Facts about termites

Termites are one of those pests that stay out of sight and out of mind. Well that’s until you find out that they have been silently eating away at your home. 

Each year 1 in 5 homes suffer some form of termite attack, causing more damage than storms, floods and fires combined. Damage caused by termites isn’t covered by home insurance, which often means homeowners are left with a massive clean-up bill as they attempt to rid their home from termites and repair the destruction they leave behind. If termites go undetected for too long, homes can be declared uninhabitable and owners can be forced to move out.

While mainly known for their highly destructive nature and being a homeowners worst nightmare. Here are some more facts about termites you may not know:

•    Termites live on every continent except Antarctica. 

•    They are sometimes referred to as white ants but that is a misnomer as they are    not closely related to ants. Termites are more closely related to cockroaches. 

•    They have been around for at least 130 million years, so they were there with the dinosaurs.    

•    Termites are prey to other insects, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. Numbats can eat up to 20,000 termites per day.    

•    Not all termites are a threat to our homes. There are about 350 species in Australia and about 12 of those damage sound timber. Unfortunately Perth and the South West is a very high termite hazard zone.  

•    They prefer fungus infected wood because it is easier to digest and provides protein in their diet. Some species maintain a garden of fungi.  

•    Colonies comprise several different castes, including Queens, Kings, flying alates (potential future Kings and Queens) workers and soldiers. There can be more than 1 million individuals in a colony, most of them workers. 

•    Termites use pheromones, a chemical compound to communicate. Workers and soldiers are blind.   

•    Queens can live for more than 20 years and can lay more than 2,000 eggs per day. 

•    Colonies in competition for foraging areas or feeding sites will fight each other, sometimes to the death of individuals.   

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