Subterranean Termites

Background to subterranean termites

Subterranean termites are the most destructive and frequently encountered kind of termite found. Although they nest in soil, subterranean termites can attack structures by building tubes that connect their nest to wood in structures. Yes, the most common termite does live in the soil. Subterranean termites are social insects that live in colonies that may contain hundreds of thousands of individuals. Termite colony members are dispersed throughout the soil and can extend underground tunnels tens to hundreds of meters to reach feeding sites.

APPEARANCE:
The termite workers, which are about 4mm long, have no wings, are white to cream colored and very numerous. The worker caste is responsible for all the labor in the colony. They care for the young, repair the nest, build foraging tunnels, locate food and groom the other castes. The soldier caste is the defenders of the colony. They defend the colony against invasion from ants and foreign termites.

Soldiers are wingless and white in color with large brown heads and mandibles (jaws). The queen termite has an extended body and lays up to 2,000 eggs per day. A colony has many more than one queen.

HABITAT:
Subterranean Termites live in colonies underground, sometimes beneath lawns, from which they build tunnels in search of food like wood and the stolons and stalks of lawn. They are able to reach food above the ground level by building mud tubes.

DIET:
Subterranean termites feed on wood or other items that contain cellulose, such as paper, fiberboard, and some fabrics derived from cotton or plant fibers. Termites have protozoa in their digestive tracts that can convert cellulose into usable food.

LIFE  CYCLE/REPRODUCTION:
King and queen termites perform the reproductive functions of the colony.

Different rates of growth from egg stage to adult depending on individual species; one queen per colony, which can lay tens of thousands of eggs in its lifetime, but most eggs are laid by supplementary reproductives in an established colony. Colonies can contain up to 1 million members.

TYPES OF DAMAGE:
Subterranean termites cause 95% of all termite damage in South Africa.