Creepy Crawlies: If Termites Were Horror Creatures!

When someone says termites, many of us who have experienced them start getting angry, frustrated or scared. They aren’t exactly creatures you want around yourself. They can scare you, cause a lot of damage and even take lives if we let them be. In fact, you could even say they are the real life version of horror creatures we see in movies or TV shows.  So here are what each termite species would be if they were horror creatures!

Dampwood Termites: Just staring menacingly

First we have our dampwood termites. Ironically, these termites are like our very own hantu pocong, even though they aren’t as common in Malaysia. As you may have guessed, dampwood termites build their colonies in damp wood. Dampwood termites are similar to their drywood cousins, but infect damp wood instead. So why the relation with Hantu Pocong? Well, hantu pocong are known to be quite harmless. They appear because the person who was conducting burial rituals messed up. They can’t run, they don’t have teeth or claws, and are bound from head to foot. The only thing they do is scare people in the dark.

Just like the hantu pocong, dampwood termites don’t really cause harm because of their food preference. They only infest damp, rotting wood such as old tree stumps or old furniture exposed to rain, which is of little use to us. As long as your home isn’t full of rotting wood, you don’t really have anything to worry about.

Drywood Termites: It’s not just about blood for these pests

Coming up next, we have the drywood termites. Drywood termites aren’t as common as their subterranean cousins but can be just as scary. These termites are the closest to vampires due to their behaviour. Drywood termites are similar to their dampwood cousins, but infect dry wood instead.. They infest these woods internally, creating elaborate galleries all within the wood, without showing any damage externally. So you may be asking, “Owen, why vampires? Termites don’t suck blood” which is true but these pests do suck water! Drywood termites don’t forage for sources of water, instead they suck all the water they need out from the very wood they eat. Imagine if a vampire

decided to suck all your water instead of blood, it would still be pretty deadly.

Furthermore, just like vampires who can pass off as regular people, these pests can be super hard to detect. Drywood termites rarely exit their colonies, which makes finding infestations difficult. The only signs of drywood termites is frass, sawdust-like faeces around wood and hollow sounding wood. If you have any of these, an infestation may be likely.

Subterranean Termites: Coming for more than just your brains

Last but not least, we have our very own subterranean termites. If these termites were in a horror movie, they would most likely be zombies, and not the slow moving, shuffling kind. I’m talking about they running at you screaming, arms reaching to grab you and tear you limb from limb kind. Subterranean termites are responsible for over RM40 million in property damage every year, with 90% being contributed by Coptotermes termites. Furthermore, these pests can grow their colonies up to 3 million termites, with the queen capable of laying about 1,000 eggs per day! Similar to a zombie outbreak, if you don’t contain them they can easily swarm a property quickly and put your lives at risk.

Another reason why these pests resemble zombies is due to them building their colonies under the ground. These termites build their homes underground, venturing out only for food and water just like zombies who rise from the ground to infect others and eat brains. These pests have a unique way of keeping themselves protected when foraging. By building mud tubes, tubes made of soil, saliva and faeces, these termites can travel from place to place without being attacked by predators. We would be in serious trouble if zombies had that sort of protection! Even with these signs, these termites can be quite difficult to control without professional help.

While we may be fortunate that zombies and vampires don’t exist, termites are a very real threat to our property. Early identification can minimise the damage caused to your homes by engaging Rentokil. With our Rentokil Colony Elimination Plan (RCEP) which is specially designed for residential termite infestations, we are able to monitor, bait and eliminate Coptotermes termites around your property. Contact us at 1300881911 for professional solutions to your termite problems or visit our website here!