Conquer the Crawlies: 2025 WDO Home Inspection Practice Exam – Defend Your Domain!

The correct answer is related to the vital process of molting in termites. Termites, like other insects, grow by shedding their exoskeleton in a process called molting. This process is essential for their development and involves physiological changes that allow them to grow larger.

Many termite bait toxicants are designed to disrupt this molting process. When termites consume the bait laced with these toxicants, it interferes with the hormones or enzymes necessary for them to successfully molt. Without the ability to molt properly, termites cannot grow adequately, which ultimately leads to their demise.

In contrast, processes such as mating or breathing are crucial for the termite's immediate survival or reproduction but do not directly relate to the mechanism through which these particular toxicants exert their lethal effects. Therefore, understanding the significance of molting highlights how certain chemicals can specifically target life processes of pests like termites, making it an effective strategy for pest control.