Termites (Isoptera) are a very ancient order of insects whose origins date back approximately 50 million years. Although they are commonly called 'white ants' in many parts of the world, they have only a superficial resemblance to ants and in fact, are most closely related to cockroaches.

Termites are destructive in nature.
Termites are a serious pest in Australia. They attack timber in buildings. Termites can destroy homes. A recent survey reveals almost 40% of homes suffer termite attack. Another survey predicts the probability of a house is five times more likely than fire.
Termites are social insects, most persistent and destructive in nature. The termite which attacks more homes than any other is Coptotermes.

The Termite Colony
All termites are social insects ie. they work and live together in colonies and care for their young. Each colony is composed of workers, soldiers, juveniles and at least one pair of reproductives - the king and queen.

Queen: The queen is tended and fed by the workers. she is regularly fertilised by the king and becomes an egg laying machine capable of producing thousands of eggs per day. Depending on the species, a queen may live for twenty-five years or more.

Workers: Approximately eighty percent of the colony population are workers.
They carry out the work of the nest and are responsible for gathering the food the colony needs. It is their feeding that causes the timber damage to homes and property.

Soldiers: Soldiers are protectors of the colony against enemy attack, especially by ants. They have a much larger head and jaws than the workers. They rely on the workers for their food.

Alates: On some warm, humid evenings large numbers of winged male and female termites, the future kings and queens, are released by the colony.
A small number survive the flight, drop their wings, pair up, mate and if they can find a suitable location, start a new colony.

Feeding Habits
Cellulose is the basic food requirement of all termites and all types of timber and plant material are attacked. While some species of timber are resistant to termites, none are entirely 'termite proof'. In man-invaded environments, termites will often damage materials they cannot digest, eg. plastics, rubber, metal or mortar. Primarily, this damage occurs when the indigestible items are encountered in the termites' search for food.

Distribution and Importance
There are about fifteen species of subterranean termite which commonly attack timber-in-service throughout Australia and ten of these occur in Queensland. Although, the coastal belt and northern parts of Qld are generally regarded as high hazard areas any possible subterranean termite invasion whether in the business heart of a city, in the suburbs or out in the country, unless protective measures are taken.

All of the photos on this page show major structural damage caused by termites. Don't let your termite infestation progress this far. For information on protecting your biggest investment from termite damage, click through to treating infestations