Behaviour

That's "Behavior" for Americans. What termites do.

Termites and floods

A flood or heavy rain can seriously upset your termite defenses.

If you rely on soil chemical barriers around or under your home, these can be buried by silt and debris making a bridge for the termites.  The chemicals can also be washed out, so when the water goes away, check and organise a termite inspection a few weeks later.

Water that gets into your house (but not out again) tends to soak into timbers.  Termites love to eat timber that's damp.  Fungi (rot) also has a better time and wood that's partly rotted by fungi is often tastier for termites.

Repairs first or termites first?

Should we demolish part of the house that's got termites in it?

First up, the answer depends on what type of termites are creating the problem. If they are drywoods, then maybe knocking things down will kill them, but if these are subterranean termites then definitely not. Drywoods live in small colonies, usually in individual pieces of timber, so a thoughtful demolition may effectively remove active colonies. Subterraneans, don't, they like to spread out through the structure and will have paths to ground (for water).  They will just go to ground at the first vibrations and come back up later to resume the attack somewhere else.

Termites are swarming in my bedroom.

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What should I do? I've vacuumed them up and there are thousands of them and wings everywhere. It's a rental and I've only been here a week.

You are doing the right thing by vacuuming them up.
Next you need to know whether they have come in from outside or if they are emerging fromsomewhere within the building. If outsiders, keeping your bright lights off and widows shut for the next few evenings should see you through. If they come from within the building, then you need to know how bad the damage really is.

Assessing the situation depends on the type of termite and how long they've been around as well as things like where you are.

What is a termite swarm?

The really odd thing about termite swarms is that it is the one time when cooperation goes out the window.  Its every termite for his or her self.

How can I stop termites eating the seedlings / trees / herbs I have planted?

Not long after planting, they're nearly dead from termites eating the roots.

In some parts of the world, particularly parts of Africa and Asia, termites will quickly attack and kill transplanted trees and plants.  They attack the roots.  In the past, some very heavy doses of scary pesticides have been used to help the plants get established.  The attacks seem to drop off once the plants have been in for a few months. Keeping the plants well-watered all the time can make a big difference as water-stressed plants are more readily attacked.

Termite control methods

Here's a quick summary of the various termite control methods:

 

For Dampwood termites

  • Take the moisture away so that they can't live.
  • Replace old, rotted wood with fresh timbers.
  • Apply poisons or preservatives into the wood.
  • Open up the wood and let the ants eat them.

 

Do ants kill termites?

Around the world, ants are the main predators of termites.  When you see termite soldiers, most of the funny-shaped jaws or pointy or blocky heads are effective adaptations against ants.  When termites fly, lots get eaten before they can create a safe nest.  This makes life very hard for termites, but usually not so hard as to kill them all off.

How do we keep the termites in the garden but away from eating the house?

Keeping termites in the garden largely means leaving them alone.  Keeping those termites out of you house can be harder.  For the subterranean pest forms, particularly some species of Coptotermes and Reticulitermes, it is probably better not to take the risk.  To be sure, you need to know what species you have and how much of a risk they are in your area. 

How do soldiers defend the termite colony?

Most species of termites have soldiers.  This is a special caste within the colony that takes on certain roles. Soldiers tend to have large heads.  It is very common for their mandibles to be greatly enlarged.

Is it true that termites won't eat hardwoods?

No.  In general termites prefer timber that is a bit soft, decayed or weathered but they will eat many types of hardwood (wood from trees with flowers not cones).  There are also many types of tree that produce timber which is generally termite resistant and quite a few of these trees are hardwoods.

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