Quiz Termites: An Uninvited Guest California

The termites exist inside of the wood in the house in tunnels they have carved out with their mandibles (their jaws), and there is no light inside these tunnels. The worker spends its entire life in the dark (if you want to apply a scientific name to “living in the dark” you can call it “cryptobiotic”, which means, literally, hidden living.   True or False

 Individuals in the termite colony which have eyes are the “reproductives”.    True or False

Termites cannot see anything as long as they are confined to the inside of the colony. Once they emerge into the light they are attracted to the brightest spot available. That is why when termites swarm from a subfloor in a bedroom, they are attracted to the window. It was the source of a bright light.    True or False

Many times a homeowner will call a termite control company and complain about termite infestations in their window sills, because they see the termites in the window. In actuality they have swarmed out of the colony somewhere else in the house and are attracted to the window which is the brightest source of light in that room.   True or False

There are some specific structures on the heads of termites that allow you to determine accurately which kind of termite  you are dealing with. These are the “fontanelle” and the “ocelli”, which are simple eyespots that may be located next to the compound eye. These are found as follows:
 

Dampwood termites – have neither ocelli nor fontanelle                                                                                              Drywood termites – have ocelli but not a fontanelle                                                                                              Subterranean termites – have both ocelli and fontanelle

True or False

One means of navigation by termites is by their sense of smell and the use of chemical odors called pheromones.    True or False

Termites belong to the Order Isoptera. “Iso” means equal, so all members of the Order Isoptera have four wings of equal length.    True or False

Insects have a skeleton on the outside of their body made up of a material called “chitin”. This skeleton is a protective covering much like a suit of armor, that is relatively impervious to intrusion by things from the outside.   True or False

What causes termites to exit from the colony? There are three major stimuli that cause the subterranean termites to swarm: 

• A sudden increase in the humidity inside of the exit tubes
• The proper temperature outside of the exit tubes
• The proper light intensity outside of the exit tubes

True or False

Termites have a crypto biotic existence, hidden away in the ground or in tunnels inside the wood of a structure.    True or False