UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 333 
JZ^i^ru 
Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 
L. O. HOWARD, Chief 
Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER 
February 16, 1916 
TERMITES, OR "WHITE ANTS," IN THE UNITED STATES 
THEIR DAMAGE, AND METHODS OF PREVENTION. 1 
By Thomas E. Snydek, M. F., 
Assistant in Forest Entomology, Forest Insect Investigations. 
CONTENTS. 
Introduction 
Classification 
Description of the insects 
Communal organization and life. 
The life cycle 
Page. 
1 
1 
2 
4 
5 
Page. 
The swarm 8 
Geographical distribution 12 
Economic importance of termites in the 
United States 13 
Preventive and remedial measures 2G 
INTRODUCTION. 
Termites, or " white ants," which are classed among the most in- 
jurious insects to man's industry in tropical regions, are by no 
means restricted to the Tropics and in the United States are capable 
of seriously damaging the woodwork as well as the contents of 
buildings and other structures of wood, and occasionally the roots of 
living trees and various growing crops. In the United States these 
insects more frequently occur and more often become a pest in the 
Southern States. Due to their subterranean habits, insidious method 
of attack, and often countless numbers, termites are very difficult to 
destroy. Always coming up through underground galleries, they 
work under cover, avoiding exposure to the light, so that the damage 
is often hidden until beyond repair. 
CLASSIFICATION. 
"White ants" are not ants, but, because of their superficial resem- 
blance to ants (except in color) and their communal habits, they have 
been almost universally so termed. Thus these insects, since they live 
1 The species principally treated herein are Leucotermes flavipes Kollar, L. virginicus 
Banks, and L. lucifugus Rossi. 
11433°— Bull. 333—16 1 
