Termites feeding on the bottom side of a piece of dead wood. Termites cannot survive long without a shelter from ambient heat and a ready source of moisture.
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Typical shelter tube extending from the soil along the side of a masonry block. |
After many years of work, termites have weakened this floor frame member considerably. Note how tubes extend downward in search of additional food. |
View of termite "shelter tubes" extending from the soil in many locations in a crawl space of a dwelling.
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Close up view of an extended tube. Note the "branching" of the tube extension used in search of a food source. |
Another close up of the same tube at another angle. There appears to be three (3) equal length branches with a fourth one starting at the top of the trunk. The reddish clump at the bottom of the tube assembly is a "clump" of tubes along the ground.
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View of damage to a floor joist/sill that supports an exterior wall. A termite shelter tube is visible on the side of the foundation wall.
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Colonies send out multiple explorers and can build multiple tubes to access a food source, in this case, someone's floor and wall structure. |
Termite tubes extending downward from the host food source in search of more food for colony.
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A view of "clumped" tubes built while a colony searches for food in a crawl space.
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 Typical view of girder with termite damage. Note how the bottom of girder is crushed at the column by the weight of the structure above.
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The brown "coral-looking" material is a clump of termite shelter tubes built under and around a water heater cabinet in a crawl space. |
Termite damage to floor girder under 25 year old dwelling. |
View of floor girder with long screw driver penetrating through center of girder. |