In nature, termites help to convert dead wood and other organic material containing cellulose to humus. From this standpoint termites are very beneficial animals. The conflict only comes about when termites cross over to people’s houses to forage for food.

Termites are social insects with an organized caste system. Workers and nymphs perform all the work of the colony and are the forms, which do all of the damage to structures. Soldiers serve only to defend the colony against enemies. They cannot eat wood. The workers feed soldiers, together with the reproductive king and queen. Both workers and soldiers are blind.

Moisture is critical to termite survival because they are soft-bodied insects, which lose water rapidly upon exposure to dry air. As such, termites construct tubes when they pass over exposed areas. All of their activities are concealed and this makes them all the more difficult to detect. There is no obstacle that they cannot overcome in their search for food. They can enter through pin cracks no wider than 1/64 of an inch.

The species of termites most prevalent in our region is the formosan subterranean termite. It is the world's most aggressive and economically important species, and has been reported to cause more damage to structures than any other wood-destroying insect. Although subterranean in nature, this termite is quite active when free of soil contact, if enough moisture is present to support the colony. Control of this termite is often more difficult than other subterranean species.

Subterranean Termites nest in the soil. Moisture is important because they dehydrate readily. To survive, they must maintain contact with the soil (their primary moisture source) or other aboveground sources such as structures having defective plumbing or guttering. They must also protect themselves from temperature extremes and from attack by natural enemies, such as ants and other insects: consequently, they build shelter tubes. These tubes are constructed by the worker termites from particles of soil or wood and bits of debris held together by salivary secretions.

Dead trees and brush are the original food source of subterranean termites. When land is cleared of this celluloid material and houses are constructed on these sites, these structures become subject to attack. Termites can enter buildings through wood that is in direct contact with the soil, or by building those shelter tubes over or through foundations, or by entering directly through cracks or joints in and under foundations.

Generally, the first sign of infestation homeowner’s notice is the presence of swarming reproductive on windowsills or near indoor lights. Other indications are the presence of wings, discarded by swarmers as a normal part of their behavior, or those shelter tubes going up the sides of piers, foundations or walls.