About Termites

Schedorhinotermes intermedius

Schedorhinotermes spp. is considered the most damaging species in the Cooloola region. This is due to the highly destructive feeding habits, their timid nature and random nesting habits. This species is very well adapted to urban environment and can be a problem to just about any type of building on any property. Colonies are usually quite large and work very fast.

Schedorhinotermes spp. quite often have multiple nest sites that can turn up in the most random places. They usually start colonies up in old tree stumps or root crowns, however I have found them in pieces of buried timber, subfloors, retaining wall sleepers, under cupboards, inside buildings, under patios as well as in living and dead trees. Quite often their nest sites are never located and there may be more than one. The nest structure of this species is quite different from most termites as it may be odd shapes following tree roots underground. As mentioned before Schedorhinotermes spp. tend to have a big appetite and are very timid nature. If disturbed they will retreat very quickly, creating problems with implementing an effective treatment. Even though they make a hasty retreat they will not forget about the food source and continue to feed in safer locations. This is why when you phone the termite inspector about termites in your building one of the first things he will tell you is "do not disturb them!" The species we deal with in this area is Schedorhinotermes intermedius from the family Rhinotermitidae. They are a subterranean termite meaning they build tunnels through the ground to search for food and water. This species is easy to identify by the two soldier castes, major soldier (5-7mm in length) and minor soldier (3-5mm in length). This is the only species in this area that has two castes of soldier. They have serrated mandibles, the major soldiers have a bulbous heads and thicker mandibles. The presence of many major soldiers can mean that the colony is close by and/or of a mature age. In the summer months they send out Alates (future kings and queens) in colonising flights. They pick this time of year because of the humidity which gives them a better chance of survival. Although they have thicker cuticles they would not survive long during a dry or cold day. Not many survive from the thousands that take flight due to predators and the chances of landing on a suitable site with all the right conditions. Developing Alates may replace the first form queen if she dies or start up a new nest in another location. The macropterous (first form) queen can live for more than 20 years and grows in size as she matures. This is common with physogastry queens, due to the enlargement of their ovaries their abdomen becomes very thick and long. This enables her to lay thousands of eggs per day. The queen will increase or decrease reproduction depending on the food source available. If there is an abundant food source available she may even allow neotonic (supplementary) queens to grow to assist in increased egg production (the more food the more termites). This species is very difficult to locate mature queens, we have been lucky enough to find one in thirty years of operation.

Nasutitermes walkeri

Nasutitermes spp. can cause as much damage as some of the damaging species however are not usually as sneaky. They quite often build their mud galleries straight up piers and walls, making them easy to spot. They have some very different characteristics and habits that make them easy to identify.

Nasutitermes spp. soldiers no not have two mandibles like other species but have a pointed beak like protrusion at the front of their head. Different species of nasutitermes have different diets some prefer timber and other eat only grass. In this area one species regularly encountered loves to eat hardwood. I have seen these guys build a mud track over pine to get to a hardwood beam. Nasutitermes spp do not cannibalise their dead like other species which may affect the transfer of chemical through the colony when being treated.

Heterotermes ferox

Heterotermes spp. like microcerotermes are slow workers and usually only cause moderate damage to buildings. I very rarely encounter Heterotermes in buildings throughout the Cooloola region however quite often see them in fence posts and timber debris in gardens.

Heterotermes look very similar to microcerotermes with a few distinctive differences. They too have a long rectangular shaped head and curved mandibles but with no serrations. Heterotermes also have a fontanelle (small dimple) towards the front of their head. Heterotermes do not build mounds, they have small nests in tree stumps, logs, fence posts, rotting timber and sometimes piggyback other termite mounds such as microcerotermes.

Coptotermes acinaciformis / Coptotermes frenchi

Coptotermes spp. are the most economically significant species in Australia. This is mainly due to this species being found in most areas across the entire mainland of Australia. They survive in highly organised colonies that can reach out hundreds of meters. Colonies are usually extremely large and work very fast.

Coptotermes spp. can be easy to identify by the soldiers being 4-6mm in length, a pear shaped head, no teeth on their mandibles and they spit out a white milky liquid when disturbed. In the Cooloola area we deal mainly with two species, coptotermes acinaciformis and coptotermes frenchi. Coptotermes acinaciformis are very defensive and do not scare as easy however coptotermes frenchi are extremely timid and will retreat at the slightest threat. For the untrained eye it is difficult to tell the two species apart so the same rule applies do not disturb them! In the Cooloola region I have noticed the preferred nesting site of this species to be well hidden areas inside tree trunks or stumps. We have vast forests of Scribbly Gum which seem to be a favourite for coptotermes acinaciformis. This species is a single site nest termite and is a little more predictable than other species. However coptotermes spp. are very sneaky when entering your home, most of the time you don’t know they are there until the damage is great enough to notice. Using experience and a good nose for finding termites we can drill and test trees in an attempt to locate and destroy colonies without causing harm to the tree.

Microcerotermes turneri

Microcerotermes spp. can cause moderate damage to buildings and timber in service however are slow workers and are usually noticed before significant damage is caused.

Microcerotermes are quite a small termite and can be identified by their long rectangular shaped head and long fine hooked mandibles. Under a microscope fine serrations can be seen on the inside of the mandibles. In and around Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach nests of microcerotermes are usually mounds found on or in the ground however when you travel inland as close as Kia Ora they can be seen built up high on trees. They are also a multiple nesting termite and where there is one there are usually more nests nearby.

Cryptotermes Brevis / Cryptotermes Primus

Drywood Termites live in the warmer areas of Australia, where there is a humid atmosphere. They can exist in any wooden part of a building from ground to roof, in furniture, ornaments or paper articles. Drywood termites are very different to subterranean species in many ways. They do not make mud galleries and don't need to have any connection with the ground. They live inside the timber they are attacking and obtain all their moisture requirements from that timber. They have very small colonies of only a few hundred members but may reinfest to create thousands of separate colonies.

Drywood termites produce faecal pellets which they kick out of small holes creating small piles of frass (looks like course dust). Each colony has only a few soldiers. The soldiers job is to block the holes created to kick out frass, with their heads when under threat by ants or other predators. The worker termites are reproductive as well and can replace the queen or go on colonising flights to form new colonies. There are many species of drywood termite however in this region only two species attack buildings. Cryptotermes primus is an Australian native and can cause moderate damage to older timber homes such as Queenslanders and cryptotermes brevis otherwise known as West Indian Drywood Termite that causes extensive damage to buildings world wide. Cryptotermes Brevis is the most destructive drywood termite and is originally from South America however thanks to people is now established world wide. In Australia they are classed as a notifiable exotic pest to timber and when identified must be reported to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. They have caused considerable economic damage to timber-in-service in Brisbane, Maryborough, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Townsville. Successful treatment requires fumigation of the entire building. If this particular termite species is found necessary treatment is undertaken and supervised by the government (DAFF), as it is classed as “a notifiable disease under the Diseases in Timber Act 1975”. Currently treatment bears no cost to the householder. Tim has encountered Crytotermes Brevis in a Yacht at Tin Can Bay. He carried out an inspection, identified & recovered samples and alerted DAFF. The customers were very lucky because their Yacht was their main place of residence the DAFF covered the cost to treat the infestation.

Dampwood Termite

There are many species of Dampwood termite in Australia. Their nesting habit is much like the drywood termite however they require damp and decaying timber and do not produce faecal pellets. Because of their moisture requirements very rarely do they cause damage to homes. If you have this termite in your house than you will also have bigger issues with moisture.

I have never seen or heard of Dampwood termites in buildings in the Cooloola region.

Termites are social insects that feed on Cellulose, a material found in wood, plants and grass. Although their more closely related to a cockroach than an ant they are often known as “white ants” in Australia. In their natural habitat, they are very beneficial to the environment. They are nature’s recyclers, breaking down cellulose and returning nutrients to the soil. However, when they infest buildings and homes, they can cause significant structural damage.

Termites can enter buildings through cracks, expansion joints, hollow bricks or concrete blocks and around plumbing. Any building, whether built with slab, basement or on piers, can be targets for termite infestation. The Cooloola region is considered one of the highest risk areas in Australia for termite attack on homes. This is due to the Sub tropical climate, predominately-sandy soil and numerous other environmental factors that make your home a good home for termites.

Out of approximately 300 Termite species found in Australia, less than twenty of these species will attack timber in service. Termites are grouped into three main lifestyle categories, Dampwood Termites, Drywood Termites and the most common Subterranean Termites. In the Cooloola region we encounter seven separate species (five of these subterranean).

Subterranean termites are the most common species found in this area. The worker termites construct mud tunnels, which are used to explore for food and connect their nest to that food source. They also use these mud tunnels to enter a building where there is no direct soil/wood contact. Their colonies are quite often located in the soil however can be in trees or mounds.

Dampwood Termites live in tree stumps and areas where timber is in contact with moist
soil. They can also be found in wall cavities and beneath houses, anywhere where a sustained moisture supply is. These termites generally do not form one large central colony but live in many small separate groups.

Drywood Termites live in the warmer areas of Australia, where there is a humid atmosphere. They can exist in any wooden part of a building from ground to roof, in furniture, ornaments or paper articles. They do not need contact with soil and do not need any other source of moisture other than the water obtained from the wood in which they feed. As with Dampwood Termites they live in small colonies contained in the infested timber however can split off into many separate nests. The world’s most destructive Drywood termite, “The West Indian Drywood Termite” cryptotermes brevis has caused considerable economic damage in Queensland towns including Maryborough. If this particular termite species is found necessary treatment is undertaken and supervised by the government (DAFF), as it is classed as “a notifiable disease under the Diseases in Timber Act 1975”.

TERMITE HAZARD MAP OF AUSTRALIA

Map supplied by CSIRO Australia.

The Queen: The role of the queen is to reproduce and sustain the colonies population.
She may lay more than a thousand eggs per day depending on her age, vigour and species. When in her prime the queen can often become longer than 30mm in size (some species up to 100mm). The queen and king may live for over 20 years. A “Physogastric Queen” will encounter an enlargement of her ovaries . This increases the production of the eggs (into the thousands per day) and causes her abdomen to become enlarged, which reduces her movement capabilities.

Workers: Worker termites have many responsibilities. They are to find and gather food, build and maintain nests and workings. As well, as feed the colony and nurse the eggs and nymphs. They are wingless, blind and sterile.

Soldier Termites: The role of soldier termites is to defend the colony from ants and other invaders.

Alates: Alates are future Kings or Queens. When fully winged they leave their parent colony in search for suitable nesting sites to start new colonies. Although this may happen during other months of the year, they generally take flight in the earlier summer months of November to December when the temperature is humid and simular to that of their nest. They are usually darker in colour and have formed compound eyes. After the colonising flight, they drop their wings and the males follow the females to a suitable nesting area, somewhere moist with decaying wood, such as a base of a tree.

Termite Lifecycle
Incomplete metamorphosis

Termites do not eat hardwood.

We have heard this myth many times. Although most wood eating termites prefer softwood they will still eat hardwood.

Termites are happy in my Garden, there is plenty to eat.

Wood eating termites will be very happy in your garden especially if there is plenty to
eat. In fact, they will be so happy that the Queen will produce more termites and expand the colony, then move on into your home.

Woodchip….stumps ….. fire wood….. scrap timbers …..any untreated timber that is in soil contact is regarded by termites as easy FOOD.

Food (AKA timber) attracts foraging termites and sends the Queen a message…hey mum !
plenty of food lay some more eggs… result is MORE TERMITES looking for MORE
FOOD….possibly your house !

Remember Newterms Law: T = TP²

Timber = Termite population²

Termites cannot eat my house its brick, built on a concrete slab or steel framed.

Any home, whether built with brick, on a concrete slab or even steel framed house, can be targets for termite infestation. They may not eat the steel or concrete but they will feed on skirting boards, doors, gyprock, furniture and many more parts of your home.

Termites will not eat treated timber.

Termites under certain circumstance will eat treated timber. Treated timber that has been affected by moisture or that wasn't originally treated correctly, could be consumed by termites. Termites have also been known to eat the centre of the timber leaving only the outer treated timber behind. There are also different Hazard ratings for treated timber, H1 - H9. Adrian has witnessed termites eat up to a Hazard 5 treated timber. See images adjacent. Most building construction timber is only rated to H2 and not highly termite resistant.

We don't need a termite inspection as we have termite protection.

Whether you live in a new home with a physical Termite Barrier or an existing home that has had a chemical barrier installed, you will find that most warranties state that regular inspections must done to comply. If you fail to have your recommended inspections done, your warranty is likely to be invalid, and any termite damage will be your responsibility.

My house insurance will cover termite damage.

Check your insurance policy, you will find that you are not covered for damaged caused by termites. Most home insurance companies do not offer insurance for termite damage. Be aware, termites are the homeowners’ responsibility.

termites@cooloola

& Beach to Bay Pest Management

TERMITE HAZARD MAP OF AUSTRALIA

TERMITES & TIMBER PEST MANAGEMENT

Termites@Cooloola

GENERAL PEST & CLEANING

Beach to Bay Pest Management