In moist warm climates, dampwood termites thrive and cause considerable damage to wood structures. They need to be treated with respect. Ogden Nash put it this way:

Some primal termite knocked on wood And tasted it, and found it good! And that is why your Cousin May Fell through the parlor floor today.

If the wood is sound, termites will eat only the spring wood (softwood between the "grain" lines), however, if the wood is decayed, they will eat across the summer wood (the "grain" lines), consuming both spring and summer wood. By doing this, they make a series of chambers connected by tunnels whose walls are smooth as if finely sandpapered.

Termites take on several forms. The "swarmer" is up to 1 inch long, including wings. The antennae usually have more than 22 segments. They are smooth and have 1 or more large spines along the length of the tibia and the apex. Body color is amberish. Swarming begins in August-October. Swarmers excavate a chamber, enter and the chamber is sealed. They mate within 2 weeks and eggs are laid within 14-18 days of the colony founding. The queen lays a range of 6-22 eggs. The second batch is laid the next spring. Colonies sizes vary, but they have been known to be up to 4,000 members.

Termites are particularly insidious in common wall communities like condominiums since treating them in one location may only drive them to the neighbor's unit. When treating for termites and other wood boring insects like carpentar ants, take the "wholistic" approach and take no prisoners. If available, pay for a whole building treatment that carries a long term warranty of three years or more.

For more information on this subject, see www.Regenesis.net.

Published: September 22, 1999

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Richard Thompson owns Regenesis, a management consulting company that specializes in condominium and homeowner associations. He is a nationally recognized expert on HOA management issues. Regenesis publishes The Regenesis Report, a monthly newsletter for HOA boards, developers and managers. To subscribe, go to Regenesis.net. He can be contacted by email at .