**Underground Termites** (Rhinotermitidae family, e.g., *Reticulitermes* spp.) are the most economically significant structural pests in the world. They are social insects that live in colonies in the soil, foraging for cellulose (wood). The conflict is **structural destruction**: workers consume wood from the inside out, weakening and eventually destroying the structural integrity of homes, buildings, and utility poles, causing billions of dollars in damage annually.
Taxonomy and Classification
Termites belong to the Order Blattodea (Cockroaches and Termites). They are social insects that undergo simple metamorphosis and have distinct worker, soldier, and reproductive castes.
Physical Description
Workers are $3-5\text{ mm}$ long.
- **Worker (Key ID):** Small, cream-colored, soft-bodied, wingless, and blind; lives entirely within the soil or wood.
- **Swarmers (Key ID):** Winged reproductives (alates); dark-bodied with two pairs of equal-sized wings shed immediately after swarming (key difference from ants).
[Image of Termite Swarmers and Worker]
- **Damage ID:** Mud tubes (shelter tubes) built on foundation walls; presence of swarming alates/shed wings; hollow-sounding wood; presence of “pencil lead” sized exploratory holes in drywall.
- **Conflict:** Structural.
Distribution and Habitat
Found worldwide, particularly in warm, moist climates. Habitat is the soil (where the main colony nest is located) and wood in direct contact with the soil or hidden within structures.
Behavior and Conflict
The conflict is their cryptic nature and continuous foraging.
- **Hidden Damage:** Damage often goes undetected for years because they consume the interior wood, leaving the thin outer layer intact.
- **Moisture Dependence:** They require contact with the soil or a reliable moisture source to survive.
Management and Prevention
Management is **Exclusion and Soil Treatment**.
- **Liquid Soil Treatment:** Application of large volumes of non-repellent termiticide to the soil perimeter and under the slab to create a chemical barrier around the structure.
- **Baiting Systems:** Installation of cellulose bait stations in the ground around the perimeter, which workers carry back to the colony to kill it slowly.
- Eliminating wood-to-soil contact; repairing leaks; improving ventilation to reduce moisture.
Conservation and Research
Research focuses on non-chemical control (biological agents), understanding their cellulose digestion process, and developing next-generation building materials that are resistant to their foraging.