawl spaces
• Basements
• Roofing

Also, you must consider the economic costs of not only fixing the damage but dealing with a huge, established colony. Many home insurance companies do not cover termite damage, as they view it as preventable or caused by negligence by the owner. So, you are looking at out-of-pocket costs.

How to Prevent Termites in Ohio

The most common termite in Ohio is the subterranean termite, as drywood termites aren’t native to the state. Moist soil and softwood attract these types of termites, but modern builders should take these safety precautions:

• Setting up a termite barrier before building.
• Utilizing a concrete foundation that is poured and free from cracks.
• Creating a ventilation space between the soil and wood down to the foundation level to ensure no wood-to-soil contact.
• Thorough and frequent clean up of wood debris during building.
• Building with treated wood.

Treatment Options for Termites in Ohio

Chemical Termite Treatments

Two types are typically used: liquid termiticides or termite baits. Liquid termiticides are spread in the soil around the foundation to deter termites. This is most effective against subterranean termites. Termite baits are stations of slow-acting toxins that the termites eat and then bring back to the colony. The colony is then eliminated over the course of a couple of months.

Heat Treatment

A popular treatment for drywood termites involves raising the temperature to deadly levels for termites. Since drywood termites are in the furniture or walls of a building, this is often an effective measure.

Pest Control

If the infestation is bad enough, a pest control company will fumigate your home. Covering your home in a gas-proof tent, the pumped-in gas penetrates all corners of the building—even through walls. This nuclear option ensures the entire colony is killed.