TERMITE + WDO EXAM STUDY GUIDE
Reticulitermes
(Rhinotermidae - subterranean - native)
*only 2 sclerotized veins on wings, web-like
For soldiers -
*pronotum same size or smaller than head
*rectangle, block head shape
*smooth teeth on mandible (1 or less) - Answer -Which type of termite is this?
Soldier
*have mandible for defense, wingless, blind, sclerotized head - Answer -Which caste of
termites is this in?
Powderpost beetle - Answer -Which beetle leaves small round exit holes in hardwood?
Brown rot - Answer -What was this damage caused by?
Ambrosia beetle - Answer -What caused these stains?
NO - Answer -Does this insect need to be reported on the WDO form?
Cerambycidae beetle (longhorned beetle) aka old house borer
Note - large oval exit hole - Answer -What caused this damage?
Floating slab (example - townhouses)
slab "floats" on soil - poured after footer/foundation wall - Answer -What type of slab is
this?
Monolithic slab
*slab + footer poured at SAME time - Answer -Which type of slab is more stable against
sink holes? Note - they are also more stable in loose soils.
Form 13671 - Consumer consent form - Answer -What must you have signed by the
customer BEFORE entering into a contract on a property that is currently under an
active WDO warranty?
- Answer -Study MATH + LABEL questions too!
Wood destroying organism = an arthropod OR fungus that damages and can reinfest
seasoned wood in a structure
(Termites, powderpost beetles, old house borers, wood-decaying fungi) - Answer -What
is a WDO? What are the 4 categories of WDOs defined by state statutes?
,Old House borer (a longhorned beetle/cerambycid) - Answer -Which wood-infesting
pest usually leaves heavy damage in finished SOFTwood with the ONLY external
evidence being 1-2 oval exit holes? Typical control is fumigation for heavy infestations.
Bark beetles - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest is found in rough, bark-covered
wood leaving small exit holes 1/8 inch diameter with inner side of bark/wood surface
"engraved" with galleries (NOT extensive tunnels)? The damage is old, will not reinfest
dried wood, and NO control is required. The powder is the same color as the bark.
Ambrosia beetles - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest leaves pinholes and slender
galleries in sapwood/southern yellow pine, leaving burrows and area around them
stained dark by the action of fungi? The damage is old, will not re-infest dried wood, and
control may not be required.
Subterranean termites - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest leaves NO openings (or
VERY few + sealed over), has extensive galleries running lengthwise in springwood
which are packed with hard/masticlike frass? They may infest old cellulose objects
near/in contact with soil.
Carpenter ants - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest timbers with extensive galleries
that are sandpaper smooth with rounded edges and contain NO frass? There may be
coarse sawdust found near their damage.
Carpenter bees - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest leaves round ENTRY holes in
wood near the side/edge/end that lead into long tunnels (3-24 inches). The holes turn at
right angles and tunnels run WITH grain of wood.
WDOs! - Answer -Are the following WDOs or NON-WDOs:
Subterranean termites
Drywood/powderpost termites
Dampwood termites
Arboreal/subterranean termite
Wood-boring beetles
Wood-decay fungi
NON-WDOs! - Answer -Are the following WDOs or NON-WDOs:
Bark beetles
Ambrosia beetles
Metallic wood borers
Formicidae
Apidae
Booklice
Shipworms
Nonwood-destroying organisms
, Physical damage
Cockroaches - Answer -What did termites evolve from?
1. Drywood termites
2. Dampwood termites
3. Subterranean termites
4. Higher termites - Answer -What are the 4 major groups of termites in the U.S.?
Galleries under wood surface
Live within dried wood = Immobile nest = die after final swarm
do NOT forage in soil
derive all their water from wood (NOT soil like subterraneans!)
Feed on summer and spring wood - Answer -Describe Drywood termites.
Nest within wood with HIGH moisture
do NOT forage in the soil
do NOT usually cause economic important damage in FL - Answer -Describe
Dampwood termites.
Nest in SOIL, forage in soil/ground, require constant contact with soil to obtain water
(some species can survive away from soil if moisture source is available)
Prefer sandy soil over clay soil
Mobile nest site - may build shelter tubes to stay moisturized/avoid exposure to
elements
3,000 species, less than 200 are pests
*MOST common in FL + North America! (because live BELOW ground and are
protected from extreme temperatures unlike other termites) - Answer -Describe
Subterranean termites.
Nest/forage in wide variety of locations - Arboreal
Do NOT use symbiotic microorganisms for digestion of cellulose - may use fungi -
Answer -Describe Higher termites.
Alaska - Answer -What state does NOT have termites?
Moisture is important because ALL castes EXCEPT swarmers are soft-bodied and lose
water rapidly when exposed to air - Answer -Why is a moisture source so important for
termites?
moisture (HIGH humidity) + temperature - Answer -What 2 conditions are most
important for termite survival and activity level?
Gradual metamorphosis
Reticulitermes
(Rhinotermidae - subterranean - native)
*only 2 sclerotized veins on wings, web-like
For soldiers -
*pronotum same size or smaller than head
*rectangle, block head shape
*smooth teeth on mandible (1 or less) - Answer -Which type of termite is this?
Soldier
*have mandible for defense, wingless, blind, sclerotized head - Answer -Which caste of
termites is this in?
Powderpost beetle - Answer -Which beetle leaves small round exit holes in hardwood?
Brown rot - Answer -What was this damage caused by?
Ambrosia beetle - Answer -What caused these stains?
NO - Answer -Does this insect need to be reported on the WDO form?
Cerambycidae beetle (longhorned beetle) aka old house borer
Note - large oval exit hole - Answer -What caused this damage?
Floating slab (example - townhouses)
slab "floats" on soil - poured after footer/foundation wall - Answer -What type of slab is
this?
Monolithic slab
*slab + footer poured at SAME time - Answer -Which type of slab is more stable against
sink holes? Note - they are also more stable in loose soils.
Form 13671 - Consumer consent form - Answer -What must you have signed by the
customer BEFORE entering into a contract on a property that is currently under an
active WDO warranty?
- Answer -Study MATH + LABEL questions too!
Wood destroying organism = an arthropod OR fungus that damages and can reinfest
seasoned wood in a structure
(Termites, powderpost beetles, old house borers, wood-decaying fungi) - Answer -What
is a WDO? What are the 4 categories of WDOs defined by state statutes?
,Old House borer (a longhorned beetle/cerambycid) - Answer -Which wood-infesting
pest usually leaves heavy damage in finished SOFTwood with the ONLY external
evidence being 1-2 oval exit holes? Typical control is fumigation for heavy infestations.
Bark beetles - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest is found in rough, bark-covered
wood leaving small exit holes 1/8 inch diameter with inner side of bark/wood surface
"engraved" with galleries (NOT extensive tunnels)? The damage is old, will not reinfest
dried wood, and NO control is required. The powder is the same color as the bark.
Ambrosia beetles - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest leaves pinholes and slender
galleries in sapwood/southern yellow pine, leaving burrows and area around them
stained dark by the action of fungi? The damage is old, will not re-infest dried wood, and
control may not be required.
Subterranean termites - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest leaves NO openings (or
VERY few + sealed over), has extensive galleries running lengthwise in springwood
which are packed with hard/masticlike frass? They may infest old cellulose objects
near/in contact with soil.
Carpenter ants - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest timbers with extensive galleries
that are sandpaper smooth with rounded edges and contain NO frass? There may be
coarse sawdust found near their damage.
Carpenter bees - Answer -Which wood-infesting pest leaves round ENTRY holes in
wood near the side/edge/end that lead into long tunnels (3-24 inches). The holes turn at
right angles and tunnels run WITH grain of wood.
WDOs! - Answer -Are the following WDOs or NON-WDOs:
Subterranean termites
Drywood/powderpost termites
Dampwood termites
Arboreal/subterranean termite
Wood-boring beetles
Wood-decay fungi
NON-WDOs! - Answer -Are the following WDOs or NON-WDOs:
Bark beetles
Ambrosia beetles
Metallic wood borers
Formicidae
Apidae
Booklice
Shipworms
Nonwood-destroying organisms
, Physical damage
Cockroaches - Answer -What did termites evolve from?
1. Drywood termites
2. Dampwood termites
3. Subterranean termites
4. Higher termites - Answer -What are the 4 major groups of termites in the U.S.?
Galleries under wood surface
Live within dried wood = Immobile nest = die after final swarm
do NOT forage in soil
derive all their water from wood (NOT soil like subterraneans!)
Feed on summer and spring wood - Answer -Describe Drywood termites.
Nest within wood with HIGH moisture
do NOT forage in the soil
do NOT usually cause economic important damage in FL - Answer -Describe
Dampwood termites.
Nest in SOIL, forage in soil/ground, require constant contact with soil to obtain water
(some species can survive away from soil if moisture source is available)
Prefer sandy soil over clay soil
Mobile nest site - may build shelter tubes to stay moisturized/avoid exposure to
elements
3,000 species, less than 200 are pests
*MOST common in FL + North America! (because live BELOW ground and are
protected from extreme temperatures unlike other termites) - Answer -Describe
Subterranean termites.
Nest/forage in wide variety of locations - Arboreal
Do NOT use symbiotic microorganisms for digestion of cellulose - may use fungi -
Answer -Describe Higher termites.
Alaska - Answer -What state does NOT have termites?
Moisture is important because ALL castes EXCEPT swarmers are soft-bodied and lose
water rapidly when exposed to air - Answer -Why is a moisture source so important for
termites?
moisture (HIGH humidity) + temperature - Answer -What 2 conditions are most
important for termite survival and activity level?
Gradual metamorphosis
