Have you started seeing dirt tubes along your Collinsville, IL home’s roofline? This could be the nest for mud daubers, or it could be a travel tube for subterranean termites. The only way to really determine what it is is by the size and location. Below we go into detail about the specific types of tubes both sets of insects make, and what they mean.
Tubes Made by Mud Daubers
Mud dauber wasps create organ pipe-shaped tubes as their form of nests. These tubes are ¾ inches wide and a few inches long. You usually find these tubes stacked side by side and located in a protected place such as under the porch roofs or on window frames. The tubes contain the mud daubers developing larvae and spiders provided for them to feed on. At least this helps eliminate any spider problems on the outside of your house.
Are the Tubes Old or New?
If the tubes already have circular holes in them, this means that the mud dauber larvae have completed their development. When the mud dauber completes its development, it creates a circle and breaks out of its nest, and flies away. These insects typically emerge in the spring and fly away to build their own nests. If the nests do not have any holes in them, then the wasp has yet to emerge and probably will next spring. An easy way to remove these mud tubes is by scraping them off with a putty knife.
Termite Tubes
Termite mud tubes are different from the previously mentioned Mud dauber tubes. These tubes are much smaller in diameter and are often much longer than a few inches. These tubes go from the ground up a wall and branch out into smaller mud tubes. Termites build these tubes of mud to use as tunnels while searching for wood. The tubes help protect the soft-bodied insects from dying out once they leave the soil. These tunnels are also used to protect them from predators such as ants.
How to deal with Termite Tubes
Termite tubes are made of a combination of wood, soil, and a glue-like substance made from fecal material and saliva from the termites. Old tubes are dry and easily breakable. The newer tubes, however, typically are moist and commonly have termites inside when you break them open. To get rid of these types of tubes, make sure you contact a professional, as these termites are feeding on the wood of your house.
Unsure of how to deal with these pests? Give us a call at IMEL Pest Control, and we will send one of our professional pest control specialists out there to help!
