What You Need to Know About the Termite Swarming Season
The months of February through May are generally considered swarming season for termites in the Midwest. This is the time in which most termites start to leave their already established colonies to look for new areas where they can flock to and breed. This is the best time of year for termites to do this because the weather gets warmer and damper, both of which are conditions that termites seek out when they’re looking for new places to live.
During these months, the winged swarmer termites head out to mate while they look for their next home. Meanwhile, a queen will establish herself during this period, and will then begin laying eggs in the new colony location. As the colony grows and matures, the process then repeats itself and the cycle continues on over and over again.
Keep in mind that just because termites may be more visibly active during the swarm season, that doesn’t mean that’s the only time of year you need to be worried about them. With this in mind, here’s some information from an exterminator in Central Illinois about what you should know about termite swarm season so you can take the appropriate methods to protect your property and possessions.
Before and during spring
During this time, the colony grows and matures as described above. The various castes of termites perform their various roles, and the swarmers begin to emerge as they prepare to head out and start their brand-new colonies. Most of the swarmers die off in just a few hours, but there are still plenty of termites around to replace them.
Worker termites, meanwhile, still munch on wood during this period, doing some significant damage to homes while swarmers are out on the hunt for new locations to settle. The queens only begin to pair up with kings once they get the proper levels of food, moisture and temperature. Then, the queen is able to start laying eggs and caring for her brood, as the colony grows.
Several months after the swarm season concludes and the queen’s first brood has fully matured, the first generation of termites will begin to care for the generations that follow. There will only be a few hundred termites in the colony after its first few months, but the numbers will rise rapidly. Within a year or two, the queen will lay more than 10,000 eggs per year, and the population of the colony will soar. By this point, the colony has become very well established.
Within three to five years, the colony is fully mature, and may feature as many as a million termites or more.
To learn more about the life cycle of termites and what you can expect to notice if you have a termite infestation on your property, we encourage you to contact an exterminator in Central Illinois at Crist Termite and Pest Solutions, Inc. Our team will be happy to provide you with more information and answer any questions that you have for us
Categorised in: Termite Control