The termite life cycle runs from egg to larva, and then to one of three adult roles: a worker, a soldier or a winged reproductive, the swarmer. A colony starts with one king and one queen and takes about 3 to 5 years to mature and send out swarmers of its own, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Workers, the termites that eat the wood, can live up to five years, according to Penn State Extension.
That slow start is the problem. By the time you see winged termites in the spring, the colony under your house has usually been feeding for years.
Year 0: the swarm
Each spring, a mature colony sends out winged kings and queens. In New York, the eastern subterranean termite swarms from about March through June, according to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County. Missouri Extension notes that swarms usually come on warm, sunny days after rain. The swarmers are dark brown to black and about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long with their wings, and they’re drawn to light, so indoors they gather at windows and doors.
Few of them succeed. Penn State says swarmers look for moist wood touching the soil to start a colony, and their wings break off after the flight.
Year 1: the first eggs
A new king and queen dig a small chamber in the soil or wood. About a week after mating, the queen starts laying eggs, which hatch after several days, according to Texas A&M. In the first year she lays only a few hundred.
The eggs hatch into larvae, which molt three or four times and then become workers, soldiers or nymphs that can grow into new reproductives, Texas A&M explains.
Years 2 to 4: workers and soldiers
As the queen grows, she lays more eggs, and the colony fills with its working castes:
- Workers are blind, wingless and creamy white, 1/4 to 3/8 inch long. They make up most of the colony, build the mud tubes and eat the wood.
- Soldiers are about 1/4 inch long, with a long yellowish head and big jaws. They make up 1 to 5% of the colony, guard openings and can’t feed themselves, so workers feed them.
- Supplemental reproductives develop in older colonies. They can lay eggs too, and can replace a queen that dies.
The colony is now out of sight, feeding in the soil and in any wood it can reach. It travels into buildings through mud tubes it builds over concrete and foundation walls.
Years 3 to 5 and beyond: a mature colony
After 3 to 5 years, a native subterranean colony is mature, according to Texas A&M, and a mature colony usually has about 250,000 workers. Then it starts producing winged swarmers every spring, and the cycle starts again. The University of Connecticut notes that termite swarmers mean a colony at least five years old.
Damage follows the same slow clock. Penn State says termite damage is usually the result of years of infestation, not a sudden attack. The EPA notes that many people don’t know they have termites until they see a swarm or find damage during construction work.
What kinds of termites live in New York?
Most termites in New York are eastern subterranean termites, and Cornell Cooperative Extension notes that Long Island has only one termite species. It lives in the soil and comes up into buildings through mud tubes. Termites here also like warmth: the New York State IPM Program says they favor spots near furnaces, boilers, chimneys, water heaters and hot water pipes.
What the life cycle means for your home
Here’s a simple example. Say a homeowner in Staten Island finds dozens of winged insects on the basement windowsill one April morning, then a pile of wings the next day. The colony that sent them out is likely at least five years old, and it’s been feeding on something nearby: maybe the sill plate where the house sits on the foundation, or an old wooden step buried in the soil. Sweeping up the swarmers does nothing. The workers are still underground, and they’ll still be eating wood next week.
Our advice: treat a swarm as proof of a mature colony nearby, not as a one-time event. Swarmers themselves don’t damage wood, as Penn State points out. The workers you’ll never see do.
If you’ve seen swarmers or mud tubes, read the signs of termite damage, make sure they aren’t flying ants, and see how to get rid of termites. NYC Extermination’s termite inspection is free: we check the foundation, basement, crawl spaces, framing and any wood near the soil, confirm it’s termites, and find what’s drawing them in. See our termite control service or call (347) 988-2315.
Frequently asked questions
How long do termites live?
Workers can live up to five years, according to Penn State Extension. A colony lasts much longer: older colonies raise extra reproductives that can replace a queen, so it keeps going as long as it has wood and moisture.
Do termites eventually go away?
Not on their own. A colony keeps feeding as long as it has wood, moisture and a way in. Swarmers leave each spring, but the workers stay behind in the soil and keep eating.
What is a termite larva?
A young termite that has just hatched from an egg. It molts three or four times, then becomes a worker, a soldier or a nymph that may grow into a reproductive. You’ll rarely see larvae, because termites seldom come out of the soil, mud tubes or wood.
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