Termites in Atlanta…facts and myths

If you live in the Atlanta, GA area, chances are you know what termites are…and that they eat houses.

Here’s some information you may NOT know…

Common Myths:

• Termites can chew through concrete
• Termites are like ants
• Termites colonies have a king and a queen
• Only the queen can lay eggs (true for most ants)
• Ants and termites will kill each other
• Aerial nests can happen
• Termite colonies contain millions of individuals
• All termites eat live trees
• All termites make carton nests
• Water will drown termites
• Old exterminating products worked better than current ones
• Termite baits don’t work
• Termites must have moisture to survive

Facts:

• Termites can fit through a 1/32″ crack
• Termite colonies consist of males and females
• Termite colonies have one queen and potentially many kings
• There are many sources of eggs in a mature termite colony
• Ants and termites can be found together
• Most termites colonies come from the ground and go up
• Native termite colonies contain hundreds of thousands of individuals
• Formosan termites eat live trees
• Formosan termites can live away from the ground – carton nests
• Formosan termites survived the flooding of New Orleans
• Exterminating products lasted longer in the past…at the expense of our environment. Today’s products are just as effective, but with a lower environmental impact.
• Termite baits must be ingested to work
• Dry wood termites do not require water to survive