If this is a termite - what should I do?

Hello,
I was helping my mom plant some flower. and I found some roots and this monster were coming out of it.
PLEASE HELP!

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...ite%20pic1.jpg

 

Yes they are. You would normally find them eating dead wood outside, so it's not surprising you found some. They are beneficial to the ecosystem in that regard. If they are in the house, that's a problem. You might want to have a termite inspection done on the house if you are worried they might have found their way in.

 

Yes it is a subterranean “worker” termite. As Xsleeper said they are beneficial and belong in the soil. Don’t let anyone tell you that the presence of termites in the soil is an emergency. I tell people that termites belong in the soil like fish belong in the river. Not a problem until they “recycle” our structures. Take your time to find a reputable pest control operator to inspect the house. Ask friends, neighbors, relatives, etc. You don’t want someone whose primary job is sales.

How close to the house is the flower bed? If it is out in the yard I would be unconcerned. If in the perimeter then I would pursue an inspection.

For the record, I don’t like to see plants in the perimeter that require watering beyond normal rainfall. This creates a conducive condition for termites. If you think about it, we spend lots of $$$ to install rain gutters and downspouts and proper landscaping, swales, etc to take rain away yet some of us will soak the perimeter anyway with a water hose, defeating the purpose of the gutters/downspouts.

 

This were not on my plants. there were on some big trees root. We actually cut that tree since it was like 2ft away from my house. I still have the stump, THat I need to remove. And the dead root that I found was about 5ft away from my house. I am not sure if they are closer to my house or not since I did not dig there yet. And We dont water the plants that often. But I do have carpenter ants problem, they were inside my wood. but recent boric acid and another power I used to attack them very aggressively lead to their defeat. But I still see few of them here and there.