Second only to ants, termites are one of the most numerous insects on earth, but due to habitat destruction, and environmental degradation, some species appear to be declining.  A few other species though, are thriving and proving to be troublesome pests, in increasingly man-influenced environments.  Termites divide labor among gender lines, produce overlapping generations and take care of their young in a collective manner.  Termites feed mostly on dead plant material, generally from wood form, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung.  Although their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance, they can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops and plantation forests.

There are several types of beetles that damage wood used for construction.  They are commonly placed into three main groups: powder-post beetles, round-headed borers, and flat-headed borers.  Wood infested with wood-boring beetles has numerous "shot holes" in the surface.  Small pieces of sawdust (frass) produced by the larvae as they tunnel may sift from the holes when the wood is bumped or disturbed.  The amount of damage caused by wood-boring beetles will vary based on the species of beetle and their unique feeding and egg-laying preferences.  Damage weakens structural timbers and results primarily from feeding activities of the beetle larvae.  When the larvae has completed their development inside the wood, they pupate.  The pupal stage is an inactive developmental period.  The pupae eventually change into adult beetles that bore holes to the outside of the wood.

Carpenter ants are one of the most common ants found.  They are also very difficult to control. Carpenter ants, vary in size and color but are usually  1/4 - 1/2 inch and blackish..  Occasionally, swarms of winged carpenter ant reproductives will emerge inside a home.  Carpenter ant swarms usually occur in the spring and are a sure sign that a colony i=s nesting somewhere inside the structure.  Carpenter ants damage wood by hollowing it out for nesting.  They excavate galleries in wood which have a smooth, sandpapered appearance.  Wood which has been damaged by carpenter ants contains no mud-like material, as is the case with termites.  shredded fragments of wood, similar to sawdust, are ejected from the galleries through preexisting cracks or slits.  Carpenter ants nest in both moist and dry wood, but prefer moist wood.  Carpenter ants may establish nests in a number of locations.  It is important to realize these locations can be either inside or outside the structure.  The extent and potential damage to a structure depends on how many nests are actually present within the structure, and how long the infestation has been active.  The damage may be relatively insignificant, but this can only be determined boy locating and exposing the nest areas.

In the late-spring and early summer, homeowners often notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of their homes.  These are probably carpenter bees searching for mates and favorable sites to construct their nests.  Male carpenter bees are quite aggressive, often hovering in front of people who are around the nests.  Carpenter resemble bumble bees, but the upper surface of their abdomen is bare an shiny black; bumble bees have a hairy abdomen with at least some yellow markings.  Carpenter bees tunnel into wood to lay their eggs.  Bare, unpainted or weathered softwoods are preferred, especially redwood, cedar, cypress and pine.  Common nesting sites include eaves, window trim, facia boards, siding, wooden shakes, decks and outdoor furniture.  After mating females excavate tunnels in wood and lay their eggs within a series of small cells.  The cells are provisioned with a ball of pollen on which the larvae feed,   They overwinter as adults in wood, and in the spring, April to May, emerge as adult bees.  The entrance hole and tunnels are perfectly round and about the diameter of your finger.  Coarse sawdust the color of fresh cut wood will often be present  beneath the entry hole, and boring sounds may be heard from within the wood.

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