Cockroaches & Termites
What are they?
Cockroaches and termites would appear to have little in common, other than being in the same order of insects - the Blattodea - and being both unwelcome visitors to our homes! Termites are largely nocturnal creatures that form large colonies, centered around an 'alpha queen' and made up of a number of task-specific individuals. There are many tropical species, but in the eastern USA, we have just one species, that makes colonies below ground, rendering them often easily overlooked. They feed on wood and similar old plant material, making them potential pests in wooden buildings, yet essential to natural ecosystems, where they help to break down and recycle dead trees. Cockroaches are largely solitary creatures, though their numbers can build up dramatically in ideal living conditions (such as in the less scrupulously-cleaned kitchens and similar places).
Identification
Termites may be confused with ants, but their proportions are different, having relatively larger heads and less of a waist mid-body. Cockroaches may be winged or unwinged according to age and/or sex, but all are readily recognized as a group by their fast, scuttling gait and generally secretive nature - they are best looked for by turning over old bits of bark or wood on the forest floor, or by moving the refrigerator!
Eastern Subterranean Termite Reticulitermes flavipes
Though termites are abundant throughout the tropical regions of the world, and their earthen mounds are a feature of many open, grassy savanna regions, we have just one species in our area, which is nocturnal, unobtrusive and lives colonially below ground. Evidence of their presence is best established by searching for the mud tunnels that they construct from their homes to feeding places. These tunnels allow them to feed un-noticed by potential predators.
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Wood Cockroach Parcoblatta sp.
Common insects of the woodland floor where they are often seen singly amongst deep leaf litter, but may build up into small colonies in suitable conditions, such as among dumped trash on roadsides and powerline cuts. There are several very similar species in this genus which can be very hard to tell apart.
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