Termites can cause significant damage to homes and property, so it is important to know what termites look like so you are able to identify termites quickly.

Termites can range from 1/16 to 1/2 inch in length. They are soft-bodied insects. Termites require moisture to live and therefore spend their lifetime within the soil, shelter tubes they build or wood in which they feed. A heavy termite infestation can contain over a quarter million workers!

Termites seek out and feed on wood from the inside out. This makes termite damage hard to spot. The termite infested wood can appear normal until it is almost completely destroyed. Termites prefer moisture damaged and decayed wood since it can be eaten faster than sound wood. Perticular care should be paid to any foundation wood that comes in contact with the ground. That is prime termite teritory.

In a termite hive hierarchy there are several types of termites:

• Queens
• Kings
• Soldiers
• Workers

Unlike ants, whos queens mate once; termite kings and queens mate for life. This starts back when the royal couple are just young termite swarmers who pair up and start a colony. From that time on the termite king always stay close to the queen termite.

When a termite colony is just starting the queen termite has a limited egg laying capacity. But as the queen matures her body will elongate and she will be able to lay many more eggs. A termite queen can live up to be as old as 15 years with a fully mature queen capable of laying thousands of eggs every day.

Termite workers are the lifeblood of a termite colony.  They care for the termite larva till they are matured, dig termite tunnels to expand the hive and gather food for the hive.  So when it really comes down to it, these guys are the ones that get things done.

They are also the ones that cause the damage.  Since they have no eyes, termites can’t tell the difference between trees and homes.  So when termites encounter someone’s home, it just seems like a buffet to them.   This is especially a problem to homes where wood sidings, beams or foundation elements come into contact or are to close to the ground.  That makes it really easy to or termite workers to keep expanding the colony into a home.   

Termite soldiers provide defense for termite colonies. They have large, strong mandibles that allow them to fight off outside threats. Though they are blind, termite soldiers use scent and vibration to detect dangers and threats.

Whenever there is a disturbance in the colony, termite soldiers will instinctively rush towards the disturbance. For example, when there is a break in a termite mud tubes the soldier termites will line the edges of the break while worker termites repair the break.

In wetter/colder areas where termites live, termite colonies can be hard to find. They take up residence in trees, below ground in the dirt, and of course in buildings. Termite's aversion to above ground areas keeps their colonies tucked away and well hidden.

In warmer areas of the world termites will create termite mounds.

These regions include areas such as Africa and Australia. In those types of arid regions termites will create large termite mounds. These mounds may be formed from from large dead trees or be large piles of dirt that are made by the termites themsleves.. The above ground mounds can range in size from 1 meter to upwards of 9 meter mounds.

They create these mounds to provide air circulation to the colony. It is critical that they maintain a constant temperature for the brood, and the above ground termite mound allows air to circulate down the tunnels. This is why you only see termite mounds in hot areas of the world, termites in other areas of the world don't need the above ground temperature control.