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.

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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.

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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.

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Yes.  Drywood termites can have their whole colony in a small piece of timber like a chair leg or bread board.  In something bigger like a bed, a door or a piano, you can have several colonies.  They can all fly and mate and start new colonies in your house.

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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. 

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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.

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1. Sort of nutty, especially if fried.  You might need to try more than one . . .
2. They have taste receptors a bit like us and like us, they get a lot of their taste sensation from what they can sniff. (Don't believe me?  Blindfold a volunteer.  Hold a freshly cut slice of apple under the nose.  They'll happily munch a piece of raw potato thinking it to be apple)

A competent inspector should know enough to understand that there is almost always a small possibility that an inspection could, no matter how thorough or competently done, miss some termites.

There are several reasons for this:

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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.

Here's some pointers to get you started.

You can do things that reduce the amount of water getting in to the soil near your perimeter walls:

1. Make sure that rainwater on the roof does not drain into the soil.
2. Grade the soil around the house so that water drains away, not towards the walls
3. Don't have gardens, ponds, sprinklers, ferneries or pools near walls.
4. Make sure that overflow drains from hot water services and air conditioners don't soak into the soil near the wall.

You can do things to help the water get away: 

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This will depend on the size and complexity of the structure, the location and the type of inspection required.  Say you are getting a typical house checked out before you buy it.  I would normally expect that to take around two to three hours for the pre-purchase inspection.  Obviously, an old or heavily renovated house will take more effort than a brand new one.  If you have a contracted service or have a barrier system installed (subterreanean termites), then the regular inspection can be a lot faster, maybe even 45 minutes to one hour.  If you have reported an i

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Termites will put a lot of effort into breaking through something that stands between them and food or water, just so long as the prize justifies the effort required.  Plaster (drywall etc.) is no barrier.  Mortars slow them down, but lime mortars are readily penetrable while mortars with a high cement content may not be excavated.  Good quality concrete cannot be excavated BUT cracks in poor concrete may be opened with ease.  Autoclaved aerated concrete (those lightweight bubbly blocks) were readily penetrated in my field tests.  Concrete (cinder) blocks sometimes

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Yes, termites do bite people if you get them angry enough.  With most species they have to find the thin skin between your fingers (or similar) before you'll even notice.  They don't set out to bite people, but they will bite in defense.  Bigger species like Mastotermes, Macrotermes and some dampwood termites are much better at being noticed.

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Maturity is commonly said to be reached when the colony can reproduce.

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Yes.  "White ant" is another misnomer used to label termites.  They're not white (cream is as pale as they ever get) and they are very different to ants.  Ants belong with bees and wasps whereas termites are really social cockroaches (did you just shudder?).  Please don't say "white ant" unless you were born before 1950, have really bad eyesight or have to so as not to cause offence.

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Depending on where you live, it may well be that the termites in your garden are no threat to anything.  There are lots of species that never, well mostly never, behave as pests.  In my garden a Nasutitermes and a Porotermes pose no threat to my home.

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This is a tricky one, and this answer is only for subterranean termites (not for drywoods and not for dampwoods).

Let's say the termites are in your neighbor's house.  If baits or another colony-killing method is used, then the risk of that colony to your house is gone.  If they just repair the damage or poison the ground with a repellent chemical (like bifenthrin), then the termites may be 'pushed' towards feeding at your place.  That isn't good.

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They don't. 

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There's no simple answer to this one.  It depends. Species, life-type, wear and tear, colony health--all these things affect the potential for a long life.

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Termites have no malice, so it is definitely nothing personal.  Their needs are simple. Food and shelter are almost always freely available for them in what we build. Water is the big issue and often we can build termites out by making it harder for them to get water so they can eat.

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It's a misnomer.  Absolutely all termites do need water to live and none can survive long in totally dry wood.  The drywood termites, though are very good at getting by with surprisingly little moisture and this enables them to live in small colonies in small pieces of wood.  Just so long as the wood is good food that stays sufficiently moist and doesn't get too hot or too cold, they can thrive.  Mostly they are found in the tropics, in forests and along water courses, in fact anywhere that re

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It might, but don't count on it. Baits are good at grabbing termites' attention and can be used to slowly poison their colony BUT baits are not barriers and it is possible for termites to ignore them and eat your home anyway. The termites mightn't find them, the baits might be poorly placed, they mightn't suit your termites, they might be too often disturbed or left too long, too wet or too dry. Baits are great at cutting populations and even killing colonies, but it is probably best that you add other ways to keep termites out of your home, just to be sure.

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A few times each year the sky seems to fill with fluttering termites, but not all of the termites get to fly. The colony lets a few grow wings and strike out into the world. A rare time when termites act as individuals. These fliers (called alates) are just for colony reproduction. They seek to find a mate and start a new nest of their own. Just like most of we do.

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