Managing Desert Termites in the Home Lawn, Pastures and Rangeland in Texas
From Extension Collaborative Wiki
The desert termite (sometimes called the the crust-building subterranean desert termite), Gnathamitermes tubiformans (Buckley)occurs in Arizona, southern New Mexico, northern Mexico and Texas. This species contructs fragile mud tubes and sheetings around the surfaces of herbaceous and woody plants as well as some landscape structures like fences. On fences and trees the termites do not tunnel into the wood, but rather remove only surface materials. The "carton" tubes and sheetings can cover an average of 6.5% of the soil surface during active feeding periods (usually May through September) on shortgrass rangeland in western Texas. The mud tubes and sheetings can cause great concern for ranchers and homeowners, especially during times of drought.
Importance
Desert termites are usually cause more damage in uncultivated, natural ecosystems than in managed monocultures like improved pastures or lawns. Several activities of termites are significant on rangeland:
- Consumption of standing forage plants that would otherwise be eaten by livestock or wildlife
- Destruction of valuable pasture plants such as legumes
- Consumption of dry grass and mulch that results in increased evaporation
- Death of forage plants
- Eroded rangeland after rains
- Building mounds that occupy a significant area of ground that would otherwise support forage plants
- Modifying soil properties that influence plant growth
Damage
They cause more damage in mixed landscapes rather than monocultures because why? I am interested! Your article start is tight and has me wanting the next part. --Denisemcwilliams 19:25, 22 February 2007 (EST)
Identification and Control
Proper identification is the first step in proper management of the desert termite. Texas is home to many species of subterranean termites and a misidentification could lead to improper control tactics and even property damage. The Texas A&M Termite Identification Site is a excellent resource for keys to identify the more common termites in Texas. Winged adults are the best way to distinguish this termite from others. The desert termite will have opague wings and veins that are highly pigmented compared to other subterranean termites.
