[Kavita Jain]

Termite control in buildings is very important as the damage likely to be caused by the termites is huge. Wood is one of the cellulosic materials which termites damage, cellulose forming their basic nutrient.
Termites are also known to damage non-cellulosic substance in their search for food. Rubber, leather, plastic, neoprene as well as lead coating used for covering of underground cables are damaged by termites.

Termites constitute a separate order of insects called ‘Iseptora’ ( ises is ‘equal’ and pteron means ‘wing’ in Greek). Although, they are commonly called white ants, they are not related to ants. The front pair of wings of the ants’ are longer than their hind pair whereas in termites, both pairs are equal. There are over 2 300 species of termites of which about 220 are found in India. All these species are not considered to be serious pests.
According to their habits, termites can be divided into two well defined groups:
A: Subterranean or ground nesting termites which build nests in the soil and live in them
B: Non-subterranean or wood nesting termites which live in wood with no contact with soil.