There are more than 2,000 species of termites in the world, but in the State of Georgia you may only encounter three, the Eastern Subterranean Termite, Drywood Termite, and Dampwood Termite. Of the three main types of Termites in Georgia and most of the United States, the Eastern Subterranean Termites are the most common and cause the most destruction to property. Termite damages amount to more than $5 Billion a year and some insurance companies don’t even cover for it. Eastern Subterranean Termites have a colony size anywhere from 60,000 members to up to a million! That’s a lot of Termites! In Georgia, you can have up to 3 termite colonies per acre. The Subterranean Termite Colony consists of different cast members. The Worker Cast, the Soldier Cast, and Reproductives which are winged Termites known as Swarmer’s. Workers make up 90-98 precent of the colony and are sightless, having no eyes. Workers are completely white or having no pigment at all and are responsible for foraging and building tunnels. Soldiers are easily identified by their larger darker colored head, large mandibles and make up only 2-4 precent of the colony. Their main job is exactly as the name implies, the protection of the colony. As soon as a tunnel is disturbed Soldiers will immediately respond to it. Lastly the Reproductives are responsible for mating and laying eggs. There are a couple different types of Reproductives in a colony. You have the Primary Reproductives which are the Queen and King. They stay with the colony for their life and live 10-15 years. Secondary and even Tertiary Reproductives can occur in well-established colonies. They develop from Workers and other casts of Nymphs when the colony needs them. It isn’t a chance of if you will get Termites, but when. A Termite treatment on your home is a must have. Consult with one of our Pest Control professionals for an inspection and plan to protect your property.