Is Canada Too Cold For The Survival Of Termites?
Termites exist in every state in America except for Alaska. As you can guess, temperatures in Alaska are too cold to sustain termite life. However, termites do exist north of the United States. Termites are certainly much more rare in Canada, and many Canadians do not worry about their homes becoming infested with termites. One termite group that does exist in Canada is a type of dampwood termite. Dampwood termites are not as numerous in the United States as subterranean and drywood termites. In Canada only one species of dampwood termite has been found infesting homes. This species is known as Zootermopsis angusticollis. These termites are only found on the Pacific coast of Canada in British Columbia. Although most dampwood termites are only found in coastal American states, Zootermopsis angusticollis is the most prevalent of all dampwood termites existing in the United States.
Zootermopsis angusticollis termites range from Baja, California all the way up into Canada. Zootermopsis angusticollis termites are only found in the states of California, Oregon and Washington. These termites prefer cool and humid coastal areas. This is why Zootermopsis angusticollis termites find Canadian coastal regions to be ideal. In more southern regions of the US, these termites have been found at high altitudes where temperatures are low. Sometimes these termites are found six thousand feet above sea level. Zootermopsis angusticollis termites possess the largest body size of all dampwood termites and they are tolerant of environments with excessively high moisture levels. In fact, these termites are sometimes found infesting piles of wood that are floating down streams and rivers. These termites are also partial to trees that protrude from the surface of water and they often infest wooden structures that are built over bodies of water. Colony sizes are relatively low in number, as a colony of Zootermopsis angusticollis termites rarely contain more than four thousand individual termites.
Had you ever known someone who discovered an infestation of dampwood termites?
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