Can a Termite See

Have you been wondering about the age old question, can a termite see?  Me either, but it is an interesting question.  After all, these small pests can infiltrate a home and cause a huge amount of damage, but how do they find their food source?  Do they see a tasty huge old Victorian home and call all their bodies to road trip on into the foundation?  The truth is that in most termites, they have no eyes, so the easy answer to the question can a termite see is No.  Some of the reproductive members of a termite colony will have eyes because they also have wings, but in general, termites cannot see.

So how do they find their food?  That’s almost as good a question as can a termite see!  Termites are blind, and they really have no method to their madness, so to speak, when it comes to finding a food source.  Basically, they wander around moving about until they encounter some type of resistance at which time they switch directions and keep going until they find something they are able to eat.  We’re not talking about a cross country road trip, but let’s just say you have termites in a wood pile behind your home.  When they finish up with the wood and decide they want a different kind of wood and head toward your house, the travel across your yard might feel like a cross country journey to them!

Some people consider the question can a termite see frivolous, but it really can mean a lot to the person who is interested in getting rid of or preventing a termite problem.  If they can’t see, all they can really rely on is touch.  They like wet places – especially wet places with damp wood.  Take steps to make sure you have no leaks around your home that may attract your blind enemy.  Don’t let the soil underneath your house get wet in any way, and keep the soil away from the foundation of your house if at all possible.

When doing landscaping work, you may want to use a wood mulch to decorate.  If you want to do this, keep the mulch away from the foundation of the house and always use black landscaping to keep the termites from emerging from the soil and eating through your mulch.  An even better idea is to use stone when landscaping.

We hope we’ve answer your question about can a termite see effectively.  For more information, you may also want to consult an encyclopedia or look on the Internet to become fully informed about those pesky termites.
