Arboreal Termite Species

nderstand Arboreal termite species and their habitat

Arboreal Species

Family

- Termitidae

Sub Family

• Apicotermitinae

• Cubitermitinae

• Foraminitermitinae

• Macrotermitinae

• Nasutitermitinae

• Sphaerotermitinae

• Syntermitinae

• Termitinae

What’s interesting to note is that these termites rarely do any damage to either the tree or houses. They mostly attack timber in contact with the ground such as fences and poles. They rarely cause significant damage to building timbers however they may attack damp timbers under floors where wood is damp and wood is starting to decay.

Our observations and dissection of many nests found that trees were rarely eaten away. The termites seem to do a little chewing around the bark but for the most part the trees are fine other than a few mud tunnels.

One colony can have 5 or 6 thousand termites. except for Nasutitermes which have giant nests with up to 1 million termites.

It is wise to identify termites properly to make sure which species are infecting your trees. Look for the mud tunnels, they will be visible, and can be scraped back to find active termites.

Now if you are concerned your tree may have been eaten or the strength of the tree jeopardised, there are a number of simple tests that can be performed to determine the integrity of the tree. Simply tapping the trunk near the nest can help determine if the trunk sounds hollow. Another way is by drilling with a small drill.

If you are concerned about getting rid of these termites without affecting your trees then it is recommended that you consult Naturally Trees before engaging a pest controller.