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TERMITES IN THE ENVIRONMENT

The nesting habits of termites and even the type of colony they build depends on their species and the genus they belong to. There are species that dwell in mounds, species that build their colonies in trees and species that conceal their nests underground.

The form, shape and placement of the nests also vary, and these factors are used in identifying the type of termite species that are present in an area. Although there are over 300 species found in Australia alone, they are distributed in different regions, as each species may require specific environments that are conducive to their feeding and nesting habits.

▲Above-ground Mounds
Termite species, such as the Amitermes meridionalis, Coptotermes lacteus and Microcerotermes turneri, build above-ground mounds for their colony. The structure, size, density and durability of the mound vary among the different species. Some of these mounds can be easily accessed with a probe. Many of the mound-dwelling termites feed on grass and some forage for timber in nearby areas through the subterranean tunnels that they have built.

Above-ground mounds are built in such a way that the outer layer is harder and denser for it to protect the softer, inner nursery area, which is commonly made of papery materials. The nursery houses the queen and the developing nymphs; the entire mound can house more than a million termites, depending on the age and complexity of the colony. Certain species can also be mound builders in some parts of the regions where they occur, but not in other areas.

▲Arboreal Termite Nests
Some species can also build their nests in trees, which can be 20 metres above the ground, and can house more than a hundred thousand individuals. They usually travel from the ground, attacking the decaying root and making their way up through the trunk. Through the pipe within the trunk, or a shelter tube built on the outer surface of the trunk, they collect and transport soil moisture.

Root crowns and tree trunks are often the first areas that are probed during a termite inspection since these can be obvious dwelling places of termites. However, it may also be difficult to determine the specific location as the colony is not always built right under the tree, but in farther sites. Arboreal termites can even cause damage to properties beyond 50-metres from the decaying tree. Worse, if the colony has been established way before a property is built, termites can cause considerable damage to the property within a few months.

▲Subterranean Nests
Wood materials, especially decaying timber, is the main food for many subterranean termites. They can start their nest underground, covered by tree stumps, roots and waste timber. Decaying wood provide the termites with moist and food, which are required for the entire colony to thrive. In areas that are being cleared to be developed as residential or commercial areas, the tree fragments left during the bulldozing operations help termites build their subterranean nests.

Subterranean termites are among the most problematic for property owners. These colonies may already be existing deep in the ground before the construction of buildings. Once a structure has been erected, termites can begin feeding on timber materials found in the property, resulting in extensive damage.

▲Role of Termites in the Environment
While they are mostly known for damages caused to property, termites play a significant role in forested areas. Their diet and their feeding habit allows the decomposition of dead branches and trees, which is necessary for returning minerals to the soil. Termites are also important in the food chain, being the prey of echidnas, predatory ants, spiders, lizards and birds.

▲Conditions that Encourage Termite Infestations

The prevalence of termites in mounds and trees are common due to the environmental conditions that allow the colony to survive. On the other hand, subterranean termite attacks are mostly encouraged by human behaviour. Houses and other establishments can provide termites with their food supply, moisture and the ideal condition required for their survival and the growth of their colony. Although the reduction in providing them with soil moisture cannot completely prevent termite attacks, it can decrease the risk of infestations.

Termites can continue to damage properties as they seek out new food sources. When they find a new food source, the worker termite will leave trails along their passage to mark the direction to the food source.

▲Impact and Cost of Termite Damage
The impact of the termite damage can vary depending on how immediate the infestation has been discovered and treated. Many homeowners neglect the need of pre-construction and pre-purchase building inspections, discounting the possibility of pre-existing termite infestation. Our technicians from Termex Pest Management have encountered several cases where termite infestation has occurred before it has become evident to homeowners. Often times, the damage is already extensive, leading to costly repairs.

The longer the property has not been inspected for hidden pests, the more likely the infestation will spread, the more damage it will cause and the more expensive the repairs will be.

If you are building a new home or eyeing to purchase a property, Termex Pest Management can help you identify hidden pest problems. We will help you locate hidden termite nests, identify potential risks of infestations and eradicate the pests for good.

TERMITE BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL HABITS

▲The Termite Colony and Castes
Because termites are social insects, they live together in colonies. A colony comprises around 100 to 1 million termites, depending on the species, and consists of different castes. Each caste has a structurally distinguishable form and plays a specific function in the community. There are three principal castes in socially advanced species – the workers, the soldiers and the reproductives.

▲The King and Queen
For a termite colony to continuously grow in number, they have a royal pair – the king and queen – whose sole purpose is to reproduce. The pair are the primary reproductives, which have left their previous colony to establish a new one. Termite kings and queens have the longest lifespan in the colony, which can reach about 20 years for certain tropical species. Due to its role in the production of eggs, termite queens can become 20,000 times larger than that of the size of the workers.
The queen termite can lay as many as 30,000 eggs in a day that its abdomen becomes so distended, preventing the queen from moving about in the colony. The queen may have a central cell in the lower area of the nest, where the king remains close by. As the royal pair ages, the reproduction rate decreases and may require assistance from supplementary reproductives. The supplementary kings and queens ensure that the colony will continue to thrive.

▲Reproductives
The main role of reproductives is for egg production and the establishment of a new colony. They become either the future kings and queens or the supplementary kings and queens in the current colony. Developing reproductives that are selected to become supplementary kings and queens never leave their colony.

Although all the castes comprise both sexes, the reproductives are the only ones with fully developed sexual organs. Reproductives are darker in appearance than the other forms, and they are more likely to survive the lack of moisture after leaving the parent colony to build their own. They are also fully winged, enabling them to fly out of their colony.

▲Workers
Workers are typically the most in number in a colony and the smallest among the adult forms. The function of the workers include feeding and grooming the other members of the colony, building the nest, foraging for food and tending the eggs. The workers go out of the nest to search for food sources, but are rarely out in the open. They usually pass through underground tunnels and shelter tubes, where there is sufficient moisture and humidity for survival.

▲Soldiers
Soldiers make up the defence group of the colony. They have enlarged heads and some species have distinct jaws and long snouts. These features allow them to protect the colony against attacks by ejecting poison from their snouts to incapacitate their enemies. Larger colonies have more soldiers, but younger colonies may have more workers to allow the efficient establishment of their nest.

▲Life Cycle of Termites
The queen termite lays eggs individually, which are then tended by the workers. When the egg hatches, it passes through several moults and later on develops as a worker, soldier or reproductive. The reproductives undergo complete sexual organ development and their wings later appear in time for their colonising flight.

It takes about 2 to 3 months for a hatchling to mature into worker or soldier termites, but reproductives are only hatched annually. Depending on the conditions and food supply in the nest, it may also take longer for hatchlings to develop. On average, a soldier and worker termite can live between 1 to 2 years.

▲The Colonising Flight
After the reproductives have fully developed, the workers prepare the exit holes for their colonising flight. The exit holes are usually built at the highest point nearest the main nest; if the colony is located in underground areas, the exit holes may be built above the ground. If the colony is within a timber material, the exit holes may be found in the woodwork. After the flight, the workers will seal the exit holes. These flight holes are an important tell-tale sign when conducting termite inspections and locating the colony.

When the fully winged reproductives leave the parental colony, they begin to shed their wings and mate. Even though they travel in swarms, only a few will survive the outside conditions during the flight.

▲Formation of New Colonies
The reproductives will go on a search for a site that is conducive for building a new colony. Decaying timber or wood material in moist ground provide the ideal conditions for developing a new nest. When the pair begins to mate and workers are developed, they can dig deeper into the ground to find sustainable levels of moisture which is necessary for the survival of the colony. Although not all pairs are successful in building new nests, a new colony that is well-established can cause massive and long-term damage even to a single property.

Formation of new colonies can also occur without the need of a colonising flight. A pair of reproductives may simply split off and find a site near the main colony to create a satellite colony, making the entire colony larger as it spreads in several locations.

▲Feeding Habits
The workers of the termite colony are the ones that go out to search for food supply. Their diet mainly consists of products that contain cellulose, including dead wood and plant. Not all termites feed on wood, however. There are species that feed on grass, making them less harmful to structures and properties.

The workers partially digest the cellulose and is then distributed to other members of the colony. Only the worker termites have necessary protozoans in their digestive system that are able to breakdown the cellulose, which is why the other castes can only be fed after the cellulose has already been digested.

▲Termite Noise
It is possible for termites to make noise that even humans can hear. In many cases, you might need an equipment, such as a stethoscope, to clearly hear the sounds they make. There are also certain species that make more noise than others. The noise usually occurs when termites are feeding on wood material, producing rattles and rustling sounds.

In a specific inspection in a pensioner’s, our technician from Termex Pest Management was able to hear the noise from the laundry window frame that was being caused by termite activities. Aside from the sound that is directly produced by termites, tapping timber materials that have been damaged by termites can also produce a hollow sound.

▲Termite Control and Prevention of Infestation
Inspection of a property is the crucial step to determining a potential termite infestation, as well as assessing the degree of infestation and damage it has brought about. Identifying signs such as faecal deposits, the presence of wings shed by the reproductives and the location of exit spots used for colonising flights can be useful in locating the termite nest.

After a thorough inspection has been completed, the Termex Pest Management team will provide recommendations on the most effective methods for termite control. This can include both non-chemical and chemical solutions, tailored to your specific requirements and preferences.