Knowledge Center Top 4 Different Types of Termites in Australia

There are over 300 species of termites in Australia, though entomologists have found only a couple destructive to properties. Some of which include:

• Coptotermes acinaciformis

• Coptotermes frenchi

• Mastotermes darwiniensis – The “Giant Northern Termite”

• Cryptotermes spp. – The “Drywood Termites”

 

1. Coptotermes acinaciformis

These termites from the family Rhinotermitidae builds their nest in the root crown of a tree or underground. They can cause substantial damage to trees and buildings, especially in areas with cracks/cavities with moisture. A colony may house over a million termites that invade nearby tree trunks, disturbed soils on a building site and buried timbers in moist soil. The settlement takes around three to five years to become destructive to nearby properties. They are slightly larger than C. frenchi or C. lacteus, having a length of 5 to 6.5 mm with rectangular heads. Once the queen lays eggs on a moist rotten log or building, it waits until they hatch and become mature and continues to lay eggs for the rest of her life. They are all over Brisbane except for areas with heavy rainfall. If you think that your house is infected by it, then it’s best to get a proper termite inspection done as soon as possible. the more you delay, the more damage these pest do to your property.

 

 

2. Coptotermes frenchi

They have pear-shaped heads. The soldiers have a glandular pore on the forehead that releases milky fluid. They usually build their colony on communal nest especially in the root crown of a tree mostly the eucalyptus tree. They live inside trunks that are not deep into the ground. The reproductives have eyes and a brown exterior, usually the queen and the king, which stays in the nest for egg laying and fertilisation. The soldiers, on the other hand, are blind with soft bodies, have no wings and they usually stay in dark areas that are moist. The soldier’s work is to guard the colony whereas the workers build the nest and take care of the young ones. C. Frenchi is a bit timid and less aggressive than C. acinaciformis and is distributed all over Brisbane.

3. Mastotermes darwiniensis

Widely known as giant northern termite and Darwin termite, this termite is a peculiar, primitive one. They lay eggs in bunches and has the anal lobe of the wing thus similar to cockroaches. Their abdomen and arms resemble that of a cockroach not forgetting how they lay eggs in a case comparable to that of a cockroach. Their colonies are not large under natural conditions but get large if more timber and moist soil is available. They can eat anything from vegetables, wood, ivory, leather and thus very dangerous to farmers. M. darwiniensis has multiple symbionts.

 

4. Cryptotermes spp. (native)

They ordinarily do not build mounds rather they build nests on trees, poles or stumps in areas with buried timber. They love silky oats tree, eucalyptus and hardwood trees. Their colony is mostly build in the root crown or the lower tree trunk. They distribute all over Brisbane except in high rainfall parts. Cryptotermes spp. are the most destructive of all termites, having records of electrical tampering, causing a fire.

 

Final Words

Executive Pest Control Brisbane can help you get rid of all the destructive termites you might be facing in your residential or commercial property. Give us a call for a quick free quote.