Are Termites Dangerous?

Unfortunately for those of us who own homes, termites are a common nuisance around many parts of the country. While you probably know that termites can cause an incredible amount of damage to a home in a relatively short amount of time, you may be wondering if the problem may extend beyond that. If you have children or pets in your home and are dealing with a termite infestation a major concern may be whether or not termites are dangerous.

The good news is, although termites are incredibly dangerous to the structure of your home, they are not known to be dangerous to humans. Soldier termites (which are the termites that are equipped to battle ants and rival termites) technically have the ability to bite or pinch humans, but they would never do so unless they were picked up and handled. So unless you seek out interaction with these soldier termites, you and your family should be safe from physical harm. If by some off chance someone in your family was pinched by a termite, they are not known to cause illness or infection in humans.

In order to avoid interacting with termites, you should know what they look like. Termites are strange-looking insects, so you may be a bit caught off guard if you spot one. The worker termites have white bodies and yellow heads. Soldier termites, the ones that are most likely to pinch if threatened, are long and black with large mandibles. You wouldn’t typically spot one unless you were looking for them in wooden areas, the foundation of your home, or your basement.

While it is comforting to know that you aren’t in any real physical danger from these annoying little critters, a termite infestation still calls for immediate action. Left alone, termites can quickly take over and destroy the structure of your home. This can result in thousands of dollars in damage to your home. If you have even the slightest indication that you might have a termite problem, call your local pest control expert today.