In Vietnam, there are about 27 kinds of termite. Because each termite need a different treatment methods, the most important thing is that pest control experts have to determine the pests before treament.

Subterranean termites, drywood termites and dampwood termites prefer different wood, humidity and temperature. Each kind of species will nest in places having appropriate condition in ground or underground. The subterranean termites make their colonies underground whereas Formosan termites may nest in ground or in the walls. Drywood and dampwood termites make their colonies in the wood that they eat. Find more information about termite colony.

How to distinguish termites?

In most of termites, worker and young termites are the same. They have small size and slender, pale in color like the larval stage of other insects. Read more What do termites look like?
Therefore, experts primarily depend on soldiers and flying termites to identify termites. Soldiers can be distinguish by color, size and head shape. Some termites also have “nasutus”, a long snout which are tube-shaped can spray mucus, sticky like glue helping them agaisnt the enemies.

Experts can identify what kind of termite depending on size, body color, wing color and ribbed wings.

Identifying termite based on damaged wood.

Subterranean and drywood termites leave different marks in wood. These marks can support experts to identify what kind of termite invade in your house. Subterranean termites like soft and easy-decomposed wood grains. Wood grains are along to wood fiber and make wood fiber be attacked like hives. Dampwood termites eat wood fibers and destroy both soft and hard wood fibers. They dig into many section in wood and connect them by mud tunnels.