How Long Does a Termite Live

Termites are a necessary evil. They take decaying organic cellulose materials and convert them into viable soil. At the same time, they make their way into your home and your garden to eat away at materials that you need. In the case of your home, they eat at any and all wood that they can access.

As for how long they live, you may be surprised. They do not have a life span like most insects. As a matter of fact, how long they live depends upon the climate conditions, as well as how well the colony survives as a whole. Termites rely heavily on one another to ensure the survival of the colony.

Workers and Soldiers

The workers and soldiers live one to two years. This may not seem very significant, but it is significant when it comes to insects since there are some insects that have very short lives.

Their jobs are protecting and feeding the colony. The soldiers have large jaws that enable them to fight off threats such as other insects. The workers will forage for food. The workers are the pale termites that you see in a colony and they are also blind.

Queen

If the climate conditions are right, queen termites can live up to 50 years. This is considerable lifespan compared to the workers and soldiers. Nevertheless, she continues to reproduce again and again and always has new workers and soldiers to help her keep the colony alive. Just imagine the size of a colony if a queen were to live in the right conditions for 50 years, reproducing again and again.

Even if the queen were to be destroyed, there are other reproducers in the colony and they will continue to reproduce. Some even leave to create their own colonies. When they do so, they are called "swarmers." They are the termites with wings that they shed after they have found their home and mated.

Consequences

If an infestation is left alone, a structure can be completely destroyed. This may take a while, but once the structure is weakened, it can collapse. If you have ever heard of a structure collapsing for what seems to be no reason at all, termites are a very possible reason other than the natural deterioration of the structure. The more termites there are within a colony, the sooner the structure is going to become compromised and termites reproduce fast because of the number of them that can be reproduced at a time. The rate is rather alarming.

Another consequence is the aggravation that termites bring. They may possibly come back unless you have repellant put in place that works. Repellant is placed outside the home around the foundation. The idea is to keep termites away in the first place. If an infestation has already occurred, then it is important to make sure they do not return.

The goal is to shorten the lifespan of termites. You do this through the proper extermination methods, which involves a pest control company, their experienced staff, and the chemicals and treatments that are appropriate for your unique situation. Cost should not be an issue since extermination of termites can be affordable and, ultimately, the damage that your home experiences has the potential to far exceed the cost of termite control.

In the end, how the situation is treated depends upon the extent of the infestation and where it has occurred in the structure. You'll also have to remain cautious and do what you can to prevent termites from coming back, as well as always be on the lookout for new infestations.