Desert termites – yep these little gals are a bit on the weird side. They look for food 24/7/365 and they build tubes up and down. Instead of having to go back the same route, they go down possibly to save time on getting back to the ground and their source of water or moisture.
Termites are not generally a Do It Yourself pest issue, so call a Pest Management Professional for the best plan to keep them out.
I found this article interesting, but I have noticed over the years that many critters use termite mounds for observation. “Monarto termite mound is a high point for long time zoo volunteer Brian Tinning.” This zoo is in Adelaide Australia and this gentleman has been a volunteer there for over 40 years. Our hats off to him for his work and his dedication to wildlife.
Formosan termite photo by PPMA
There are many places around the world that have bigger issues with termites than Arizona. Certainly the East Coast of the US especially the southern states have more problems mainly due to more water and warmer temperatures.
“Woman gets help moving out of apartment crawling with snails.” Ok to be honest the pictures aren’t that helpful but I’m pretty sure they aren’t snails. Snails as far as I know have little shells on them. I would think more of a some type of mold or plaster beetle larva or maybe slugs of some kind.
Ok so as always we go back to the basic premise of pest control, identification is the first step. This helps to decide the course of action leading to sanitation, physical removal and application of control measures.
My first recommendation is you have to stop the water or moisture from getting in, then I would suggest home-sealing to keep the bugs from getting in.
Water damage is a concern across the U.S. whether you are in Florida or Arizona. I guess the only difference is the abundance of moisture. With humidity levsls at 99+% in Florida the chances are greater that you will have issues. Anytime that wood gets wet and then dries, then gets wet and dries again you can expect some type of wood decay to take place. I often see this damage occurring at roof lines or at fireplace chimney areas.
Depending on where you live this wood damage may affect your termite inspection. So it is important to stop the water before it gets worse.
