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Common Termites Species
There are over 300 species of termites in Australia, which are generally grouped according to their feeding behaviour. The commonly used general groupings are subterranean, soil-feeding, dry wood, damp wood and grass eating. Of these, subterranean and dry woods are primarily responsible for damage to human-made structures.
Technicians should be able to recognise the main pest species with the aid of a hand lens, but the accurate identification of termites is best done by an entomologist specialising in termites.
For the identification of termite species, the soldier caste has the most obvious characteristics.
Several families of the Epifamily Termitoidae are represented in Australia. The most primitive (oldest in evolutionary terms) is the giant northern termite, Mastotermes darwiniensis.
The families and species most often encountered by a pest technician are listed in the table below.
Family Genus Species
Mastotermitidae Mastotermes darwiniensis
Kalotermitidae Cryptotermes Cryptotermes brevis (introduced)
Cryptotermes spp. (native)
Neotermes Neotermes insularis
Termopsidae Porotermitnae Porotermes adamsoni
Rhinotermitidae Copotermitinae Coptotermes acinaciformis
Coptotermes frenchi
Coptotermes lacteus
Coptotermes michaelseni
Coptotermes raffrayi
Heterotermitinae Heterotermes ferox
Schedorhinotermes Schedorhinotermes intermedius
Moisture and temperature
Termites have thin cuticles and are therefore susceptible to desiccation. They spend most of their lives in the high humidity and temperature conditions within their colony. The relative humidity in the central part of the colony of subterranean termites is about 100 per cent. When the outside humidity is close to 100 per cent, termite workers and soldiers may leave the security of their colony in search of food.
In buildings with air-conditioning ducts, termites have been found walking on floors, having been out of the colony before the air-conditioning was turned on.
Subterranean termites obtain their moisture mostly from the soil, using the moisture to maintain the colony’s humidity. They also use moisture evaporation to lower the temperature in the colony. Subterranean termite colonies can survive without soil contact, but they must have an assured and constant supply of moisture.
When termite colonies occur on the top floors of buildings with no ground contact, the source of moisture is usually a leak in a water pipe or a faulty drainage pipe from a roof.
Dry wood termites do not require external water sources and obtain their water from the timber on which they feed: attacking timbers in buildings that are at equilibrium moisture content. They are therefore more prevalent in tropical regions where temperature and humidity are high.
Food
Most termite species are grass and debris feeders, and are not usually pests of buildings.
Termites of economic importance to wooden buildings eat cellulose, starches and sugars (carbohydrates) that they obtain from wood. The sapwood of timber in service is preferred by termites to heartwood, because it has a better food value and is less durable. The heartwood of some tree species contains toxins, which make the species resistant to termites.