Pest Library

Characteristics

Conehead termites have a dark, cone-head shaped head. Compared to other colonies, their colony has more soldiers, ready to defend their colony from threats.

Habitat

These termites were once called tree termites, but they changed the name because most people thought that these termites were only found in trees. Aside from trees, these termites can consume walls and ceilings by creating mud tubes on the ground. Their nest can be made up of chewed wood that is 3 feet in diameter.

Conehead termites do not have any problems in sharing their nest with other creatures. They can live with bats and ants, although not peacefully together. But, they can still co-exist in one area and may take benefit from the existence of other creatures inside their nest.

Behavior

Conehead termites are known to be more aggressive than other termite species and they can also spread faster than common termites because of their ability to forage on the ground like ants. They have a bizarre behavior of creating visible brown tunnels and above ground nests instead of hiding them. This behavior may become evident by the immediate appearance of mud tubes on walls, ceilings and trees.

Food

This termite consumes wood to get the cellulose fibers that woods are made of.

Life Cycle

Once the colony of the Conehead termite becomes established, their reproductives will begin a mating flight just like any other termite species. Females and males will swarm in search for a suitable place to nest. They will finally shed their wings and take their role as the colony’s king and queen. The king and queen of the colony are responsible for the production of eggs. Not like other termite species, conehead termites produce more soldiers. An average colony may have 50,000 to 400,000 individuals. They have multiple kings and queens so their colony can survive even when the queen or king dies.

Other Information and Tips

Conehead termites are not your typical termites. Eradicating these termites can be very difficult because of their strange behavior of foraging and nesting. Their presence on your property may also bring danger to the structure since they can destroy the wood that they are infesting in just a short time. Traditional treatments for termites do not work on them, which is why it is most effective to contact a termite specialist to get rid of this termite for you. Since these termites are aggressive and dangerous, it is important to do everything that you can, to stop them from further infesting on your wood and completely eradicate them.