Those pesky insects that inhabit dead wood, whether in houses, tree stumps, or furniture, are called dry wood termites.
It is in this respect that they are most unlike their relatives, the subterranean species which live in the soil beneath the wood. Dry wood termites actually live in the wood where they establish their colonies.
A number of experts in the field of pest control attribute the widespread infestations of these pesky little creatures to people who move furniture made of wood or containing wood without inspecting the furniture for termite infestation.
Dry wood termites do not have access to water since they live in wood and that is how they get their name. They must metabolize their water from moisture in the air as the air flows against the place where they live.
Dry wood termites share one particular trait with their subterranean cousins — they too swarm in the early spring. It is during this activity that alates, those termites who sprout wings, find a mate with whom they go off to start a new colony.
Detection of these pests is difficult thought straightforward when done by a competent professional. Because they live in the wood they infest, they must find ways to get rid of their waste “called frass.”
After exposure to air for a while, frass turns into a white powder. But to be sure that is what it is, you should wipe it away then check back in a few days to see if it has returned.
If it has, then you have an active colony. If not, the pests may have either died or moved on. Another way to detect them is to look for a very thin layer of wood which separates them from their environment. They do not eat completely through the wood but rather almost to the end and this accounts for the thin layer.
