The University of Missouri Extension's guide on subterranean termites says four Reticulitermes species occur naturally in Missouri, all of them living in the soil. Infestations usually start in soil and enter through wood or the foundation wall. This guide sets out what the Extension says, what it does not say for a particular house, and the questions to take to it.
Key takeaways
- Four Reticulitermes species occur naturally in Missouri, and all of them are subterranean.
- The eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, is the most common house-infesting termite in the United States, according to the same guide.
- Infestations usually start in soil and enter through wood or the foundation wall next to soil.
- On slab construction, entry is commonly through expansion joints, cracks, and utility or sewer openings.
- The Extension's swarm timing for Missouri is not stated on this site, because it is not on file.
- The species in a particular house is a question for an identification, and the inspection records the evidence either way.
What does the Extension say about the species?
The Extension's guide describes four Reticulitermes species as occurring naturally in Missouri, all subterranean. That is a statement about the state, and it is the most that a household can say from it about a particular house.
The guide was written by the University of Missouri's Department of Entomology. It describes the Reticulitermes genus, which lives in the soil and builds its tunnels through the wood it eats, and it states that the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, is the most common house-infesting termite in the United States. A household in Blue Springs can rely on those two statements, which are about the species and about the state.
The guide's online version is current, and it is the reference this site uses. Any question about a species in a particular building needs a sample and an identification, and this site does not claim one for any house.
Where do the termites live, and how do they get in?
Infestations usually start in soil and enter through wood or the foundation wall next to soil. The route is the soil, and the building is reached from it.
Subterranean termites live in the ground and come up through the soil to find wood. The Extension describes the usual route as soil, then the wood or the foundation wall beside it, and that is why the soil line is where most termite work begins. A building with wood touching the ground, soil piled against the wall or moisture at the foundation gives the termites an easy route.
A study cited in the University's repository describes R. hageni as dominant in forested areas and R. flavipes as dominant in urban landscapes. The year and the detail of the study should be checked in the repository before the finding is repeated, and this site does not use it to say which species is in a particular house.
How do they get into a slab house?
On slab construction, the Extension says entry is commonly through expansion joints, cracks, and utility or sewer openings. A slab house is therefore checked at those openings rather than under a floor.
A slab has no crawl space for the technician to reach, so the joints and openings carry the weight of the check. The joint where the slab meets the wall, the crack that opens with the seasons and the place where a sewer or water line enters the slab are the points the Extension names. A household with a slab house can ask the technician to check each one, and to record each on a numbered sketch.
The check does not end at the openings. The soil beside the slab edge is part of the route, and a soil zone is set against it where the openings need protection.
What does the Extension not say for Blue Springs?
The Extension's guide does not give the swarm months for Missouri, and this site does not state a window. Those points are for the Extension to answer, and a household should ask.
The swarm timing is one of the questions households ask most, and it is also one this site cannot answer from a sourced record. Sources that give swarm months for the state were not confirmed as Extension or university publications, so this page does not state a window. Ask the Extension directly, and ask whether its timing applies to the part of Missouri where the house stands.
The same applies to the local records for Jackson County. None is on file for this site, and the Extension is the place to check.
Swarmers, workers and why the difference matters
Subterranean termites are seen in different forms, and a household that understands the difference can describe what it has seen more accurately. The forms are the winged swarmers, the wingless workers and the soldiers.
Swarmers are the winged reproductives that leave a colony. A household may see them near a window or a light, and their wings are often shed in small piles afterwards. Workers are the pale, wingless insects that do the tunnelling and the feeding, and they are the form most likely to be found inside wood or under a board. Soldiers have enlarged heads and defend the colony.
A swarm is evidence that a colony is established somewhere nearby, but it is not a precise location. The inspection looks for the tubes, the damaged wood and the moisture that would support a colony, because a swarm may have come from another building or from a distant source. The Extension's guide describes these forms, and a household that can describe them accurately gives the technician better information.
What moisture does to the picture
Subterranean termites need moisture as well as food, so the conditions around a building matter as much as the presence of wood. The Extension's guide places the soil at the start of the route, which makes the grade and the drainage part of the question.
A building with downspouts that discharge at the wall, a crawl that holds water or soil piled above the foundation gives termites the damp they need. A dry foundation with the soil kept below the first course of brick is much less attractive. The inspection notes these conditions and the owner decides which to change, because a treatment does not alter the moisture on its own.
The guide's account of soil-to-wood routes is the reason the inspection pays attention to the gap between the soil and the wood, rather than the wood alone. That gap is where a moisture problem and a termite problem most often meet.
Reading a termite finding with the Extension in mind
A finding from a technician records evidence in a particular place. Read against the Extension's general account, the finding tells the household where the route runs and how the building is connected to the soil.
A mud tube on a foundation pier is evidence of a soil route, and the Extension's account explains why it sits where it does. Damaged wood at grade or in a sill points to the soil route reaching the framing. An opening at a utility line on a slab points to the entry route the Extension names for slab construction. Each finding is a piece of the same story, which the household can follow with the Extension's guide beside the report.
A finding that does not fit the general account is still worth recording. Ask the technician to note it, and ask the Extension whether the pattern is unusual for the area. A question of that kind helps both the household and the next person who reads the file.
Questions for the University of Missouri Extension
A household that wants more than the guide can give should take a short written list of questions to the Extension. Ten questions cover most of what a homeowner needs to know.
Ask which Reticulitermes species the Extension's specimens from the county have been identified as, and how recent those records are. Ask whether the swarm timing in the state has been published in a source the Extension stands behind, and if so where it can be found. Ask how a household can tell a swarm from a flying ant, and what to do with the wings.
Ask whether a soil treatment is the Extension's recommendation for a slab house or a crawl house, and what it says about the conditions a treatment cannot change. Ask for the current advice on monitoring devices, and whether they are useful in the Kansas City metro. Ask how to find a county extension contact for the questions that arise after a visit.
Frequently asked questions
How many termite species are in Missouri?
The Extension's guide says four Reticulitermes species occur naturally in the state, all subterranean.
Which termite is most common in houses?
The guide names the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, as the most common house-infesting termite in the United States.
Where do termites usually enter?
They usually start in the soil and enter through wood or the foundation wall next to it. On a slab, entry is commonly through joints, cracks and utility openings.
When do termites swarm in Missouri?
This site does not state a swarm window, because none is on file from the Extension. Ask the Extension directly.
Sources
This guide is general information for Jackson County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.